Geology Flashcards Preview

Lucianna's Program > Geology > Flashcards

Flashcards in Geology Deck (145)
Loading flashcards...
1
Q

gaucho

A

national symbol of Argentina – (like the cowboy to the American west) – usually depicted in a colorful poncho and on horseback – signifying manly independence and self-reliance

2
Q

Caracas

A

Venezuela’s capital city

3
Q

Bogota (accented “a”)

A

Columbia’s capital city

4
Q

selva

A

rain forest – In Brazil, this term refers to the Amazon rain forest, although there are many places that can be called la selva

5
Q

favela

A

term for slums of Brazil – a slum is a term for a poor and overcrowded neighborhood

6
Q

uranium

A

a mineral used to make fuel rods for nuclear energy

7
Q

escarpment

A

steep, rough and jagged cliff

8
Q

Lake Chad

A

A shallow fresh water body bordering Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Chad. It’s size varies greatly during periods of high and low rainfall.

9
Q

Kilimanjaro

A

The highest mountain in Africa, its name translates to “shining mountain” in Swahili, stands in Tanzania.

10
Q

plateaus

A

raised, fairly flat areas of land. In Africa, the lands south of the Sahara Desert are full of plateaus which give the land it’s 1000+ meter elevation.

11
Q

canopy

A

a term for the leaf cover of trees within a rainforest. It’s like an umbrella that protects animals and plants from the hot sun

12
Q

ocean breezes

A

The Namib desert lies close to the Atlantic Ocean and is cooled by the airflow over the waters.

13
Q

ecotourism

A

The allowing of visitors to experience natural places like rainforests, which can bring economic opportunity and an incentive to protect these places from destructive development.

14
Q

national parks

A

Lands where development is forbidden by government authority in order to protect wildlife that are endangered. On the African savanna, the Tembe National Elephant Park protects elephant population from the threats of the ivory trade.

15
Q

higher altitude

A

Brings cooler temperatures. Mountain air is cooler. In the countries of East Africa, the average temperatures are cooler because of their land elevation.

16
Q

apartheid

A

a law which separated people by race in South Africa. It limited the rights of non-white members of South African society.

17
Q

nationalism

A

the desire to form an independent country by a particular people

18
Q

King Ezana

A

The Axumite ruler (now modern Sudan) who embraced Christianity and increased the power of his kingdom

19
Q

Mansa Musa

A

ruler of the Mali empire. Made Timbuktu the center of trade, education and Islamic culture. The richest man in the history of the world.

20
Q

discrimination

A

unequal treatment of a group by a more powerful group

21
Q

extended families

A

household made up of several generations

22
Q

clan

A

large group of people united by a common ancestor in the far past

23
Q

lineage

A

large family group with close blood ties

24
Q

urbanization

A

the movement of people from rural areas to cities

25
Q

malnutrition

A

poor health from not eating the right foods or not eating enough food

26
Q

Arabic

A

language spoken by most people of the Sahel countries

27
Q

English

A

language spoken when people do business in Nigeria

28
Q

Lagos

A

largest city in Nigeria

29
Q

Abuja

A

capital of Nigeria

30
Q

Abidjan

A

where people of Cote d’Ivoire go to find work

31
Q

Afrikaners

A

descendants of Dutch, German, and French settlers in South Africa

32
Q

black South Africans

A

set up the African National Congress in hopes of gaining power

33
Q

people of Zimbabwe

A

have protested against the strong-handed rule of President Robert Mugabe

34
Q

people of Botswana

A

enjoy one of the strongest democracies in South Africa

35
Q

people of Angola and Namibia

A

live in poverty despite the mineral wealth of their country

36
Q

Plateau of Tibet

A

called the Roof of the World because of its high elevation

37
Q

Strait of Malacca

A

important trade route in China

38
Q

Chang Jiang

A

northern China’s main river system

39
Q

Ring of Fire

A

plate movements cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions here

40
Q

Huang He

A

makes Singapore one of the busiest shipping ports in the world

41
Q

dzud

A

Mongolian word for a dry summer followed by a harsh winter

42
Q

highland

A

climate zone of southwestern China and the Plateau of Tibet

43
Q

humid continental

A

climate zone of northeastern China, the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, and northern Japan

44
Q

typhoons

A

hurricane-like storms that form in the Pacific and blow across coastal East Asia

45
Q

Gobi

A

Mongolian word meaning “place without water”

46
Q

human rights

A

basic freedoms such as freedom of speech and religion

47
Q

Tiananmen Square

A

site of student and worker protest for democratic reform

48
Q

Macao

A

territory once controlled by Portugal

49
Q

Dalai Lama

A

Buddhist leader of Tibet

50
Q

exile

A

forced to live somewhere other than your own country

51
Q

kimono

A

long, silken robe with an open neck and large sleeves

52
Q

trade deficit

A

occurs when one country buys more goods from another country than it sells to that country

53
Q

intensive agriculture

A

growing crops on every available piece of land

54
Q

anime

A

Japanese style of animation

55
Q

tatami

A

straw mats that cover the wooden floors of traditional Japanese homes

56
Q

tae kwon do

A

martial art emphasizing mental discipline as well as self-defense

57
Q

celadon

A

type of Chinese pottery modified by Koreans

58
Q

Kim Jong Un

A

dictator of North Korea since 2011

59
Q

Ban Ki-moon

A

became Secretary General of the United Nations in 2006

60
Q

hangul

A

Korean writing system that uses only 28 symbols

61
Q

Persian Gulf

A

contains largest reserves of petroleum

62
Q

Suez Canal

A

used to pass from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea

63
Q

Strait of Hormuz

A

used by oil tankers to enter and leave the Persian Gulf

64
Q

Strait of Gibraltar

A

used to pass from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean

65
Q

Aral Sea

A

body of water that borders both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

