Aboriginal
native to a region; describes people inhabiting a land before the arrival of colonists
Aborigines
indigenous people of Australia
Acid rain
rain polluted with chemicals
Agrarian
a term describing a society that is based on agriculture
Allied Powers
Britain, France, Russia; those nations involved in World War I that were led by Great Britain , Russia, and France; the United States later joined the Allied Powers
Allies
countries / nations who are friends and support one another
Amazon River
A massive river in South America; more water drains out of the Amazon than out of any other river on Earth
Andes Mountains
The mountain range along the western side of South America more than 5,000 miles long, and home to the highest mountains in the Western Hemisphere
Annex
to add territory; to take over a piece of another nation's land
Arable
land that is able to be farmed
Anti-Semitism
prejudice against Jewish people
Archipelago
a chain of islands
Arctic
the region around the North Pole
Aristocracy, aristocratic
having to do with royalty/monarchy
Armistice
a temporary halt in fighting; a truce
Astronomy
the study of stars and their positions
Atacama Desert
a desert region on the coast of northern Chile, sparsely inhabited, but rich in minerals
Atahualpa
leader of the Incas (known as "Sapa Inca"). During the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the Spaniard Francisco Pizarro captured him and used him to control the Inca empire before executing him.
Authoritarian
a word that describes a political system in which people of a country must obey the ruling power
Autocratic or Autocracy
government in which one person possesses unlimited power and the citizen has little, if any, role in the government (example: Cuba). Most dictators maintain their position through inheritance of military power (fear, violence). People who try to speak out against the government are often silenced through the use of power.
Ayers Rock
a giant stone monolith in Australia's Northern Territory; one of the country's most famous natural features
Axis Powers
an alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan that fought against the Allies during World War II
Aztec
native people of central Mexico whose civilization was at its height at the time of the Spanish conquest in the early 16th century
Barter
to exchange, or trade, one good for another
Battle of Stalingrad
World War II battle considered to be the bloodiest in human history; it last from 1942 to 1943
Bering Land Bridge
a narrow area of land that once joined Siberia to Alaska
Berlin Wall
a wall in Germany that separated East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989
Bicameral
a legislature with two branches
British Commonwealth
a voluntary association of independent nations and dependent territories linked by historical ties as part of the former British empire, and cooperation on matters of mutual concern like economics and trade.
British North America Trade Act
a law passed in 1867 under which Canadian colonies united to form a new country, governed by a new constitution
Cabinet
a group of people appointed by a president or prime minister to give advice and help run the government
Canadian Shield
a plateau region of eastern Canada extending from the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River northward to the Arctic Ocean
Capital goods
equipment used by a company to produce other goods
Capitalism
an economic system in which private owners control the production of goods and profit
Caribbean Sea
a large body of water in the western Atlantic Ocean, to the south bordered by South America, to the west bordered by Central America, and to the north by Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic
Cartography
the making of maps and charts
Catholic
this word actually means "universal", but when capitalized, refers to the Roman Catholic church. Roman Catholics were some of the first Christians.
Central Powers
Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria, when they fought against the Allied Powers during World War I.
Chancellor
chief executive in Germany
Chernobyl
a city in north central Ukraine where in 1986 a large Nuclear Power Plant exploded during stress testing causing the leakage of massive amounts of radiation
Chief executive
the #1 person in charge of the country; we call ours PRESIDENT
Christopher Columbus
believed that the Bahamas were part of Asia; was an Italian sailor who thought that if the world was round instead of flat, then you should be able to sail to India to buy spices by going west instead of east. Convinced the king and queen of Spain to give him 3 ships, let him try to prove that he was right. He did not get to India, he did find the islands of the Caribbean including present day Haiti
Clandestine
to meet in secret
Cold war
began in 1945, period of distrust between Soviet Union and its former allies in the West, particularly the United States; Germany was divided into two parts, East Germany and West Germany
Colonization
to form a colony, to settle a colony
Colony
a foreign area controlled by a country and contributing to its wealth; any people or territory separated from, but subject to, a ruling power
Columbian Exchange
the widespread exchange of agricultural goods, livestock, slave labor, communicable diseases, and ideas between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres that occurred after 1492.
Command economy
an economy that is planned and controlled by the central government
Communism
an economic and political system in which the government owns all the businesses, and citizens have limited personal freedoms
Concentration camps
prisons where civilians, political prisoners, and sometimes prisoners of war were held under harsh conditions
Confederation
voluntary associations of independent states that, to secure some common purpose, agree to certain limitations on their freedom of action and establish some joint machinery of consultation or deliberation (example: European Union); voluntary association of states in which individual states hold more power than the central government
Conquistador
a conqueror, especially one of the 16th century Spanish soldiers who defeated the Indian civilizations of Mexico, Central America, and Peru.
Constitution
document written to describe the way a government of a country will be organized
Commonwealth of Nations
weak association of member countries once part of the British Empire; also called the British Commonwealth
Communist
describes a government that owns or controls most farms and businesses
Confederation
voluntary associations of independent states that, to secure some common purpose, agree to certain limitations on their freedom of action and establish some joint machinery of consultation or deliberation (Example: European Union)
Conquistador
a conqueror from Spain, an explorer who went to new countries; a conqueror, especially one of the 16th century Spanish soldiers who defeated the Indian civilizations of Mexico, Central America and Peru
Constitution
document written to describe the way the government of a country will be organized; a document of basic laws that govern a country
Constitutional monarchy
a form of government in which the power of the king or queen is limited by a constitution
Consume
to buy, to use up, to purchase something that is for sale.
