Social studies vocab
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Created by:
chatboxnina1 on June 19, 2011
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29 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 geography | the study of the earth and its people and places |
| geology | the study of the earth's physical structure and history |
| deciduous | trees that loose their leavs |
| biome | a natural community of plants and animals, its composition being largely controlled by climatic conditions. |
| demography | study of populations |
| cultural diffusion | the spread of cultural elements from one society to another |
| GNP | the sum of all goods and services produced in a nation in a year |
| per capita GNP | the GNP divided by the country's total population |
| maquiladora | Factories built by US companies in Mexico near the US border to take advantage of much lower labor costs in Mexico. |
| Llanos | plains region of eastern Colombia and western Venezuela |
| NAFTA | allows open trade with US, Mexico, and Canada |
| escarpment | steep cliff or slope between a higher and lower land surface |
| genocide | deliberate extermination of a racial or cultural group |
| imperialism | policy of powerful countries seeking to control the economic and political affairs of weaker countries or regions |
| Janjaweed | Black Arabic-speaking militia responsible for most of the Darfur genocide |
| apartheid | Laws (no longer in effect) in South Africa that physically separated different races into different geographic areas. |
| AIDS | a serious (often fatal) disease of the immune system transmitted through blood products especially by sexual contact or contaminated needles |
| dhow | Ship of small to moderate size used in the western Indian Ocean, traditionally with a triangular sail and a sewn timber hull. |
| homelands | Under apartheid, areas in South Africa designated for ethnolinguistic groups within the black African population; such areas tend to be overpopulated and poverty-stricken. |
| HIV | the virus that causes AIDS |
| hijab | the name of the head scarf worn by Muslim women |
| zionist | a worldwide Jewish movement that resulted in the establishment and development of the state of Israel |
| allah | Muslim name for the one and only God |
| minaret | the tower attached to a mosque from which the muezzin, or crier, calls the faithful to prayer five times a day |
| Kaaba | a black stone building in Mecca that is shaped like a cube and that is the most sacred Muslim pilgrim shrine |
| Ramadan | month in which Muslims fast |
| muezzin | the Muslim official of a mosque who summons the faithful to prayer from a minaret five times a day |
| hajj | pilgrimage to Mecca |
| burqa | a long, tent-like garment, which covers women completely, also includes a narrow mesh screen over eyes |
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