Mapping vocabulary

What is a cay? And a fjord? Discover the meaning of 10 geographical terms

Image: Andrew Neel

Geography, like all academic disciplines, has its own vocabulary and terminology. Concerned with everything from physical phenomena of the planet to social interactions, geographers have many specialized terms and concepts. You’ve probably used some of the words in this list. Do atlas, fjord, geyser, lagoon, and volcano ring a bell? Yet, do you know exactly what they mean or where they originated? In this article, we are going through 10 terms that will turn you into a true geographer!

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An atlas is a collection of maps bound in a volume or book, but have you ever wondered why we call it that? The story is quite interesting and has to do with Greek mythology. Atlas was a member of the older family of Gods, a Titan. It is believed that in Ancient Greek, Atlas meant "The Bearer of the Heavens."

So, what’s the connection with maps? Apparently, it was so named because some early collections showed a representation of Atlas supporting the heavens on his shoulders. The first documented use of the term dates back to 1595 when a collection by the German-Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator was published. In the preface, Mercator explains why he chose this particular allusion: He considered Titan Atlas to be the first great geographer.

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In English fjord is a term applied to a deep and narrow inlet in the coast caused by the submergence of a deep glacial valley, with high rocky parallel sides, hanging valleys, and an irregular rocky floor. However, in Norwegian, it has a more general meaning and often refers to any long, narrow body of water, inlet, or channel.

The word fjord derives from the Old Norse fjǫrðr, meaning a "lake-like body of water used for passage" and is closely related to ferð, which means "traveling, ferrying, journey". Sounds familiar? Well, the English words ferry and fare have the same origin.

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A geyser is a hot spring that intermittently, sometimes at regular intervals, throws up a jet of hot water and steam in areas that are or were volcanic. We can find famous examples of geysers in the volcanic districts of Iceland and in the United States, for example, in Yellowstone National Park.

The English word geyser originated in the late 18th century and was borrowed from Geysir, which is the name of a specific hot spring in the valley of Haukadal, Iceland. In turn, geysir comes from the Old Norse term geysa, meaning "to gush".

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Jungle is a word brought home from India by the British in the 18th century. It derives from the Hindi and Marathi term jangal, which means desert, wasteland, or uncultivated ground. This land was frequently covered with scrub and tangled vegetation, including long grass.

In turn, jangal comes from the Sanskrit word jaṅgala, meaning rough and arid. Today, the term jungle is used popularly for any type of tropical forest with thick undergrowth.

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A volcano is a rift or vent in the Earth’s crust through which molten material erupts in the form of hot lava, gases, volcanic ash, and dust. In the United States, there are about 170 potentially active volcanoes, including Mount St. Helens in southwestern Washington, the Lassen Volcanic Center in California, the Yellowstone Caldera in Wyoming, and Kilauea in Hawaii.

The earliest known use of the word volcano in English dates from the early 1600s in the works of Samuel Purchas, a British compiler of travel and discovery writings. It comes from the Latin word Vulcan, the Ancient Roman god of fire. The name was first used by the Romans to refer to Mount Etna, an active volcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy.

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Tundra is the area comprising the barren plains of northern Canada, Alaska, and Eurasia. There's also an alpine tundra and an Antarctic tundra. It's a treeless region characterized by long, very cold winters and permafrost, where vegetation is restricted to mosses, lichens, and dwarf shrubs.

Since this particular biome includes vast areas of northern Russia, it makes sense that the word tundra has a Russian origin. It derives from the term tundar, from the Finno-Ugric languages of the Sami people, meaning "elevated wasteland, high-topped hill," or "a marshy plain".

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Nowadays, we use the word archipelago to refer to a group of islands scattered close to a sea. However, in Medieval Greek, archipelago was the proper name for the Aegean Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean where numerous large and small islands emerged from the clear blue waters.

Archipelago derives from the Ancient Greek arkhi, meaning "chief" and pélagos, "sea". The term was later applied to any sea over which numerous islands are dispersed, and more recently simply to the islands themselves.

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Another geographic term we borrowed form Russian is steppe. Steppe refers to the treeless midlatitude grassland stretching from central Europe to southern Siberia in Asia. Steppes can also be found in other regions, such as Patagonia in South America, western Canada, the northern part of Mexico, and the Great Basin region in the United States.

The word was introduced in Western Europe by German geographer and explorer Alexander von Humboldt in the early 19th century. It derives from the German steppe, which in turn comes from the Russian step, meaning "flat grassy plain."

