Level 6 Geography
Terms
undefined, object
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- hemisphere
- Half the earth or the globe.
- urban population
- People who live in or near cities or towns.
- language family
- A group of languages that all come from one ancestor language.
- anthropologist
- A person who studies humans and their cultures.
- Hispanic
- A Spanish-speaking American
- technology
- The knowledge and skill people use to make things.
- landlocked
- Not having a seacoast.
- arid
- Very dry, usually due to insufficient rainfall, making agriculture difficult.
- humus
- The product of the partial decay of plant or animal matter that forms the organic portion of soil.
- triple cropping
- The process of harvesting one crop and then immediately planting another type of crop onn the same land.
- Koran
- A book of sacred writings accepted by Muslims revealed to Muhammad.
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alluvial soil
(UH loo VEE ul soil) - Rock fragments and silt deposited on the land when a river floods during the rainy season.
- humid subtropical
- A climate that has very hot temperatures in the summer and mild temperatures in the winter. There is plenty of rain all year but very little snow.
- tributary
- A stream or river that flows into a loarger body of water.
- kilometer
- A measure of distance in the metric system.
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arable
(AR uh bul) - Suitable for growing crops.
- High Veld
- The upland grassland area of Southern Africa.
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Swahili
(swah HEE lee) - A language of eastern and central Africa. Swahili contains many Arabic, Persian, and Indian words.
- land bridge
- A narrow piece of land that connects two larger land masses.
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bazaar
(buh ZAHR) - The central marketplace in Middle Eastern and North American cities.
- ice shelf
- A mass of ice that floats on the water but is attached to a glacier.
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tsetse fly
(TSET see fly) - A kind of fly found mainly in Africa south of the Sahara desert. Some forms of the tsetse fly pass on a one-celled animal that causes a fatal sickness in cattle and sleeping sickness in humans.
- landform
- A feature of the earth's surface, such as a mountain, hill, river, lake, or ocean, that is made by nature.
- alpine
- Mountain areas above the highest elevation where trees grow.
- irrigation
- The watering of crops or other plants by pipes, canals, or ditches.
- wood pulp
- A wet, soggy mass of ground-up wood chips.
- latex
- A mixture of water and fine particles of rubber or plastic, used especially in paints and adhesives.
- caravan
- A group of people traveling together, usually on animals or in vehicles.
- in-migration
- Movement into a region or community.
- superpower
- A large and powerful country that plays a leading role in world affairs.
- key
- A device on a map that tells what real things and places the symbols on a map stand for.
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Bantu
(BAN too) - A family of African languages.
- islet
- A very small island, usually uninhabited.
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transhumance
(trans HYOO muns) - The seasonal migration of livestock between lowlands and adjacent mountains.
- jute
- A plant, raised mostly in the Ganges River delta, from which the fiber for burlap and twine is also obtained.
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archipealago
(ahr kuh PEL uh go) - A group or chain of islands.
- isolationism
- A national policy of avoiding international political and economic relations.
- vineyard
- A field of grapevines.
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kraal
(krahl) - A village commonly found in eastern and southern Africa.
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avalanche
(AV uh lanch) - A giant snowslide that occurs in high mountain areas when too much snow builds up on steep slopes.
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hammada
(huh MAH duh) - A rocky plateau in the desert.
- tableland
- A level, flat plateau.
- lagoon
- A shallow channel or pond near or connected with a larger body of water.
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adobe
(uh doh bee) - A building material that is made of sun-dried mud and straw
- inflation
- The decline in the value of money accompanied by an increase in prices.
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tannin
(TAN ihn) - A plant extract used to cure leather.
- Lapps
- A group of people who live in the far north of the Scandanavian Shield, near the Arctic Ocean.
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Afrikaans
(af rih KAHNZ) - A language that is widely used in South Africa
- high-technology industries
- Industries that produce electronics, computers, and other goods that are extremely complex and specialized.
- tariff
- A tax on imports, or in some countries on exports.
- latitude
- Distance, measured in degrees, north and south of the equator. Lines of latitude are used to locate places on a map or globe.
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Boers
(boorz) - Early Dutch settlers in South Africa; Dutch word for farmers.
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hajj
(haj) - A pilgrimage that every Muslim must make at least once in his or her life if he or she can afford it.
