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 prime meridian, measured in degrees LOWLAND area of land lower than land which surrounds it

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