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Are you familiar with the Florida Keys? What about the Elbow Cays in the Bahamas? And Cayo Grande off the coast of Venezuela? Although they are spelled slightly differently, all these places respond to the same geographical feature. A cay or key is a low island of sand and coral fragments, built up by waves on a reef-flat drying at low water. Cays occur in tropical environments in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.

But where does the word come from? Cay derives from the Spanish word cayo, which originates from cairi, the Taíno word for "small island". The spelling key, most used in American English, was probably influenced by the Middle English word key, meaning "wharf" or from the Old French kai, which means "sand bank".

Image: Yegor Chuperka

In this article, we have learned about the origin of geographical terms whose etymology derives from Greek, Old Norse, Spanish, and Sanskrit. Now it’s the turn of Italian. A lagoon is a shallow area of salt or brackish coastal water completely or partly separated from the open sea by some more or less effective obstacle, such as a low sandbank.

The word lagoon derives from the Italian laguna, which refers to the waters around Venice. It was such a specific term that it was used in this way in English until the 17th century. Later, it was anglicized to lagune, to finally take the form we use today —lagoon— in the late 18th century at the hand of none other than Captain James Cook.

What science says

It was false after all: 10 health myths that sound true—but aren't

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Health myths are everywhere! These ideas were simply passed down for so long that they became part of what we believed. But now science has stepped in to clear things up. Does cold weather make you sick? Can lemon detox your body? Is reading in low light really harmful? Let's uncover the truth behind 10 common health myths!

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Have you ever been told that cutting your hair will make it grow faster? We're sorry to say that's just a myth. Hair grows from the root, not the ends. So, trimming it won't boost growth, though it does help remove split ends that can make your hair look dry or unhealthy.

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This is one of the most common health myths. Cold weather often gets blamed, but it's not the temperature that makes you catch a cold. During winter, we tend to stay indoors with others and keep the windows closed, an environment that makes it easier for viruses to spread. That's why colds tend to be more common in winter!

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The idea that eating before bed automatically leads to weight gain is a myth. In reality, it has more to do with what you eat and how much, rather than the time of day. Often, when we eat very late at night, we're tired and more likely to reach for quick, high-calorie, heavy foods. This can disrupt sleep and lead to consuming more calories than we burn, both of which may affect weight. If it's close to bedtime, it's better to have something light and healthy in a moderate portion than to skip a meal altogether.

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Does wearing glasses weaken your vision? Myth! If an eye doctor prescribes glasses, wearing them as directed helps correct your vision; it won't make it worse. Additionally, the right glasses can help prevent or reduce headaches caused by reading or spending long hours in front of a screen.

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This myth is closely related to the previous one. If you love reading and sometimes have to do it in low light because of the situation, don't worry. According to experts, reading in low light doesn't cause permanent or irreversible eye damage. However, it's not recommended because it can make your eyes feel tired or strained, leading to discomfort or headaches.

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We're all different, and so are our bodies. The idea that everyone should drink exactly eight glasses of water a day is more of a general guideline than a rule. Staying well hydrated throughout the day is extremely important, but how much water you need depends on factors like your weight, age, climate, and overall health. We should prioritize staying consistently hydrated instead of obsessing over the number of glasses we drink.

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Some people say drinking lemon water helps eliminate toxins and cleanse the body. While adding a slice of lemon to your water is a refreshing way to stay hydrated, it doesn't have any special "detoxifying" powers. The vitamin C in citrus fruits is beneficial, but the body has its own natural detox system. The liver and kidneys are the main organs that filter waste and eliminate toxins.

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Not all fats are bad! Just like other food groups, your body needs fats to function properly. The important thing is knowing the difference between healthy fats and those that can be harmful. Foods like avocados, seeds, olive oil, fish, and nuts are rich in healthy fats. On the other hand, the fats found in processed or fried foods are the ones that can have a negative impact on your body.

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Liver diseases can be serious. While heavy and frequent consumption of alcohol and fats is a major contributor, it's not the only cause. Liver problems can also result from many other factors. These include viral infections, autoimmune diseases, genetic disorders, high blood pressure, and exposure to certain chemicals.

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There's some truth to it: breakfast is important because it replenishes our glucose and energy levels and supports proper metabolism. However, the idea that it's the most important meal of the day might be an exaggeration. Everyone's body has different needs, and all meals are important, so we shouldn't skip any of them!