- trust territory
- A territory, region, or small country administered by another country for the United Nations.
- great circle
- Any circle on the earth's surface that divides the earth into equal parts. The equator is aq great circle. A great circle is the shortest possible distance between any two places on the surface of the earth.
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Aborigine
(ab uh RIHJ uh nee) - A member of the earliest group of people known to inhabit Australia
- imperialism
- A policy of conquering new lands to build an empire.
- weather
- The conditiion of that air at a certain time, in terms of precipitation.temperature, and other factors.
- hacienda
- A large estate in Spanish-speaking countries.
- buffer state
- A country that separates two or more countries that are hostile to each other.
- import
- A product one country buys from another.
- whiteout
- A condition that occurs when the shite snow-covered ground blends with the white sky, making it impossible to see shadows or even the horizon.
- grid system
- A network of horizontalo lines of latitude and vertical lines of longitude that aids in the location of places on a map.
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autobahn
(AWT oh bahn) - West Germany's super highway system.
- hydroelectricity
- Electricity made from the force of flowing water.
- west coast marine
- A climate with temperatures that are warm in the summer and cool in the winter. there is precipitation all year round.
- guerilla
- A perswon who fights against a government.
- Absolute location
- The latitude and longitude of a place
- immigrant
- A person who comes into one country to settle permanently.
- tundra
- A rolling plain without trees, found in the Arctic area of the high latitudes.
- geologic hazard
- A natural event involving the land, such as an earthquake, volcanic eruption,landslide, or flood, that causes trouble for people.
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apartheid
(uh PAHR tayt) - The forced separation, by law, of whites and nonwhites in South Africa.
- harbor
- A protected body of water that is afe for ships.
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tungsten
(TUNJ stun) - A mineral that is used to harden steel and to make the filaments in light bulbs.
- green revolution
- the growing of more crops on the same amount of land, due to the development of new types of grain by agricultural scientists.
- basin
- A low area almost entirely surrounded by higher ground.
- humid continental
- A climate that has a wide range of temperatures, with warm to unpleasantly hot summers and cold to very cold winters. Precipitation also varies considerably in this climate.
- subsistence agriculture
- A family or similar group's practice of growing food chiefly for itself.
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glacial till
(GLAY shul tihl) - The soil and silt deposited by glacial ice sheets as they melted and retreated northward.
- bog
- A small marsh or swamp, comprised of wet spongy ground.
- industry
- The manufacturing of goods.
- teak
- A hard yellowish-brown wood that is often used for carving and for furniture.
- Great Trek
- The mass migration of thousands of Boers to the High Veld of Southern Africa. The trek began in 1835 and continued into the 1840s
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Aryans
(ar EE unz) - A people who invaded India and introduced their language and their religion.
- heavy industry
- The production of goods such as tractors, mining equipment, and factory machinery.
- tropics
- The zone between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer.
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geyser
(GYE zur) - A fountain of steam and water that has been heated by hot lava and forced above ground by volcanic gases.
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canopy
(KAN un pee) - The interlocking leaves that form the top of the rain forest.
- homeland
- A special reserve in South Africa where many South African blacks have been forced to move.
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tatami
(tuh TAH mee) - A soft woven floor mat.
- glacier
- A large mass of ice formed snow on high ground and moving very slowly down a mountainside or along a valley.
- atmosphere
- The blanket of air that covers the earth.
- isthmus
- A narrow strip of land that connects two larger land areas.
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taiga
(TYE guh) - The great coniferous forest region of canada and the southern part of Siberia in Russia.
- ground water
- Rainwater that collects in underground rocks.
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aquifer
(AK wuh fur) - A layer of rock, sand, or gravel that can absorb or collect water.
- jungle
- A thick tangled mass of tropical vegetation.
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theocracy
(thee AHK ruh see) - A nation that is ruled according to religious laws instead of laws passed by the people.
- geography
- The science that deals with location of living and nonliving things on earth and the way they affecr one another.
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antimony
(AN tuh moh nee) - A mineral used to make a metal harder.
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dynasty
(DYE nus tee) - A family of rulers.
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Sunnites
(SOON yts) - The largest branch of the Islamic religion. Most Muslims are Sunnites.
