Glossary

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Glossary Entries

Word(s)	Definition	Image	Caption	Link	Source
Aborigine	the term for the indigenous people of Australia				Caitlin Finlayson
absolute location	references an exact point on Earth and commonly uses specific coordinates like latitude and longitude
acid rain	a form of acidic precipitation caused by the emission of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide from the burning of fossil fuels				Caitlin Finlayson
African Union	an interregional organization in Africa that seeks unity, integration, and sustainable development
agricultural density	the ratio of the number of farmers to the area of land				Caitlin Finlayson
al-Qaeda	a group of militant Sunnis founded by Osama bin Laden
Altiplano	a series of high elevation plains found in western South America				Caitlin Finlayson
altitudinal zonation	distinct agricultural and livestock zones resulting from changes in elevation
apartheid	the ruling Dutch government’s policy of racial separation in South Africa				Caitlin Finlayson
aquifers	an underground layer of permeable rock that holds groundwater
Arab Spring	a wave of protests and revolutions in North Africa and Southwest Asia that began in Tunisia in 2010				Caitlin Finlayson
archipelago	a chain of islands
arithmetic density	the number of people in an area divided by the size of the area				Caitlin Finlayson
Asian Tigers	refers to Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan which have experienced rapid industrialization and economic development led by export-driven economies, low taxes, and free trade, sometimes also called the Four Asian Tigers
assimilation	when one cultural group adopts the language and customs of another group				Caitlin Finlayson
Association of Southeast Asian Nations	an international organization that seeks to promote political security, economic growth, and social development among member countries in Southeast Asia, also known as ASEAN
atoll	a ring-shaped chain of coral islands surrounding a central lagoon				Caitlin Finlayson
biodiversity	having a wide variety of species present in an area
biogeography	a branch of geography that explores the spatial distribution of the world’s flora and fauna				Caitlin Finlayson
Bolsheviks	a Marxist political party led by Vladimir Lenin that overthrew the interim government following the Russian Revolution and created the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
boreal forest	a cold biome characterized by coniferous trees, also known as taiga				Caitlin Finlayson
brain drain	refers to the emigration of highly skilled workers “draining" their home country of their knowledge and skills
Buddhism	religion that emerged from Hinduism and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama				Caitlin Finlayson
buffer states	a country situated between two more powerful states
caste system	a form of hereditary social hierarchy found in Hinduism				Caitlin Finlayson
central business district	the central commercial and business area of a city, also known as the CBD
centrifugal forces	forces that threaten national unity by dividing a state				Caitlin Finlayson
centripetal forces	forces that tend to unify people within a country
choke point	a narrow passage to another region, such as a canal, valley, or bridge				Caitlin Finlayson
Christianity	a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus
climate change	global changes in temperature and the patterns of weather over an extended period of time				Caitlin Finlayson
Cold War	a time of political and military tension primarily between the United States and the Soviet Union following World War II and lasting until the early 1990s with the fall of the Soviet Union
colonialism	the control of a territory by another group				Caitlin Finlayson
command economy	an economic system where the production, prices of goods, and wages received by workers is set by the government
commodities	raw materials or agricultural goods that are easily bought and sold				Caitlin Finlayson
communal conflict	violence between members of different communities
communism	a social, political, and economic system that seeks communal ownership of the means of production				Caitlin Finlayson
continental climate	areas near the center of a continent that experience more extremes in temperature due to their location away from bodies of water
coral bleaching	occurs when coral experience “stress" due to warm waters and expel the colorful, algae-like organisms that live within them				Caitlin Finlayson
deindustrialization	the process of shifting from a primarily manufacturing-based economy to service industries
demographic transition model	a model that demonstrates the changes in birth rates, death rates, and population growth over time as a country develops, also referred to as the DTM				Caitlin Finlayson
desertification	the process of previously fertile land becoming desert
development	economic, social, and institutional advancements				Caitlin Finlayson
diffusion	refers to the spreading of an idea, object, or feature from one place to another
distortion	changes that occur in area, shape, distance, and/or direction when representing a spherical Earth on the flat surface of a map				Caitlin Finlayson
domino theory	refers to the fear that the fall of one country to communism would lead to the fall of other surrounding countries to communism
dual economy	when plantations or commercial agriculture is practiced alongside traditional agricultural methods				Caitlin Finlayson
