| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Mesoamerica | the area of Mexico and Central America where early civilizations were located |
| nation-state | a political entity that claims the right to rule over a defined territory and jurisdiction over everyone within it |
| Global Positioning Systems (GPS) | a system of satellites and ground stations used to locate precise points on the surface of Earth |
| physical characteristics | natural features, such as land and water forms, climate, natural vegetation, and native wildlife |
| biomes | major ecological communities, such as rainforest, desert, grassland |
| trade barriers | things that hinder trade, such as tariffs, quotas, or embargos |
| economic systems | ways that people allocate economic resources, goods, and services |
| traditional economy | an economy in which resources are allocated based on custom and tradition |
| command economy | an economy in which resources are allocated by the government or other central authority |
| market economy | an economy in which resources are allocated by individuals |
| mixed economy | an economy in which resources are allocated by some combination of traditional, command, or market systems |
| Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | the value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a year |
| socialization | the process through which people learn the rules of society |
| material culture | the things that a society makes or uses, such as clothing, shelter, food, tools |
| nonmaterial culture | behavior, such as customs, traditions, beliefs, values, interactions among people |
| cultural diffusion | the spread of ideas from one culture to another |
| invention | a new idea about how something can be made or done |
| innovation | an improvement in a culture’s technology |
| anthropology | the study of human beings |
| archeology | a branch of anthropology which studies past cultures through the things that remain, such as buildings, tools, or pottery |
| artifact | any object made or modified for use by human beings |
| document | a two-dimensional artifact, such as a letter, chart, map, photograph, painting, or drawing |
| major fields of anthropology | cultural anthropology, forensic anthropology, linguistics, and archeology |
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