- forage
- Plants such as grass and shrubs that serve as food for livestock.
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atoll
(A tawl) - A ring-shaped coral island enclosing or partly enclosing a lagoon.
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emigrate
(EM ih grayt) - To leave one country or region in order to permanently settle in another.
- volcano
- An opening in the earth, usually at the top of a cone-shaped hill or mountain, out of which gases rock, ashes, and lava may erupt.
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distributary
(dih STRIHB yoo ter ee) - A river branch flowing away from the main stream.
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autonomy
(AW TAHN uh mee) - Self-government for a state or other political entity.
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enclave
(EN klayv) - A country that is completely surrounded by another country.
- tell
- An Arabic word meaning "hill."
- foreign policy
- The decisions a county makes about how it will work with other countries.
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canton
(KAN tun) - A small territorial divisionof a country, which functions as a separate unit. A canton corresponds to a state in the U.S. Switzerland is divided into cantons.
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domesticate
(doh MES tih kayt) - To tame wild animals to live with humans.
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tsunami
(tsoo NAH mee) - A greta sea wave produced by an earthquake or volcano eruption under the sea.
- Fleming
- One of a group of Dutch speaking people inhabiting Flanders, a region of Northern Belgium.
- capital
- Money used to develop a country's economy.
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gaelic
(GAYL ihk) - Of, relating to, or being the Celtic speech of persons born or living in Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Scottish Highlands.
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Walloon
(wah LOON) - One of a group of french speaking people inhabiting the southern part of Belgium.
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diffusion
(dih FYOO zhun) - The spread of knowledge from one group of people to another.
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Bedouins
(BED oo ihnz) - A nomadic group of people who live in many of the countries of the Arabian peninsula.
- gasohol
- A fuel made by mixing gasoline with alcohol that is made from sugarcane and used to power cars and trucks.
- terrace
- A flat shelf of land, arranged like wide steps on a mountainside, where crops are grown.
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federation
(fed ur AY shun) - A government in which the national government and the governments of the provinces share certain powers.
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bilingual
(bye LING gwel) - Expressed in or using two languages.
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ejido
(ay HEE doh) - Communal farmland in Mexico that is owned and worked on by several families or an entire village.
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escarpment
(e SKAHRP munt) - The steep slope, or drop, at the edge of a plateau.
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cartography
(kahr TAHG ruh fee) - The making of maps.
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Eurasia
(yoo Ray zhuh) - The landmass made up of the continents of Europe and Asia.
- typhoon
- A tropical storm accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain.
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erosion
(ee ROH zhun) - The process by which the soil blows away in the wind or washed down the slopes of the hills when it rains.
- cash crop
- A crop that is sold, usually for export.
- distortion
- A twisting or stretching out of shape.
- summit
- The highest point of a mountain
- Fertile Crescent
- A 1,000 mile-long crescent-shaped region of the Arabian peninsula that is made up of green, flat fertile land. It stretches across iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan.
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catamaran
(kat uh muh RAN) - Two canoes fastened together to make one boat. Sometimes planks fastened on the framework serve as the deck.
- dike
- A wall or bank built to control or hold back the water of a river or sea.
- synthetic material
- A product that is made from materials that are produced by people, not by nature, and isoften made from chemicals.
- erg
- A large sea of sand in the desert, highlighted by wind-swept dunes.
- caste
- A system that separates people into groups, or classes, based on birth.
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expropriate
(eks PROH pree ayt) - To take over the property of another.
- precipice
- A very steep and high face of a rock or mountain.
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desertification
(dih zurt uh fih KAY shun) - The process by which livestock eat the seeds of grasses and shrubs, causing vehetation to disappear and the land to change to desert.
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causeway
(KAWZ way) - A raised way or road across wet ground or water.
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equinox
(EE kwih nahks) - Either of two times in the year when the sun's direct rays are over the equator and day and night are of equal length.
- polder
- A piece of land reclaimed from the water, usually by building dikes and pumping the water out of the area enclosed by the dikes.
- foreign debt
- Money a government owes to a bank in another country.
- censor
- To control the content of publications, radio, and television broadcasts, and other forms of speech.
- exclave
- A territory surrounded or nearly surrounded by the territory of another country.
- pass
- A low place in a mountain range.
