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Geography Vocab for Finals

Terms

undefined, object
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non-renewable resources
a resource that cannot be replaced once it is used; nonrenewable resources include fossil fuels such as coal and oil, and minerals such as iron, copper and gold
low latitudes
the region between the Topic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn
rural
having to do with the countryside
cataract
a rock-filled rapid
life expectancy
the number of years that a person may be expected, on average, to live
civil rights movement
a large group of people who worked together in the United States beginning in the 1960s to end the segregation of African Americans and support equal rights for all minorities
climate
the weather patterns that an area typically experiences over a long period of time
savanna
region of tall grasses
geyser
a hot spring that shoots scalding water into the air
Cold War
a period of great tension between the United States and the former Soviet Union, which lasted for more than 40 years after World War II
Constitution
the document written in 1787 and approved in 1789 that established three branches of American government and protected the rights of individual citizens
homogeneous
having similar members, in reference to a group
secondary industries
manufacturing businesses that take materials from primary industries and other secondary industries and make them into goods
weathering
the breaking down of rocks by wind, rain or ice
commune
a community in which land is held in common and where members live and work together
peninsula
land nearly surrounded by water
muezzin
a person who summons Muslims to pray by chanting
urban
having to do with the city
isthmus
narrow strip of land that has water on both sides and joins two larger bodies of land
free enterprise
an economic system in which individuals can start and run their own businesses
meridian
an imaginary line that circles the globe from north to south and runs through both the North and South poles; the lines of longitude on maps or globes are meridians
erosion
a process by which water, wind, or ice wears away landforms and carries the material to another place
capitalism
an economic system in which people and privately owned companies own both basic and nonbasic businesses and industries
communism
a theory of government in which property usch as farms and factories is owned by the government for the benefit of all citizens; a political system in which the central government controls all aspects of citizens' lives
Mercator projection
method of putting a map of the Earth onto a flat piece of paper
diversify
to add variety; to expand
minaret
a high tower attached to a mosque, with one or more balconies
cash crop
a crop raised to be sold for money on the world market
dictatorship
a government in which one person, a dictator, governs
atoll
a group of small coral islands in the shape of a ring that encloses a lagoon
fiord
a narrow bay or inlet from the sea bordered by steep cliffs
primary industries
the part of the economy that produces raw materials; examples include agriculture, fishing, mining and forestry
Holocaust
the execution of 6 million Jews by German Nazis during World War II
oasis
a fertile place in a desert where there is water and vegetation
monsoon
the winds that blow across East Asia at certain times of the year; in summer, they are very wet; in winter, they are generally dry unless they have crossed warm ocean currents
renewable resources
a natural resource that the environment continues to supply or replace as it is used; trees, water, and wind are renewable resources
democracy
government of the people, by the people
culture
language, religious beliefs, values, customs, and other ways of life shared by a group of people
high latitudes
the regions between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole and the Antarctic Circle and the South Pole
Tropic of Cancer
the northern boundary of the tropics or the band of Earth that receives the most direct light and heat energy from the sun; such a region lies on both sides of the Equator
subsistence farming
one who grows just enough food to support one's family
latitude
an imaginary line, also called a parallel, that circles the Earth parallel to the Equator; used to measure a distance north or south of the Equator in degrees
arable land
land that can produce crops
Revolutionary War
the war in which the American colonies won their independence from Britain, fought from 1775-1781
plate tectonics
the theory that the Earth's crust is made of huge, slowly moving slabs of rock called plates
revolution
a political movement in which people overthrow the existing government and set up another
population density
the average number of people living in an area
taiga
an enormous Russian forest covering more than four million square miles
fossil fuel
any one of several nonrenewable resources such as coal, oil, or natural gas, created from the remains of plants and animals
Civil War
the war between the northern and southern states in the United States, which began in 1861 and ended in 1865
middle latitudes
the regions between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle
escarpment
a high, steep slope or cliff at the edge of a plateau or mountain range
coral
a rock-like substance formed from the skeletons of tiny sea animals
segregate
to set apart and force to use separate schools, housing, parks and so on because of race and religion
Tropic of Capricorn
the southern boundary of the tropics
rift
a deep crack in the Earth's surface
Declaration of Independence
the document written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 that explained American colonists' reasons for rejecting British rule; representatives from each of the thirteen colonies showed their for independence by signing the document
nomad
a person who moves around to make a living, usually by herding animals, trading, hunting or gathering food
dialect
a version of a language found only in certain regions
Louisiana Purchase
the sale of land in 1803 by France to the United States; all the land between the Mississippi River and the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains
parallel
in geography, any of the imaginary lines that circle Earth parallel to the Equator; a latitude line
quaternary industries
information technologies including industries that provide Internet services, computer software, cable and telephone
longitude
an imaginary line, also called a meridian, that runs north and south from one pole to another; used to measure a distance east or west of the Prime Meridian in degrees
rotation
the spinning motion of Earth, like a top on its axis; Earth takes about 24 hours to rotate one time
steppe
mostly treeless plains; in Russia, the steppes are grasslands of fertile soil suitable for farming

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