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Location

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a specific place on Earth

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Absolute location

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the exact location of a place based on longitude and latitude

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Grid system

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the system of crossing longitude and latitude that helps locate places

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Relative location

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location of one place in relation to another

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Place

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particular space with physical and human meaning

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Region

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areas with similar characteristics

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Formal region

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region defined by a common characteristic, such as a product produced there. Ex. Corn Belt

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Functional region

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region defined by a central place and the surrounding area linked to it. Ex. Metro area

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Perceptual region

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region defined by popular feelings and images rather than by objective data. Ex. Heartland

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Movement

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the act or process of changing place or position; can refer to people, goods, and ideas

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Human-environment interaction

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the study of the interrelationship between people and their physical environment

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Physical geography

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focuses on the study of Earth's physical features, including climate, land, water, plants, and animal life in terms of their relationships to one another and to humans

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Human geography

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the study of human activites and their relationship to the cultural and physical environments

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Meteorology

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the study of weather

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Cartography

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the study of mapmaking

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Hydrosphere

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the water system of Earth made up of oceans, lake, rivers, and other bodies of water

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Lithosphere

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the Earth's crust, or land

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Atmosphere

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the layer of gases extending above Earth's surface

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Continental shelf

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an underwater extension of the coastal plain

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Mantle

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a layer of hot, dense rock between the core and the crust of Earth

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Continental drift

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the theory that the continents were once joined and then slowly drifted apart

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Magma

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molten rock

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Plate tectonics

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refers to all of the physical processes that create many of the Earth's physical features

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Subduction

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when a heavier sea plate dives beneath a lighter continental plate--results in mountain ranges

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Accretion

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when pieces of Earth's crust come together slowly as the sea plate slides under the continental plate--causes continents to grow outward

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Spreading

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the process in which sea plates pull apart

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Fold

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bends in layers of rock

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Fault

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cracks in Earth's crust

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Weathering

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the process which breaks down rocks

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Erosion

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the process which wears away the Earth's surface by wind, glaciers, and moving water

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Glacier

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large bodies of ice that move across Earth's surface

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Water cycle

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the regular movement of water from evaporation to condensation to precipitation

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Evaporation

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the changing of liquid water into vapor, or gas

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Condensation

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the changing of vapor into liquid water

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Precipitation

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rain, snow, or sleet

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Desalination

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the process of removing the salt from water

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Groundwater

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freshwater that lies beneath the Earth's surface

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Aquifer

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an underground pourous rock layer often saturated by very slow flows of water

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Weather

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the condition of the atmosphere in one place during a limited period of time

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Climate

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the term for the weather patterns that an area typically experiences over a long period of time

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Axis

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an imaginary line running from the North Pole to the South Pole through Earth's center

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Revolution

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a trip around the sun

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Equinox

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a day during which the sun's rays fall directly on the Equator and daylight and nighttime are equal

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Greenhouse effect

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the process in which Earth's atmosphere traps the sun's energy for growing plants even in cold weather

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Global warming

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the trend of rising global temperatures thought to be caused by human activities

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Prevailing wind

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the fairly constant patterns of global winds, determined by latitude and the Earth's movement

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Current

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the patterns of water movement on Earth through the oceans, determined by Earth's movement, changes in air pressure, and differences in water temperature

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El Niño

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a periodic change in the pattern of ocean currents, water temperatures, and weather in the mid-Pacific region

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Natural vegetation

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the original plant life growing in an area

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Coniferous

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trees, including evergreens, that produce cones

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Oasis

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an area of lush vegetation

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Deciduous

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trees, mostly with broad leaves, which change color and drop their leaves in autumn

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Mixed forest

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a forest with both deciduous and coniferous trees

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Chaparral

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Mediterranean scrub vegetation consisting of drought-resistant woodland of twisted, hard-leafed trees