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exploitation
(eks ploi Tay shun) - Taking large profits from a country, leaving very little for the people who live there.
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aqueduct
(AK wuh dukt) - An artificial channel for carrying a large quantity of flowing water.
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drought
- A long, dry period with no rain.
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Shiites
(SHEE yts) - Followers of the second largest branch of the Islamic religion. About 1/5 of the world's Muslims are Shiite Muslims. Most people in present day Iran and Iraq are Shiites, followers of the Shi'ah faith.
- flax
- A plant whose fiber can be used to makelinen. Oil and livestock feed are obtained from its seed.
- axis
- An imaginary line that goes through the earth from the North Pole to the South Pole.
- desert pavement
- Vast plains of gravel and boulders in the desert.
- squatter settlement
- A settlement filled with people, known as squatters, who have taken over land they do not own.
- emblem
- A symbol or sign, such as a flag or the seal of a country.
- alloys
- Mixyures of metals that are harder or stronger than the individual metals from which they are made.
- futon
- A heavy padded quilt that is commonly used in Japan.
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steppe
(step) - Land in regions of wide temperature range that is dry, usually rather level, and covered with grass. Steppes are found in southeastern Europe, parts of Asia, Africa, and South America.
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distribution map
((dihs trih BYOO shun map) - A map that shows the range of people, crops, or resources in a country or region.
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confluence
(KAHN floo uns) - The place where two or more streams or rivers join.
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estuary
(ES tyoo er ee) - The mouth of a river into which ocean water flows, mixing fresh water and seawater.
- per capita income
- the total amount of money that a nation's people earn in a year divided by the total population.
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equatorial climate
(ee kwuh TOR ee ul climate) - A place with a very warm, humid climate that is near the equator.
- cinder cone
- A small volcano that looks like a cone-shaped hill.
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famine
(FAM ihn) - An extreme shortage of food.
- station
- A large ranch in Australia where cattle and sheep are raised.
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ecology
((ee KAHL uh jee) - The balance between living things and their environment.
- climate
- The pattern of weather that a place has over a period of time. Temperature and precipitation are two important parts of climate.
- European Community
- An organization comprised of 12 Western European countries whose purpose is to make trade easier among them.
- strait
- A narrow waterway that conects two larger bodies of water.
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ethnocentrism
(eth noh SEN trihz um) - The process of looking at the rest of the world and making judgments about it based only on your own cultural background and experience.
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commune
(KAHM yoon) - A community, often rural, in which labor, decision making, and profits are shared.
- fallow
- Not cultivated or planted for a season or more.
- scale
- The relationship between distance on a map and distance on the earth. Also the line drawn on maps that show this relationship.
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domestic
(doh MES tihk) - A product that is used in one country and not exported to another.
- compass rose
- A small drawing on a map, used to show direction.
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demilitarized zone
(dee MIHL uh tuh ryzd zone) - An area free of military control, where there are no troops or weapons.
- strike
- A stopping of work by a group of workers to force an employer to meet demands.
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fjord
(fyord) - A long, narrow, often deep inlet of the sea lying between steep cliffs.
- constitutional monarchy
- A government in which the monarch, or ruler, serves as head of state and has only those powers given to the ruler by the constitution and laws of the nation.
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ebony
(EB uh nee) - A hard, dark, strong wood that comes from various trees found in tropical areas.
- subcontinent
- A landmass of great size, but smaller than the continents.
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fellahin
(FEL uh heen) - A group of crop-raising farmers in the Arab countries of North Africa and the Middle East.
- contour lines
- Lines on a map connecting points that have the same elevation on a land surface.
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Slovaks
(SLOH vahks) - A Slavic people who live in Slovakia, which was the eastern region of the former CZecholovakia.
- continental island
- An island that was once part of a continent. It is now separated by a stretch of water.
- nomads
- People who have no permanent home and who move from place to place.
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copra
(KAH pruh) - Dried coconut meat from which coconut oil is made.
- smorgasbord
- A self-service luncheon or supper that offers a large variety of foods and dishes.
- compact
- An agreement between nations.
- Moors
- A group of people who invaded North Africa and conquered the Iberian Peninsula.
- channel
- A strait or a narrow sea between two large areas of land that are close together.
