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Unit 3 Vocab
7-5 Petersen: Unit 3 Ch.6-9 (Latin America)
Word | Definition |
---|---|
land bridge | a narrow strip of land that joins two larger landmasses |
peninsula | a piece of land with water on 3 sides |
latitude | the distance measured in degrees north and south of the Eqautor to the earth's poles |
altitude | the height above sea level |
hurricane | violent tropical storm with high winds and heavy rains |
vaquero | cowhand |
maquiladoras | factories |
subsistence farms | small farms where farmers grow only enough food to feed their families |
plantations | large farms that raise a single crop for sale |
industrialized | to have changed the economy to rely less on farming and more on manufacturing |
service industries | businesses that provide services to people rather than produce goods |
jade | a precious gem, often used in jewelry, that is green as well as other colors |
obsidian | a hard, black glass created by volcanoes and used for carving by the Olmecs |
maize | corn |
hieroglyphics | a form of writing that uses symbols and signs |
mural | wall painting |
hacienda | large ranch |
plaza | public square or courtyard |
adobe | sun dried clay bricks |
federal republic | government divided by government and state powers |
migrant worker | person who travels from place to place when extra help is needed to plant or harvest crops |
national debt | money owned by the government |
smog | thick mix of smoke and fog |
isthmus | narrow piece of land connecting two larger pieces of land |
canopy | umbrella like covering formed by the tops of trees in a rain forest |
ecotourist | person who travels to another country to view its natural wonders |
literacy rate | percentage of adults who can read and write |
republic | strong national government heade by elected leaders |
parlimentary democracy | government in which voters elect representatives to a law making body, which chooses a prime minister to head the government |
archipelago | group of islands |
bauxite | mineral used to make aluminum |
communist state | country whose government has a strong control over the economy and society as a whole |
cooperative | farm owned and operated by government |
embargo | order that stops trade with another country |
free trade zone | taking down trade barriers so that goods flow freely amoung countries |
commonwealth | partly self governing territory |
basin | low area surrounded by higher land |
selva | thick rain forest |
escarpment | a steep cliff between higher and lower land |
favela | slum or very poor area |
deforestation | destroying large areas of forest without replanting them |
pampas | vast treeless plain |
estancia | ranches |
gaucho | cowhands |
hydroelectric power | electricity that is made by flowing water |
llanos | grassy plaincs |
altitude | height above sea level |
caudillo | military rulers |
cordillera | mountain ranges that run side by side |
cash crop | a product sold for export |
mestizo | people of mixed European and Native american backrounds |
campesino | Columbian farmers |
navigable | a body of water that is wide and deep enough to allow the passage of ships |
foothills | low hills at the base of a mountain range |
empire | group of lands under one ruler |
landlocked | a country that has no land bordering a sea or an ocean |
altiplano | a high plateau in western Bolivia |
sodium nitrate | a mineral used in fertilizer and explosives |