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Prairie

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inland grasslands

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Permafrost

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permanently frozen subsoil

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Smog

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a visible chemical haze in the atmosphere that endangers people's health

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Death rate

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number of deaths per year for every 1000 people

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Birthrate

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number of births per year for every 1000 people

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Natural increase

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the growth rate of a population, which is the difference between the birthrate and the death rate

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Population distribution

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the pattern of human settlement

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Population density

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the number of people living on a square mile or square kilometer of land

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Migration

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the movement of people from place to place

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Culture

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the way of life of a group of people who share similar beliefs and customs

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Language family

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large groups of languages with similar roots

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Ethnic group

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a group of people who share a common language, history, place of origin, or a combination of these elements

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Culture region

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a region which includes countries that have certain traits in common

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Cultural diffusion

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the process of spreading new knowledge from one culture to another

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Culture hearth

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early centers of civilization whose ideas and practices spread to surrounding areas

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Unitary system

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government which gives all key powers to the national or central government

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Federal system

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government which divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments

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Autocracy

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a system of government in which the power and authority to rule belong to a single individual

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Oligarchy

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any system of government in which a small group holds power

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Democracy

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any system of government in which leaders rule with the consent of the citizens

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Traditional economy

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economy in which habit and custom determine the rules for all economic activity

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Market economy

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economy in which individuals and private groups make decisions about what to produce

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Mixed economy

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economy in which the government supports and regulates free enterprise through decisions that affect the marketplace

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Command economy

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economy in which the government owns or directs the means of production--land, labor, capital, and business managers--and controls the distribution of goods

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Natural resource

answer

elements from Earth that are not made by people but can be used by them for food, fuel or other necessities

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Developed country

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countries having much technology and manufacturing

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Developing country

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countries working toward greater manufacturing and technology use

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Industrialization

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the spread of industry

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Free trade

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the removal of trade barriers so that goods can flow freely among countries

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Pollution

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the release of unclean or toxic elements into the air

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Divide

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a high point or ridge that determines the direction in which rivers flow

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Tributary

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smaller rivers and streams

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Fall line

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marks the place where the higher land of the Piedmont drops to the lower Atlantic Coastal Plain

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Timberline

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the elevation above which trees cannot grow

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Immigration

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the movement of people from one country to another

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Native American

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the descendants of the first peoples who moved to North America from Asia 20,000 years ago

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Sunbelt

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one of the area's fastest growing areas in the American southwest characterized by its mild climate

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Urbanization

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the movement of people from rural areas to cities

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Metropolitan area

answer

area which includes a city with a population of at least 50,000 people and outlying communities called suburbs

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Mobility

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the movement of people in a population, as from place to place, from job to job, or from one social class or level to another

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Republic

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a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.

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Underground Railroad

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an informal network of safe houses used to help enslaved people escape to the north

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Constitution

answer

document which created the strong national government of the United States while preserving the rights of citizens

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Bill of Rights

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the first 10 amendments which guarantee the basic rights of citizens

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Dominion

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a partially self-governing country with close ties to Great Britain

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Parliament

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the national legislature of Canada, consisting of the Senate and the House of Commons

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Free market economy

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economy which allows people to own, operate, and profit from their own businesses

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Post-industrial

answer

economies which place less emphasis on heavy industry and traditional manufacturing, and more emphasis on service and high-tech businesses

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Retooling

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the process of converting old factories for use in new industries

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Monopoly

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total control of an industry by one person or one company

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Trade deficit

answer

spending more money on imports than earning from exports

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Tariff

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taxes on imports and exports

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Trade surplus

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earning more money from export sales than spending for imports

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Llanos

answer

inland grasslands of Colombia and Venezuela

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Pampas

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inland grasslands of Argentina and Uruguay

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Gauchos

answer

cowhands employed by ranchers on large estates

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Indigenous

answer

peoples descended from an area's first inhabitants

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Dialect

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a form of a language unique to a particular place or group

