This article is over 5 years old and may contain outdated information.

Environment

Geography word of the week: Geoglyph

Have you ever seen one of these large sculptured 'land pictures'?

  • Dec 15, 2015
  • 112 words
  • 1 minutes
Expand Image
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Geoglyph
[gee-o-glif]

Definition
A large sculptured character or symbol on the ground. Typically, these “land pictures” are made from earthen mounds, rocks, trees or even by carving out the ground.

Origin
From the Greek ge?, meaning “the earth,” and gluph?, meaning “carving.”

Example
Geoglyphs recently made the pages of the New York Times, when the paper reported that satellite pictures had revealed huge geometric earthworks on the steppes of Northern Kazakhstan, the oldest of which was estimated to be 8,000 years old. Other famous geoglyphs include those at Nasca and the pampas of Jumana, in Peru.

Advertisement

Are you passionate about Canadian geography?

You can support Canadian Geographic in 3 ways:

Related Content

People & Culture

2013 Innovation in Geography Teaching Award winner : Andrew Young

For an educator who has gone above and beyond their job description to further geographic literacy

  • 533 words
  • 3 minutes

People & Culture

Kahkiihtwaam ee-pee-kiiweehtataahk: Bringing it back home again

The story of how a critically endangered Indigenous language can be saved

  • 6310 words
  • 26 minutes
Alex Trebek stands on a stage with Canadian Geographic Challenge alumni

People & Culture

Canadian Geographic Challenge alumni remember Alex Trebek

Alex Trebek's involvement in the Canadian Geographic Challenge and International Geographic Olympiad inspired generations of young learners

  • 796 words
  • 4 minutes

Mapping

Q&A with award-winning geography teacher Mike Farley

When Mike Farley was a young boy, he used Canadian Geographic magazine as a window to another world, far from his home in Toronto's suburbs. Fifteen years ago, Farley started…

  • 358 words
  • 2 minutes
Advertisement
Advertisement