Eastern Orthodox Church	a branch of Christianity that split from Roman Catholicism in 1054 CE and includes a number of different denominations such as the Russian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox churches
economies of scale	the savings in cost per unit that results from increasing production				Caitlin Finlayson
El Niño	the warming phase of a climate pattern found across the tropical Pacific Ocean region
endemic	a disease found within a population in relatively steady numbers				Caitlin Finlayson
entrepôt	a French term meaning a commercial center of trade
environmental degradation	the deterioration of resources like air, land, and water				Caitlin Finlayson
epidemic	a disease outbreak
ethnicity	the identification of a group of people with a common language, ancestry, or cultural history				Caitlin Finlayson
exclusive economic zone	a 200 mile zone extending out from a country’s coastline where it has exclusive control over any natural resources, also known as the EEZ
failed state	when a government deteriorates to the point where it is no longer functional				Caitlin Finlayson
federal state	a political system characterized by regional governments or self-governing states
Fertile Crescent	an early area of human civilization in North Africa and Southwest Asia surrounding the Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile rivers				Caitlin Finlayson
floating population	members of a population who reside in an area for a period of time but do not live there permanently
foreign direct investment	the control of a business in one country by a company based in another country, also known as FDI				Caitlin Finlayson
formal regions	a region that shares at least one common characteristic, sometimes also called homogeneous regions
forward capital	a capital that has been intentionally relocated, generally because of economic or strategic regions, and is often positioned on the edge of contested territory				Caitlin Finlayson
fossil fuels	nonrenewable sources of energy formed by the remains of decayed plants or animals
functional region	a region united by a particular function, often economic, sometimes also called nodal regions				Caitlin Finlayson
genocide	the systematic elimination of a group of people
gentrification	where increased property values resulting from the arrival of middle and upper class residents displace lower-income families and small businesses				Caitlin Finlayson
geographic information science	also referred to as geographic information systems, or GIS; a program that uses computers and satellite imagery to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present spatial data
globalization	the increasing interconnectedness and integration of the countries of the world resulting from advances in communication and transportation technology				Caitlin Finlayson
Great Barrier Reef	a massive underwater coral reef off the coast of northeastern Australia
Great Leap Forward	a campaign begun in 1958 by the Communist Party of China that sought to reshape China’s agrarian society into an industrial power				Caitlin Finlayson
Green Revolution	changes in agricultural technology and productivity beginning in India in the 1960s
gross domestic product	the value of all the goods and services produced in a country in a given year				Caitlin Finlayson
gross national income	the value of all the goods and services produced in a country in a given year and the income received from overseas
Group of Eight	a political forum of the world’s leading industrialized countries including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, also knwon as the G8				Caitlin Finlayson
growth pole	a cluster within a region that has attracted economic development
hacienda	a Spanish estate where a variety of crops are grown both for local and international markets				Caitlin Finlayson
hajj	a pilgrimage to Mecca that is expected for all physically and financially able Muslims to complete at least once in their lifetime
high islands	islands that were formed from volcanoes and have relatively high relief				Caitlin Finlayson
Hinduism	an ancient polytheistic religion that first developed in South Asia and is characterized by a belief in karma, dharma, and reincarnation
Horn of Africa	a protruding peninsula in East Africa that contains the countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia				Caitlin Finlayson
humanism	a philosophy emphasizing the value of human beings and the use of reason in solving problems
import-substitution industry	a strategy to replace foreign imports with domestic production of goods				Caitlin Finlayson
Industrial Revolution	the changes in manufacturing that began in the United Kingdom in the late 18th and early 19th centuries
informal sector	refers to the part of the economy where goods and services are bought and sold without being taxed or monitored by the government				Caitlin Finlayson
insurgent state	a territory beyond the control of government forces
invasive species	a species of plant, animal, or fungus that is not native to an area but spreads rapidly				Caitlin Finlayson
Iron Curtain	an imaginary dividing line between the Soviet Union and its satellite states who aligned with the Warsaw Pact, a collective defense treaty, and Western European countries allied through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Islam	a monotheistic religion that emphasizes the belief in Muhammad as the last prophet				Caitlin Finlayson
Islamism	a religious ideology characterized by a strict, literal interpretation of the Qur’an, conservative moral values, and the desire to establish Islamic values across the entire world.