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Patois

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dialects that blend indigenous, European, African, and Asian languages

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Conquistador

answer

a Spanish conqueror

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Viceroy

answer

a royally appointed official

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Caudillo

answer

a dictator

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Syncretism

answer

blending of beliefs and practices

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Extended family

answer

household made up of several generations of family members

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Malnutrition

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a condition caused by lack of proper food

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Export

answer

to sell to other countries

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Latifundia

answer

large agricultural estates owned by wealthy families or corporations which yield high returns for low investment in labor

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Minifundia

answer

small plots of land intensively farmed by campesinos to feed their families

question

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

answer

an agreement effective in 1994 that reduced trade restrictions and increased the flow of goods, services, and people between the U.S, Canada, and Mexico

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Deforestation

answer

the clearing or destruction of forests

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Slash-and-burn

answer

an ancient technique in which all trees and plants in an area are cut and burned to add nutrients to the soil

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Reforestation

answer

the planting of young trees or the seeds of trees on the land that has been stripped

question

Dikes

answer

large banks of earth and stone which hold back water

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Polder

answer

reclaimed lands which formerly were covered by the sea

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Glaciation

answer

the process in which glaciers formed and spread

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Fjord

answer

long, narrow, steep-sided inlets carved by glaciation

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Ethnic cleansing

answer

the expelling from a country or killing of rival ethnic groups

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Refugee

answer

people who flee to another country for safety

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City-states

answer

separate communities formed by the ancient Greeks which were linked by Greek language and culture

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Middle Ages

answer

a period from 500 AD- 1500 AD which was the period between ancient and modern times

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Feudalism

answer

a system in which monarchs or lords gave land to nobles in return for pledges of loyalty

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Crusades

answer

a series of brutal religious wars beginning in AD 1000 to win Palestine from Muslim rule

question

Renaissance

answer

Europe's period of artistic and intellectual achievement that began in the 1300s in Italy

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Reformation

answer

religious movement of the 1500s that lessened the power of the Roman Catholic Church and introduced Protestantism to Europe

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Enlightenment

answer

a movement in the 1700s to value reason and question tradition

question

Industrial capitalism

answer

an economic system in which owners used profits to expand their companies

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Communism

answer

a philosophy that called for economic equality and ownership of resources by workers

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Reparations

answer

payment for damages

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Holocaust

answer

the mass murder of more than 6 million European Jews

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Cold War

answer

a power struggle between the Soviet-controlled Communist world and the non-Communist world after World War II

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European Union

answer

an organization formed in 1993 whose goal is to unite Europe so that goods, services, and workers can move freely among member countries

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Language family

answer

a group of related languages that have all developed from one earlier language

question

Romanticism

answer

the influential artistic style developed in Europe in the late 1700s-early 1800s which emphasized individual emotions as a reaction to industrialization

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Heavy industry

answer

the manufacture of machinery and industrial equipment--prevalent where there is availability of raw materials

question

Light industry

answer

the manufacture of high-end electronics and specialty tools--prevalent in countries lacking industrial raw materials

question

Mixed farming

answer

raising several kinds of crops and livestock on the same farm

question

Farm cooperatives

answer

organizations in which farmers share in growing and selling products, reduce costs, and increase profits

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Collective farms (kolkhoz)

answer

in the Soviet Union, a small farm worked by farmers who shared in the farm's production and profits

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State farms (sovkhoz)

answer

in the Soviet Union, a large farm owned and run by the state, run more like factories

question

Genetically modified foods

answer

foods with genes altered to make them grow bigger or faster or be more resistant to pests

question

Organic farming

answer

using natural substances instead of chemicals to increase crop yields

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Tundra

answer

a vast, treeless plain in cold northern climates, characterized by permafrost and small, low plants, such as mosses and shrubs

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Steppe

answer

a temperate grassland with dry summers and long, cold, dry winters

World Geography Vocabulary Terms – Flashcards

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