SKILLS:
TERMS
ALLIANCE
any agreement entered into by one or more countries
for the purpose of securing economic, cultural, or military advantages
ARID
very dry . . too little rainfall for agriculture.., irrigation is needed
ARISTOCRACY
hereditary nobility or rule by a small
privileged class
BAY
that portion of a sea or ocean which extends into the
land and is partly surrounded by land (See Gulf)
BUFFER
STATE a small neutral state between two
larger
potentially rival powers
CANAL
man-made passage of water cut across land connecting
two bodies
of water
CAPITAL
the city where the government of a state or country
can be found
CASH
CROPS crops raised mainly for sale (cotton, peanuts)
CLIMATE
the average conditions of temperature at any given
area in an average year
COAST
area of land next to or touching a sea or ocean
COOPERATIVE
marketing organization whose members share the
profits of their production (farmers)
CULTURE
any group of
people expressing a characteristic or
a group of characteristics which contribute
to its uniqueness as a nation
DELTA
built-up land created at the mouth of a river as the
river drops the silt it carries
DEMOCRACY
a government in which power is vested in the people
and exercised by them through a system of representation
DENSITY
the average number of persons per square mile in a
given area or country
DESERT dry, hot land with little growth
DICTATOR
an all powerful authority ruling the government of a
nation
DIRECTION any of the 16 points of a compass
or any of the 6 main directions, north, south, east, west, up, down
EQUATOR
line drawn east and west around a globe halfway
between the North and South Poles
EXPORTS
the sending out of a country’s products made or
grown in that country
FIORD
an inlet of the sea with hills and mountains rising
on each side
GULF
portion of sea or ocean extending inland, partly
surrounded by land
HEAVY
INDUSTRY industry essential to the growth of any other
industries (steel, aluminum, chemicals)
HILLS
land not as high as mountains but higher than
surrounding land
HYDROELECTRIC
POWER energy
produced by the generation of water
IMPORTS
any products produced in another country which are
brought into a land for sale
INFLATION
a rapid rise in prices affecting the cost of living .
. money drops in
value
IRRIGATION
removing water from any source (lake, river) and
pumping It to its new location to water crops
ISTHMUS
a narrow strip of land connecting two larger bodies
of land
LATITUDE distance north or south of the equator measured in degrees
LONGITUDE distance
east or west of the
METROPOLITAN
AREA a major city and its suburbs
MINERALS
ores and substances extracted from the earth for
man’s use
MINERAL
FUELS coal, oil, and other substances extracted
from the earth which are used to produce heat and power
MONARCHY
a government which has a hereditary leader who rules
for life with absolute or nominal powers
MOUNTAIN
a very steep, elevated portion of land much higher
than the land surrounding it
NATURAL
RESOURCES plants,
animals, minerals, and fuels located on earth which man uses for food, shelter,
clothing, power, and to supply other needs
NAVIGABLE
RIVER any river having a channel or passageway wide
enough for ships to pass through
OCEAN
a body of salt water covering a planet’s surface
and surrounding the continents of a planet
OLIGARCHY
rule by the few
PLAIN level land with few hills
PLATEAU
large land with a level surface raised sharply above
adjacent land on at least one side
POPULATION
the number of people in a given area at a given time
PORT
a city
established
near an ocean, river, sea, or lake which deals in the importing and exporting
of goods
PRIME
MERIDIAN line drawn north and south around a globe from
which all east and west locations are figured
RAINFALL
amount of rain, measured in inches, that falls in a
given area in a given year ten inches of snowfall equals one inch of rain
RANGE
a low strip of hills or mountains that are connected.
RAW
MATERIALS any substance in Its natural state used in
producing other goods
REGION
portion of a continent or country which is alike in
some ways (land or climate regions)
REPUBLIC
a state or country where citizens elect officials to
represent them in the law-making process
SAVANNA grassland, some trees
SEA
smaller
part of an ocean, usually partly surrounded by land
SEASON
portion of the year in which the weather is the same
SELF-SUFFICIENT
having the ability to operate independently of
others
STEPPE
semi-arid land region usually with poor water
resources. grazing is done in this area
STRAIT
narrow waterway not made by man connecting two
larger bodies of
water
TABLELAND
level land slightly higher than a lowland area
TARIFF
tax placed on imported or exported goods
TEMPERATURE
how hot or cold it is, measured in degrees, at
any given place at a given time
TRIBUTARIES
streams or other rivers flowing into another
river that is usually longer
VALLEY
low area between hills or mountains
WATERSHED area that drains into or supplies a river or lake