isthmus	a narrow strip of land that connects the two large landmasses				Caitlin Finlayson
Jainism	a religion emerged in India in the first century BCE and emphasizes ahimsa, nonviolence toward all living beings
jihadism	a militant form of Islam that seeks to combat threats to the Muslim community				Caitlin Finlayson
Judaism	an ancient monotheistic religion founded in the Middle East that holds the Torah as its holiest religious text
Khmer Rouge	a communist organization in Cambodia that opposed Westernization and believed in a return to an agrarian society				Caitlin Finlayson
land alienation	when land is taken from one group and claimed by another
latitude	imaginary lines that run laterally, parallel to the equator, around the earth and measure distances north or south of the equator				Caitlin Finlayson
liberation theology	a form of Christianity that is blended with political activism and places a strong emphasis on social justice, poverty, and human rights
lingua franca	a common language spoken between speakers of different languages				Caitlin Finlayson
longitude	imaginary lines that circle the earth and converge at the poles, measuring distances east and west of the equator
low islands	islands that were formed mostly from coral and have relatively low elevations				Caitlin Finlayson
Maori	the term for the indigenous people of New Zealand
maquiladora	a manufacturing plant that takes components of products and assembles them for export				Caitlin Finlayson
maritime climate	a climate zone that features cool summers and cool winters with few extremes in temperature or in rainfall
Marxism	an analysis of social class and conflict based on the work of Karl Marx				Caitlin Finlayson
megacity	a metropolitan area with over 10 million people
megalopolis	a region of overlapping metropolitan areas				Caitlin Finlayson
Melanesia	a region of islands to the northeast of Australia that include Papua New Guinea and Fiji
melting pot	a metaphorical term referring to the mixing of cultural groups to create a more homogeneous national culture				Caitlin Finlayson
mestizo	a term referring to someone of mixed European and Ameridian descent
microfinance	financial and investment services for individuals and small business who otherwise do not have access to traditional banking services				Caitlin Finlayson
Micronesia	a region of very small islands north of Melanesia and east of Polynesia
migration	a move from one place to another intended to be permanent				Caitlin Finlayson
monotheistic	the belief in one god
monotreme	an egg-laying mammal				Caitlin Finlayson
monsoon	a seasonal shift in winds that results in changes in precipitation
nation-state	a sovereign political area that has a homogenous ethnic and cultural identity				Caitlin Finlayson
nationalism	the feeling of political unity within a territory
neocolonialism	the practice of exerting economic rather than direct political control over territory				Caitlin Finlayson
Neolithic Period	also known as the New Stone Age, a time of key developments in early human technology, such as farming, the domestication of plants and animals, and the use of pottery
North American Free Trade Agreement	an agreement established in 1994 with the goal of increasing economic cooperation between Canada, Mexico, and the United States, also referred to as NAFTA				Caitlin Finlayson
offshore banking	financial services located outside a depositor’s country of residence and offer increased privacy and little or no taxation
orographic precipitation	rainfall that results from a physical barrier forcing air masses to climb where they then cool, condense, and form precipitation				Caitlin Finlayson
Outback	a remote area of extensive grassland pastures in central Australia
outsourcing	contracting out a portion of a business to another party, which might be located in a different country				Caitlin Finlayson
Pacific Rim	refers to the countries that border the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ring of Fire	an area of high tectonic activity along the Pacific Ocean basin				Caitlin Finlayson
partition	the division of a territory into smaller units, as with the former British Empire in South Asia
permafrost	soil that is consistently below the freezing point of water (0°C or 32°F)				Caitlin Finlayson
physiologic density	the number of people per unit of arable land
Pidgin English	a simplified form of English used by speakers of different languages for trade, in addition to their native tongue				Caitlin Finlayson
plantation	an agricultural system designed to produce one or two crops primarily for export
plate tectonics	a theory that describes the movement of rigid, tectonic plates above a bed of molten, flowing material				Caitlin Finlayson
Polynesia	a large, triangular region of Pacific islands stretching from New Zealand to Easter Island to the Hawaiian and Midway Islands
population pyramid	a graphical representation of a population’s age groups and composition of males and females				Caitlin Finlayson
primate city	a city that is the largest city in a country, is more than twice as large as the next largest city, and is representative of the national culture