66
Q

desalinization

A

creates drinkable water from seawater

67
Q

ergs

A

large sand dunes

68
Q

Empty Quarter

A

desert on the Arabian Peninsula

69
Q

Sahara

A

world’s largest desert

70
Q

dry farming

A

stores moisture in unplanted land

71
Q

Abraham

A

Jews believe they are descended from this Mesopotamian herder

72
Q

Sumerians

A

the first people known to use the wheel and plow

73
Q

Muhammad

A

prophet of Islam

74
Q

pharaohs

A

viewed as gods and rulers

75
Q

Jesus

A

a Jew who taught that God loved all people

76
Q

Yom Kippur

A

holiest day for Jewish people

77
Q

dietary laws

A

state that Jews and Muslims cannot eat pork

78
Q

Makkah

A

holy city of Islam

79
Q

what Muslims must do during Ramadan

A

fast (not eat)

80
Q

Beirut

A

capital and major port of Lebanon

81
Q

trade embargo

A

placed on Iraq after the Persian Gulf War

82
Q

Istanbul

A

major economic and cultural center at the entrance of the Black Sea

83
Q

Law of Return

A

allows Jews anywhere in the world to become Israeli citizens

84
Q

Aden

A

major port for ships traveling between the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea

85
Q

ethnic group

A

people who share the same language, history, religion, and physical traits

86
Q

globalization

A

the development of a worldwide culture with an interdependent economy

87
Q

cultural diffusion

A

spreading ideas, customs, and language from one culture to another

88
Q

civilizations

A

highly developed cultures

89
Q

dialect

A

a local variation of a language

90
Q

prevailing winds

A

major patterns of movements of air

91
Q

weather

A

changes in temperature, wind direction and speed, and air moisture over a short period of time

92
Q

biome

A

area with certain types of plants and animals

93
Q

climate

A

predictable patterns of weather

94
Q

currents

A

streams of warm and cold water in the ocean

95
Q

trench

A

a deep cut in the ocean floor

96
Q

precipitation

A

water that falls to the ground from the sky

97
Q

continental shelf

A

an underwater plateau off the coast of a continent

98
Q

evaporation

A

when water changes from liquid to gas

99
Q

condensation

A

when water changes from gas to liquid

100
Q

erosion

A

movement of rock by water, wind, and ice

101
Q

crust

A

part of the Earth that includes the continents

102
Q

mantle

A

layer of hot, dense rock surrounding the Earth’s core

103
Q

magma

A

melted rock that is called lava when it comes from a volcano

104
Q

plate tectonics

A

explains how the continents move

105
Q

summer solstice

A

day with the most hours of sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere

106
Q

revolution

A

Earth’s complete circuit around the sun

107
Q

equinoxes

A

two days when day and night are of equal length in both hemispheres

108
Q

axis

A

imaginary line passing through the center of Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole

109
Q

orbit

A

path of each planet around the sun

110
Q

Global Positioning System

A

system that uses radio signals to record the exact location of every place on Earth

111
Q

environment

A

natural surroundings

112
Q

Geographic Information Systems

A

system of computer hardware and software that gathers, stores, and analyzes geographic information

113
Q

geography

A

study of Earth and its people

114
Q

absolute location

A

exact spot on Earth where a geographic feature is found

115
Q

renewable

A

resources like wind, water, and forests

116
Q

economic system

A

determines what goods and services to produce, how to produce them, and who will receive them

117
Q

newly industrialized

A

moving toward developed economies

118
Q

nonrenewable

A

resources like iron ore and coal that are limited in supply

119
Q

quota

A

limit on how much of a particular product can be imported from a certain nation

120
Q

Andes

A

ends in a series of steep cliffs

121
Q

Orinoco

A

carries fertile soil into the Llanos of western Venezuela

122
Q

Greater Natilles

A

Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica

123
Q

Central America

A

isthmus that links North America and South America

124
Q

Brazilian Highlands

A

cordillera along the Pacific coast of South America

125
Q

desert

A

climate of northern Mexico

126
Q

Amazon Basin

A

holds the world’s largest rain forest

127
Q

Caribbean islands

A

developed a tourism industry despite hurricans

128
Q

humid subtropical climate

A

the short winters and long, humid summers of Argentina’s Pampas

129
Q

Mediterranean climate

A

enables central Chile to grow large amounts of fruit

130
Q

Aztec

A

built a huge empire in central Mexico

131
Q

Toltec

A

held a monopoly on the obsidian trade

132
Q

Olmec

A

Latin America’s first civilization in southern Mexico

133
Q

Inca

A

empire that stretched more than 2,500 miles along the

Andes

134
Q

caudillos

A

ruled as dictators and did little to help the poor

135
Q

Maya

A

first civilization of the pre-Columbian Amercias to fully develop a written language and calendar; also known for its mathematical and astronomical systems, and its art and architecture

136
Q

Quechua

A

ancient and current language of Peru and Bolivia

137
Q

Sao Paulo

A

has a large Japanese community

138
Q

Central America

A

region of high birth rates in Latin America

139
Q

Cuba

A

country whose music shaped American jazz

140
Q

Rio de Janeiro

A

this city’s Carnival is famous for its color and excitement

141
Q

vaqueros

A

Mexican cowhands

142
Q

mestizos

A

people with a Spanish and Native American heritage

143
Q

subsistence farms

A

small plots where farmers grow enough food to feed their families

144
Q

plantations

A

large farms that raise a single crop for sale

145
Q

maquiladoras

A

factories in which workers assemble parts made in other countries