Contaminated
poisoned, food not safe to eat, a place not safe to live in; could make a person sick, even kill them
Cook, Captain James
claimed Australia for Great Britain; in 1770's had a ship named Endeavor
Coral Sea
a body of water off the east coast of Australia, home o the Great Barrier Reef
Cortez/Cortes
conquistador that Montezuma welcomed because he mistakenly thought Cortez was a god from a legend in their religion. Cortez was looking for gold and riches and was successful in overtaking the Aztec people.
Coup
a French word that means to take over a government, to militarily overthrow the present government (pronounced KOO with no "p" sound)
Coup d'etat
a military takeover of a government (pronounced KOO-DAY-TAH)
Crusades
wars fought in the Middle East over land that was holy to Christians and Muslims; military expeditions sent by different Popes (leaders of the Catholic Church) to capture the Holy Land
Cultural diffusion
the spread of language and traditions from one group to another
Culture
the way of life of a group of people; includes language, customs, traditions, beliefs, and religious practices
Currency
the type of money a country uses; a system of money
Currency exchange
without a system of exchanging currencies it would be very difficult to conduct international trade; exchange rates provide a procedure for determining the value of one country's currency in the terms of another country's currency.
Customs
rules of behavior that people follow within a culture
Cyrillic alphabet
an alphabet that is used by Slavic languages (includes Russian). These Slavic languages that use the Cyrillic alphabet are in central and eastern Europe.
Czars
another spelling of TSARS: what the king/emperor was called in Russia
Czechoslovakia
a country in Europe that doesn't exist any more
D-Day
the name given to the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Western Europe; it occurred on June 6, 1944
Deciduous
trees that shed their leaves in the fall
Deficit
when a governing body spends more money than it brings in
Deforestation
the act or process of removing trees from or clearing a forest
Demand
how many people want the goods available and what they are willing to pay for them
Democracy / democratic
political system in which a country's people elect their leaders and rule by majority; a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections. (Examples: United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Australia)
Denomination
a sect or group within a religion
Densely populated
a place where a lot of people live; for example, a city is densely populated, farmland in the country is not densely populated
Depression
buying and selling almost stops; wages fall; banks close; business slows; inflation rises; farmers lose land
Dictator
someone who rules by fear or force, they have all the power, they don't share power with anybody, has complete rule
Dictatorship
a form of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of one leader
Dissent
means to disagree with
Dissenter
a person who disagrees with (for example) the government or it's leader
Diversity
a variety of different races, ethnic backgrounds, religious beliefs
Domestic
describes industries or businesses that are in OUR country; foreign describes industries or businesses in countries other than our own
Dominant
the most powerful, the strongest, the most type of people
Dreaming
the time of creation in the Australian Aboriginal religion
Economic depression
buying and selling almost stops; wages fall; banks close; business slows; inflation rises; farmers lose land
Economic system
the way a country decides what goods will be produced, how they will be produced, and who will consume them
Economy
the way in which people m a erpson eet their needs through the production, distribution, and the use of goods and services
Elevation
how how a place is above sea level
Embargos
prohibit trade with other nations; they bar a foreign nation's imports or ban exports to that nation or both; a ban on trade with another country for a political reason
Emissions
the smoke that comes out smokestacks of factories, tailpipes of cars
Empire
a group of nations or people ruled over by a sovereign/monarch (emperor/ empress, king/queen, etc.)
England
used to be its own country by itself; now part of Great Britain which is part of United Kingdom
English Channel
a body of water separating France and the United Kingdom
Entrepreneurs
one who risks his or her own money, time, ideas, and energy to start and run a business; a person who is willing to take a risk to organize and operate a new business
Ethnic
means having to do with race or culture
Ethnic group
people in a region who share ancestry, language, and culture
Euro
the currency of the European Union. One result of the EU is the creation of the EURO. Just as the United States has dollars ($), the European countries have their own currencies. The euro is the currency of most of the EU. Member countries can choose to give up their own currencies and exchange them for euros.
European Union (EU)
established in 1990s; main goal is to strengthen the economic, political, and defense ties of member nations; it's goal is to create a singles European currency; also it is a system to remove tariff barriers and open trade between countries. An organization, evolved from the European Economic Community, that created one economic market out of the member nations' economies
Exclusion zone
the area around Chernobyl, Ukraine where no one was allowed to live, travel, or "be' after the nuclear accident
Executive
branch of government that includes the head of state (president, premier, prime minister, etc)
Expedition
trip that's purpose is to explore
Export
a product that one country sells to another
Fascism
a totalitarian government that has complete control over its citizens' political, economic, religious, and cultural activities
Federal
1. national level, government having to do with the entire country, not just the state; 2. characterized by or constituting a form of government in which power is divided between one central and several regional authorities. (Examples: Australia, Germany, Russia, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico)
Federal parliamentary democracy
a system in which a central government is controlled by a democratically elected Parliament, such as in Australia