Unit 3- Latin America Vocabulary Definitions – Flashcards
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cordillera
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parallel chains or ranges of mountains
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altiplano
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spanish for "high plain," a region in Peru and encircled by the Andes peaks
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escarpment
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steep cliff or slope between a higher and lower land surface
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Llano
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fertile plains in inland areas of Colombia and Venezuela
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Pampa
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grassy, treeless plains of southern South America
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Estuary
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an area where the tide meets a river current
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canopy
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top layer of a rain forest, where the top of tall trees form a continuous layer of leaves
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Tierra Helada
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the highest places found within the Andes mountains
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Tierra caliente
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Spanish term for "hot land"; the lowest altitude zone of Latin American highlands climates
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Tierra Templada
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Spanish term for "temperate land"; the middle altitude zone of Latin American highlands climates
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Tierra Fria
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Spanish term for "cold land"; the highest altitude zone of Latin American highlands climates
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indigenous people
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people native to a place
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dialect
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local form a language used in a particular place or by a certain group
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patois
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dialects that blend elements of indigenous, European, African, and Asian languages
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urbanization
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the movement of people from rural areas into cities
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mega-city
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cities with more than 10 million people
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primate city
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a city that dominates a countries economy, culture, and government and which population is concentrated; usually the capital
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glyph
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picture writing carved in stone
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chinamapas
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floating forming islands made by the Aztec
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Quipu
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Knotted cords of various lengths and colors used by the Inca to keep financial records
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conquistador
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spanish term for "conquerer," referring to soldiers who conquered Native Americans in Latin America
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viceroy
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representatives of the spanish monarch appointed to enforce laws in colonial Latin America
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caudillo
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a Latin American political leader from the late 1800s on, often a military director
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syncretism
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a blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into one faith
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murals
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wall painting
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mosaic
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picture of design made with small pieces of colored stone, glass, shell, or tile
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extended family
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household made up of several generations of family members
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malnutrition
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faculty or inadequate nutrition
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Futbol
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spanish term for soccer
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Jai Alai
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traditional handball- type game popular with Mexicans and Cubans
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export
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commodities sent from one country to another for purposes of trade
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campesino
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farm workers; generally, people who live and work in rural areas
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latifundia
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in Latin America, large agricultural estates owned by families or corporations
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minifundia
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in Latin America, small farms that produce food chiefly for family use
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cash crop
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farm crop grown to be sold or traded rather than used by the farm family
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developing country
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country in the process of becoming industrialized
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service industry
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business that provides a service instead of making goods
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maquiladora
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in Mexico, manufacturing plants set up by foreign firms
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NAFTA
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trade agreement made in 1994 by Canada, the US, and Mexico
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sustainable development
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technological and economic growth that does not deplete the human and natural resources of a given area
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deforestation
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the loss or destruction of forests, mainly for logging or farming
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slash-and-burn
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traditional farming method in which all trees and plants in an area are cut and burned to add nutrients to the soil
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reforestation
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replanting young trees or seeds on lands where trees have been cut or destroyed
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shantytowns
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makeshift communities on the edges of cities
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terracing
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something formed as a terrace
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hurricane
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violent, tropical, cyclone storm of the western North Atlantic
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El nino
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a warm ocean current of variable intensity that develops after late December along the coast of Ecuador and Peru and sometimes causes catastrophic weather conditions
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ecotourism
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tourism to places having unspoiled natural resources, with minimal impact on the environmental being a primary concern
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gaucho hydroelectric power
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a form of energy generated by the conversion of free-falling water to electricity; the generation of electricity by using the motive power of water; also called hydroelectricity
