Latin America Vocab

Question 1

Land Bridge

Answer 1

a strip of land that connects two larger landmasses, enabling migration of plants and animals to new seas

Question 2

Seismic

Answer 2

relating to or caused by an earthquake

Question 3

Vertical Climate Zone

Answer 3

a climate zone that occurs as elevation increases, with its own natural vegetation and crops

Question 4

Mestizo

Answer 4

refers to people of mixed indigenous and European descent

Question 5

Conquistador

Answer 5

Spanish for “conquer”; Spanish soldier who participated in conquest of indigenous peoples of Latin America

Question 6

Cash Crop

Answer 6

farm product grown to be sold or traded rather than used by the farm family

Question 7

Syncretism

Answer 7

a blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into one faith

Question 8

Megacity

Answer 8

a great city that is made up of several large and small cities

Question 9

Primate City

Answer 9

a city that dominates a country’s economy, culture, and government and in which population is concentrated; usually the capital

Question 10

Extended Family

Answer 10

household made up of several generations of family members

Question 11

Outsourcing

Answer 11

the practice of subcontracting manufacturing work to outside companies, especially foreign or nonunion companies

Question 12

Isthmus

Answer 12

a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas

Question 13

Archipelago

Answer 13

a group or chain of islands

Question 14

Biodiversity

Answer 14

biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals

Question 15

Population Pressure

Answer 15

the sum of factors within a population that reduce the ability of an environment to support the population, therefore resulting in migration or population decline

Question 16

Patois

Answer 16

a dialect used in everyday speech that blends elements of several languages

Question 17

Matriarchal

Answer 17

family ruled by a woman such as a mother, grandmother, or aunt

Question 18

Latifundia

Answer 18

in Latin America, large agricultural estates owned by families or corporations

Question 19

Minifundia

Answer 19

in Latin America, small farms that produce food chiefly for family use

Question 20

Cottage Industry

Answer 20

a business that employs workers in their homes

Question 21

Ecotourism

Answer 21

the practice and business of recreational travel based on concern for the environment

Question 22

Sedimentation

Answer 22

the action or process of forming or depositing sediment

Question 23

Reforestation

Answer 23

planting young trees or seeds on lands where trees have been cut or destroyed

Question 24

Cordillera

Answer 24

parallel chains or ranges of mountains

Question 25

Altiplano

Answer 25

Spanish for “high plain,” a region in Peru and Bolivia encircled by the Andes

Question 26

Escarpment

Answer 26

a steep cliff or slope between a higher and lower land surface

Question 27

Llanos

Answer 27

fertile grasslands found in inland areas of Colombia and Venezuela

Question 28

Pampas

Answer 28

grassy, treeless plains of South America

Question 29

Quipu

Answer 29

knotted cords of various lengths and colors used by the Inca to keep financial records

Question 30

Brain Drain

Answer 30

the loss of highly educated and skilled workers to other countries

Question 31

Uneven Development

Answer 31

condition in which some places do not benefit as much as others from social and economic advancement

Question 32

Oxisol

Answer 32

a thick, weathered soil of the humid tropics that is largely deplete of fertility and nutrients

Question 33

Monoculture

Answer 33

the cultivation or growth of single crop over a wide area for a consecutive number of years