- rift valley
- A canyon-like hollow formed by the sinking of the earth's crust between two parallel faults.
- Commonwealth of Nations
- An organization of 48 former British colonies with special defense and economic ties.
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oasis
(oh AY sihs) - A place in the desert that has enough water for plants and trees to grow.
- commercial farm
- A farm on which crops are raised for sale rather than for home use.
- peat
- Plant matter used as a fertilizer or fuel. It is made of partisally rotted plants and moss.
- crop rotation
- The practice of growing first one crop and then another type of crop on the same land, which preserves the ability of the soil to produce crops
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pyrethrum
(pye RETH rum) - A small flower that is dried and crushed and then used to make a natural insecticide.
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chernozem
(CHER nuh zem) - A rich black soil, which is common in cool or temperate semiarid climates.
- sand dune
- A mountain of sand that has been formed by the wind.
- consumer
- A person who buys and uses many types of goods.
- overgrazing
- Allowing livestock to eat too much of the natural vegetation.
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chromium
(KROH mee um) - A blue-white mineral that is used to make steel harder.
- regional specialization
- An economic activity that is the specialty of a particular region.
- core
- The part of the country that has the largest population, the largest cities, the most productive economy, and the best transportation facilities and other services.
- potash
- A type of mineral salt that is mined from deposits found below the earth's surface.
- delta
- The land that is formed by mud and sand deposited at the mouth of a river.
- plantation
- A large commercial farm that grows only one specific crop.
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Czech
(chek) - A person born or living in the Czech Republic.
- scrub forest
- A place where trees do not grow very high because of dry climate.
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commodity
(kuh MAHD uh tee) - A product that is bought and sold in commerce.
- smelting
- An extraction process that separates ore from rock.
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cooperative
(koh AHP ur uh tihv) - A plantation or other business that is owned by its workers.
- pagoda
- A buddhist shrine that has upward-curving roofs and a pyramidlike shape.
- coastal plain
- An area of flat land that borders a coast.
- prairie
- A large area of level or rolling land that is covered by tall grass and has fertile soil.
- city-state
- A self-governing state consisting of a city and its surrounding territory.
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sisal
(SYE sul) - A fibrous plant used to make rope, string, and bags.
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communism
(KAHM yoo nihz um) - A social system in which property and goods are owned in common, or the theory that favors such a system.
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Pampas
(PAHM puz) - The large fertile grassy plain that covers parts of Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
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crevasse
(kruh VAS) - A deep crack in the ice.
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Slavs
(slavhz) - A group of people who were among the first people to live in what is now Eastern Europe.
- culture
- The way of life of a people.
- navigator
- A person who is responsible for directing the course of a ship or airplane.
- consumer goods
- Things that are grown or made by producers and are used by people.
- petrochemical
- A chemical or synthetic material made from petroleum or natural gas.
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coup d'etat
(koo day TAH) - A sudden overthrowing of a government by a small group.
- Pacific Rim
- The nations bordering the Pacific Ocean.
- deforestation
- The large scale cutting down of forests.
- population density
- the average number of people who live in a square mile or square kilometer of a state , country, or other area.
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czar
(zahr) - The title given to rulers of Russia.
- primate city
- A city that is far more important than any other city in a country.
- coral
- A hard, chalky, rocklike material that is made of the shells of sea animals called coral polyps.
- relative location
- Gives the location of a place according to some known landmark.
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conquistador
(kahn KWIHS tuh dor) - A Spanish soldier of the sixteenth century in the Americas.
- rural population
- Peop0le who live outside an urban zone.
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confederation
(con fed ur AY shun) - A union comprised of many different states.
- ore
- A mineral mined to obtain a substance that it contains.
- life expectancy
- The average number of years a person can expect to live.
- Palestinian
- A person who has a strong commitment to the creation of an independent Pelestinian state.
- Meditteranean climate
- A climate that has hot, dry summers and cool , rainy winters.
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navigable
(NAV ih guh bul) - A lake or river that is deep and wide enough to be traveled by ships and boats.
- light industry
- The production of goods such as textiles, clothing, furniture, and the processing of grains and vegetables.
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Sahel
(sah HEL) - A semidesert area in Africa thatlies south of the Sahara.
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monotheism
(MAHN oh thee ihz um) - The belief in only one God.