This glossary of geography terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in geography and related fields, including Earth science, oceanography, cartography, and human geography, as well as those describing spatial dimension, topographical features, natural resources, and the collection, analysis, and visualization of geographic data. It is split across two articles:
Glossary of geography terms (A–M) lists terms beginning with the letters A through M. This page, Glossary of geography terms (N–Z), lists terms beginning with the letters N through Z. Related terms may be found in Glossary of geology, Glossary of agriculture, Glossary of environmental science, and Glossary of astronomy.
N
nadir
narrows Also narrow. A land or water passage that is confined or restricted by its narrow breadth, often a strait or a water gap.
nation A stable community of people formed on the basis of a common geographic territory, language, economy, ethnicity, or psychological make-up as manifested in a common culture.
national mapping agency A governmental agency which manages, produces, and publishes topographic maps, geographic data, and sometimes cadastral information that is specific to an individual nation or political territory, such as the United Kingdom's Ordnance Survey.
national park A type of protected area created and managed as a public park by a national governmental authority for conservation purposes. Though individual governments designate national parks differently, they usually share the common goal of preserving natural or semi-natural landscapes (often wilderness) for posterity and as symbols of national pride.
natural landscape The original landscape that exists before it is acted upon by humans. Contrast cultural landscape.
nautical mile A unit of distance traditionally defined as the length equal to one minute of arc (1⁄60 of one degree) along a meridian of the Earth. Because the Earth is not a perfect sphere, the length of one minute of arc at the Equator differs from that measured at the geographic poles; thus the modern internationally agreed-upon standard defines the nautical mile as the average of these two extremes: 1,852 metres (6,076 feet; 1.151 miles). It is widely used in air, marine, and space navigation as well as for defining the limits of territorial waters.
navigable 1. (of a place) Capable of being navigated; sufficiently deep, wide, predictable, and/or free of obstructions to afford easy or safe passage to vessels such as ships or automobiles. The term is often used to describe river channels and coastal inlets. 2. (of a vessel) In a navigable condition; steerable; seaworthy or roadworthy.
navigation 1. The determination of position and direction, generally by comparing the navigator's position to known locations or patterns. 2. The process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a vehicle or craft from one place to another.
neap tide A tide of decreased tidal range occurring semi-monthly as a result of the Moon being in quadrature with respect to the Earth and the Sun (i.e. in the first quarter or last quarter phases, when roughly half of the lunar disk is visible), or the time period recurring every 14 days during which such tides occur. The average height of the high waters of the neap tides occurring at a particular location is called neap high water or high water neaps, and that of the corresponding low waters is called neap low water or low water neaps. Compare spring tide.
nearshore The part of a beach between the shoreline and the line at which the waves break.
neatline A line separating the main body of a map from the map's margin. On a standard quadrangle map, the neatlines are the meridians and parallels delimiting the quadrangle.
neck 1. A narrow stretch of land with water on each side, e.g. an isthmus or promontory. 2. A narrow stretch of woodland or of ice. 3. A high level pass, especially the narrowest part.
nehrung A long sandspit separating a haff or lagoon from the sea, especially one along the south coast of the Baltic Sea.
neighborhood Also neighbourhood or abbreviated to hood. A geographically localized community within a larger city, town, suburb, or rural area, particularly one which supports considerable face-to-face interactions between residents.
ness In Scotland and parts of England, a headland or cape, or another name for a cuspate foreland; or a spur of a mountain ridge.
névé A young, granular type of snow that has been partially melted, refrozen, and compacted but is not yet in the form of ice. Névé that survives a full season of ablation becomes firn, which is older and slightly more compact, and thus contributes to the formation of glaciers. The term may also refer to the alpine region surrounding the head of a glacier where snowfall accumulates and becomes névé, feeding the glacier.
nodal region A region characterized by a set of places connected to another place by lines of communication or movement.
North Geographic Pole Also called the Geographic North Pole, Geographic North, or simply the North Pole. The point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is the northernmost point on Earth, directly opposite the South Geographic Pole, and defines the direction of true north at a latitude of 90 degrees North; its longitude can be assigned any degree value. Unlike the South Pole, the North Pole is not located on a continental landmass but in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. See also North Magnetic Pole.
North Geomagnetic Pole Also called the Geomagnetic North Pole. The point in the Northern Hemisphere where the axis of a theoretical simplified dipole passing through the center of the Earth would intersect the Earth's surface. It is antipodal to the South Geomagnetic Pole. Because of the fluid nature of the Earth's molten core, the true axis of the Earth's magnetic field is not a perfect dipole, and so the Geomagnetic Poles and the actual Magnetic Poles lie some distance apart.
North Magnetic Pole Also called the Magnetic North Pole or Magnetic North. The point in the Northern Hemisphere at which the Earth's magnetic field points vertically downward. It is close to but distinct from the Geographic North Pole and the Geomagnetic North Pole, and its precise location varies considerably over time due to frequent magnetic changes in the Earth's core. Its counterpart in the Southern Hemisphere is the South Magnetic Pole, though the two poles are not directly opposite each other.
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