Geology Flashcards
gaucho
national symbol of Argentina – (like the cowboy to the American west) – usually depicted in a colorful poncho and on horseback – signifying manly independence and self-reliance
Caracas
Venezuela’s capital city
Bogota (accented “a”)
Columbia’s capital city
selva
rain forest – In Brazil, this term refers to the Amazon rain forest, although there are many places that can be called la selva
favela
term for slums of Brazil – a slum is a term for a poor and overcrowded neighborhood
uranium
a mineral used to make fuel rods for nuclear energy
escarpment
steep, rough and jagged cliff
Lake Chad
A shallow fresh water body bordering Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Chad. It’s size varies greatly during periods of high and low rainfall.
Kilimanjaro
The highest mountain in Africa, its name translates to “shining mountain” in Swahili, stands in Tanzania.
plateaus
raised, fairly flat areas of land. In Africa, the lands south of the Sahara Desert are full of plateaus which give the land it’s 1000+ meter elevation.
canopy
a term for the leaf cover of trees within a rainforest. It’s like an umbrella that protects animals and plants from the hot sun
ocean breezes
The Namib desert lies close to the Atlantic Ocean and is cooled by the airflow over the waters.
ecotourism
The allowing of visitors to experience natural places like rainforests, which can bring economic opportunity and an incentive to protect these places from destructive development.
national parks
Lands where development is forbidden by government authority in order to protect wildlife that are endangered. On the African savanna, the Tembe National Elephant Park protects elephant population from the threats of the ivory trade.
higher altitude
Brings cooler temperatures. Mountain air is cooler. In the countries of East Africa, the average temperatures are cooler because of their land elevation.
apartheid
a law which separated people by race in South Africa. It limited the rights of non-white members of South African society.
nationalism
the desire to form an independent country by a particular people
King Ezana
The Axumite ruler (now modern Sudan) who embraced Christianity and increased the power of his kingdom
Mansa Musa
ruler of the Mali empire. Made Timbuktu the center of trade, education and Islamic culture. The richest man in the history of the world.
discrimination
unequal treatment of a group by a more powerful group
extended families
household made up of several generations
clan
large group of people united by a common ancestor in the far past
lineage
large family group with close blood ties
urbanization
the movement of people from rural areas to cities
malnutrition
poor health from not eating the right foods or not eating enough food
Arabic
language spoken by most people of the Sahel countries
English
language spoken when people do business in Nigeria
Lagos
largest city in Nigeria
Abuja
capital of Nigeria
Abidjan
where people of Cote d’Ivoire go to find work
Afrikaners
descendants of Dutch, German, and French settlers in South Africa
black South Africans
set up the African National Congress in hopes of gaining power
people of Zimbabwe
have protested against the strong-handed rule of President Robert Mugabe
people of Botswana
enjoy one of the strongest democracies in South Africa
people of Angola and Namibia
live in poverty despite the mineral wealth of their country
Plateau of Tibet
called the Roof of the World because of its high elevation
Strait of Malacca
important trade route in China
Chang Jiang
northern China’s main river system
Ring of Fire
plate movements cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions here
Huang He
makes Singapore one of the busiest shipping ports in the world
dzud
Mongolian word for a dry summer followed by a harsh winter
highland
climate zone of southwestern China and the Plateau of Tibet
humid continental
climate zone of northeastern China, the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, and northern Japan
typhoons
hurricane-like storms that form in the Pacific and blow across coastal East Asia
Gobi
Mongolian word meaning “place without water”
human rights
basic freedoms such as freedom of speech and religion
Tiananmen Square
site of student and worker protest for democratic reform
Macao
territory once controlled by Portugal
Dalai Lama
Buddhist leader of Tibet
exile
forced to live somewhere other than your own country
kimono
long, silken robe with an open neck and large sleeves
trade deficit
occurs when one country buys more goods from another country than it sells to that country
intensive agriculture
growing crops on every available piece of land
anime
Japanese style of animation
tatami
straw mats that cover the wooden floors of traditional Japanese homes
tae kwon do
martial art emphasizing mental discipline as well as self-defense
celadon
type of Chinese pottery modified by Koreans
Kim Jong Un
dictator of North Korea since 2011
Ban Ki-moon
became Secretary General of the United Nations in 2006
hangul
Korean writing system that uses only 28 symbols
Persian Gulf
contains largest reserves of petroleum
Suez Canal
used to pass from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea
Strait of Hormuz
used by oil tankers to enter and leave the Persian Gulf
Strait of Gibraltar
used to pass from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean
Aral Sea
body of water that borders both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
desalinization
creates drinkable water from seawater
ergs
large sand dunes
Empty Quarter
desert on the Arabian Peninsula
Sahara
world’s largest desert
dry farming
stores moisture in unplanted land
Abraham
Jews believe they are descended from this Mesopotamian herder
Sumerians
the first people known to use the wheel and plow
Muhammad
prophet of Islam
pharaohs
viewed as gods and rulers
Jesus
a Jew who taught that God loved all people
Yom Kippur
holiest day for Jewish people
dietary laws
state that Jews and Muslims cannot eat pork
Makkah
holy city of Islam
what Muslims must do during Ramadan
fast (not eat)
Beirut
capital and major port of Lebanon
trade embargo
placed on Iraq after the Persian Gulf War
Istanbul
major economic and cultural center at the entrance of the Black Sea
Law of Return
allows Jews anywhere in the world to become Israeli citizens
Aden
major port for ships traveling between the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea
ethnic group
people who share the same language, history, religion, and physical traits
globalization
the development of a worldwide culture with an interdependent economy
cultural diffusion
spreading ideas, customs, and language from one culture to another
civilizations
highly developed cultures
dialect
a local variation of a language
prevailing winds
major patterns of movements of air
weather
changes in temperature, wind direction and speed, and air moisture over a short period of time
biome
area with certain types of plants and animals
climate
predictable patterns of weather
currents
streams of warm and cold water in the ocean
trench
a deep cut in the ocean floor
precipitation
water that falls to the ground from the sky
continental shelf
an underwater plateau off the coast of a continent
evaporation
when water changes from liquid to gas
condensation
when water changes from gas to liquid
erosion
movement of rock by water, wind, and ice
crust
part of the Earth that includes the continents
mantle
layer of hot, dense rock surrounding the Earth’s core
magma
melted rock that is called lava when it comes from a volcano
plate tectonics
explains how the continents move
summer solstice
day with the most hours of sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere
revolution
Earth’s complete circuit around the sun
equinoxes
two days when day and night are of equal length in both hemispheres
axis
imaginary line passing through the center of Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole
orbit
path of each planet around the sun
Global Positioning System
system that uses radio signals to record the exact location of every place on Earth
environment
natural surroundings
Geographic Information Systems
system of computer hardware and software that gathers, stores, and analyzes geographic information
geography
study of Earth and its people
absolute location
exact spot on Earth where a geographic feature is found
renewable
resources like wind, water, and forests
economic system
determines what goods and services to produce, how to produce them, and who will receive them
newly industrialized
moving toward developed economies
nonrenewable
resources like iron ore and coal that are limited in supply
quota
limit on how much of a particular product can be imported from a certain nation
Andes
ends in a series of steep cliffs
Orinoco
carries fertile soil into the Llanos of western Venezuela
Greater Natilles
Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica
Central America
isthmus that links North America and South America
Brazilian Highlands
cordillera along the Pacific coast of South America
desert
climate of northern Mexico
Amazon Basin
holds the world’s largest rain forest
Caribbean islands
developed a tourism industry despite hurricans
humid subtropical climate
the short winters and long, humid summers of Argentina’s Pampas
Mediterranean climate
enables central Chile to grow large amounts of fruit
Aztec
built a huge empire in central Mexico
Toltec
held a monopoly on the obsidian trade
Olmec
Latin America’s first civilization in southern Mexico
Inca
empire that stretched more than 2,500 miles along the
Andes
caudillos
ruled as dictators and did little to help the poor
Maya
first civilization of the pre-Columbian Amercias to fully develop a written language and calendar; also known for its mathematical and astronomical systems, and its art and architecture
Quechua
ancient and current language of Peru and Bolivia
Sao Paulo
has a large Japanese community
Central America
region of high birth rates in Latin America
Cuba
country whose music shaped American jazz
Rio de Janeiro
this city’s Carnival is famous for its color and excitement
vaqueros
Mexican cowhands
mestizos
people with a Spanish and Native American heritage
subsistence farms
small plots where farmers grow enough food to feed their families
plantations
large farms that raise a single crop for sale
maquiladoras
factories in which workers assemble parts made in other countries