qanat	a system of irrigation first developed in modern-day Iran consisting of an underground tunnel used to extract groundwater from below mountains and transport it downhill				Caitlin Finlayson
Qur’an	the holiest book of Islam believed to contain the words of God as recited by Muhammad, also spelled Quran or Koran
rain shadow	a region with dry conditions on the leeward side of a highland area				Caitlin Finlayson
rate of natural increase	the measure of a country’s population growth calculated by subtracting its death rate from its birth rate, also referred to as RNI
refugees	people who have been forced to leave their country				Caitlin Finlayson
relative location	the location of a place relative to other places
Russification	a system of cultural assimilation in Russia where non-Russian groups give up their ethnic and linguistic identity and adopt the Russian culture and language				Caitlin Finlayson
Sahel	a transitional region in northern Africa connecting the dry Sahara Desert to the tropical regions of the south
scale	the ratio between the distance between two locations on a map and the corresponding distance on Earth’s surface				Caitlin Finlayson
secularism	the exclusion of religious ideologies from government or public activities
sex ratio	the ratio of males to females in a population				Caitlin Finlayson
shatter belt	an area of political instability that is caught between the interests of competing states
shifting cultivation	a system of agriculture where one area of land is farmed for a period of time and then abandoned until its fertility naturally restores				Caitlin Finlayson
Sikhism	a monotheistic religion founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak that combines elements of both Hinduism and Islam
Slavs	an ethno-linguistic group loctaed in Central and Eastern Europe that includes West Slavs (such as Poles, Czechs, and Slovaks), East Slavs (including Russians and Ukrainians), and South Slavs (namely Serbs, Croats, and others)				Caitlin Finlayson
Small Island Developing States	small, coastal states with that face challenges related to sustainable development and have limited populations and natural resource bases, also known as SIDS
social stratification	a system of social categorization where people in a society have differing levels of social status				Caitlin Finlayson
social welfare	a government policy where citizens pay a higher percentage of taxes to support universal healthcare, higher education, child care, and retirement programs
Special Economic Zones	a special region in China where more free-market oriented economics are allowed, also known as SEZ				Caitlin Finlayson
squatter settlement	a housing area where residents do not own or pay rent and instead occupy otherwise unused land
state	an independent and sovereign political entity recognized by the international community				Caitlin Finlayson
steppe	a biome characterized by treeless, grassland plains
structural adjustment programs	a set of required economic changes that accompany a loan made by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to country that is experiencing an economic crisis				Caitlin Finlayson
subduction zone	an area where one tectonic plate is subducting, or moving below, another plate
subsistence farming	where farmers grows food primarily to feed themselves and their families				Caitlin Finlayson
sustainable agriculture	a type of agriculture looks at farming’s effect on the larger ecosystem and seeks to minimize negatively impacts on the ecosystem in the long-term
taiga	a biome characterized by cold temperatures and coniferous forests				Caitlin Finlayson
territorial waters	an area extending 12 miles offshore that is considered sovereign territory of a state
theocracy	a government ruled by religious authorities				Caitlin Finlayson
total fertility rate	the average number of children born to a woman during her childbearing years, also referred to as TFR
Trans-Siberian Railway	an east-west rail line completed in 1919 that stretches across Russia, connecting Moscow in the west with Vladivosktok in the east				Caitlin Finlayson
transition zone	n area between two regions that is marked by a gradual spatial change
tribe	a group of families united by a common ancestry and language				Caitlin Finlayson
tsunami	a high sea wave resulting from the displacement of water
tundra	a biome characterized by very cold temperatures and limited tree growth				Caitlin Finlayson
unitary state	a political system characterized by a powerful central government
urban decentralization	the spreading out of the population that resulted from suburbanization				Caitlin Finlayson
urban sprawl	the expansion of human settlements away from central cities and into low-density, car-dependent communities
urbanization	the increased proportion of people living in urban areas				Caitlin Finlayson
value added goods	a raw material that has been changed in a way that enhances its value
Wahhabism	a strict form of Sunni Islam that promotes ultraconservative Muslim values				Caitlin Finlayson
Westernization	the process of adopting Western, particularly European and American, culture and values
World Trade Organization	an intergovernmental organization that collectively regulates international trade, also known as the WTO				Caitlin Finlayson