| Term | Definition |
|---|
| prejudice | An adverse opinion or judgment formed beforehand or without full knowledge or complete examination of the facts; a preconceived idea or preference. |
| bicameral | Composed of two legislative chambers. |
| barter | The trade of goods and services for other goods and services without the use of money. |
| responsibilities | The conditions or tasks for which a person is accountable or answerable. |
| location | The position of a point on the Earth's surface expressed by means of a grid (absolute) or in relation to the position of other places (relative). |
| benefit | That which is received as an improvement or advantage as the result of a decision. |
| relative location | The location of a place in relation to other places (e.g., northwest, downstream). |
| push factor | A social, political, economic or environmental force that drove people from their previous location to search for a new one. |
| cost | An alternative given up as the result of a decision. |
| monarchy | A system of government headed by a monarch, such as king, queen, shah or sultan whose position is usually inherited. |
| place | A location having distinctive characteristics which give it meaning and character and distinguish it from other locations. |
| cardinal directions | The four main points of the compass (north, east, south and west). |
| theocracy | A system of government headed by one or more religious leaders who claim to rule by divine authority. |
| absolute monarchy | A system of government headed by a monarch as the only source of power controlling all functions of the state. |
| parliamentary democracy | A system of government in which the executive leaders (usually a prime minister and a cabinet) are chosen by and responsible to the legislature (parliament), as well as being members of the legislature, as in Great Britain. |
| direction indicator | An element of a map used to show direction, usually labeling north and frequently all cardinal directions. |
| culture | Learned behavior of a group of people, which includes their belief systems and languages, their social relationships, their institutions and organizations, and their material goods such as food, clothing, buildings, tools and machines. |
| colonialism | A system where one country extends its control over foreign dependencies, especially for economic benefit. |
| physical characteristic/ feature | A natural aspect or quality of the Earth's surface that includes land formations and vegetation zones. |
| democracy | A system of government in which political control is exercised by all the people, either directly or through their elected representatives. |
| region | An area with one or more common characteristics or features, which give it a measure of homogeneity and make it different from surrounding areas. |
| country | A unit of political space, the entire land area of a nation or state. |
| scarcity | The lack of sufficient resources to produce all the goods and services that people desire. |
| flow resource | A resource that is neither renewable nor nonrenewable, but must be used when or where it occurs (e.g., running water, wind, sunlight). |
| discrimination | Unfair treatment of a person or group based on a variety of prejudices. |
| natural rights | A belief that individuals are naturally endowed with basic human rights that cannot be taken away or given up. |
| supply | The quantities of a good or service that producers are willing and able to provide at various prices during a given time period. |
| nonrenewable resource | A finite natural resource that cannot be replaced once it is used (e.g., petroleum, minerals). |
| coordinate | One of a set of numbers that determines the location of a point in a space. |
| artifact | A material object of a culture such as a tool, an article of clothing or a prepared food. |
| thematic map | A portrayal on a flat surface of geographic topic (e.g., migration routes, resource locations, population densities). |
| earth-sun relationship | The position of the earth relative to the sun that helps to determine day and night, seasons and time zones. |
| secondary source | An account of an event by someone who was not present at the event. |
| primary source | An account of an event by someone who was present at the event. |
| producer | A person who makes goods and services. |
| absolute location | The location of a point on the Earth's surface which can be expressed by a grid reference (e.g., latitude and longitude). |
| physical map | A portrayal on a flat surface of the physical features of the Earth (e.g., landforms, elevations). |
| human characteristic/ feature | An aspect of a place or a quality of the Earth's surface constructed by people including cities, parks, buildings and roads. |
| pull factor | A social, political, economic or environmental attraction of a new area that drew people away from their previous location. |
| political map | A portrayal on a flat surface of the political features of the Earth (e.g., international boundaries, capitals, political subdivisions). |
| demand | The quantities of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to buy at various prices during a given time period. |
| federalism | A form of political organization in which governmental power is divided between a central government and territorial subdivisions - under the U.S. Constitution, between the national and state governments. |
| racism | The belief that members of one's own race are superior physically, mentally, culturally and morally to members of other races. |
| representative democracy (republic) | A democratic system of government in which the people exercise political control and participate through elected representatives responsible for promoting the common welfare. |
| renewable resource | A natural resource that can be regenerated if used carefully (e.g., fish, timber). |
| consumer | A person whose wants are satisfied by using goods and services. |
| globalization | The act, process or policy of making something worldwide in scope or application. |
| cultural practice | A pattern of behavior accepted by a society. |
| goods | Objects that are capable of satisfying people's wants. |
| C.E. | In the Common Era (also referred to as A.D.). |
| deforestation | The destruction and removal of forest and its undergrowth by natural or human forces. |
| due process of law | The right of every citizen to be protected against arbitrary action by the government. |
| constitutional monarchy | A system of government headed by a monarch whose powers are delineated in the fundamental law of the state. |
| presidential democracy | A system of government characterized by a separation of powers between independent and coequal executive and legislative branches such as the United States. |
| compass rose | An element of a map used to show direction, usually showing cardinal directions and frequently intermediate direction. |
| graphic organizers | Written or pictorial representations used to organize information (e.g., flow charts, webs, Venn diagrams, T-charts). |
| nation | A group of people bound together by a strong sense of shared values and cultural characteristics, including language, religion and common history. |
| direct democracy | A democratic system of government in which the people exercise political control and participate directly in decision making. |
| services | Actions that are capable of satisfying people's wants. |
| consumption | The purchase and/or use of goods and services. |
| intermediate directions | The points of the compass that fall between north and east, north and west, south and east, south and west (e.g., NE, NW, SE, and SW). |
| credibility | The quality or state of offering reasonable grounds for being believed. |
| desertification | The spread of desert conditions in arid and semiarid regions resulting from a combination of climatic changes and increasing human pressures, such as overgrazing, removal of vegetation and cultivation of marginal land. |
| product | Something produced by human or mechanical effort or by a natural process. |
| rights | Just claims that belong to a person by law, nature or tradition. |
| multiple-tier timeline | A timeline that utilizes two or more rows of events, with each row representing a different subject or perspective occurring during the period under study (e.g., a timeline of the 19th century with separate rows for political, social, military and technology) |
| natural resource | A productive resource supplied by nature (e.g., ores, trees, arable land). |
| cultural perspective | The complex set of meanings, attitudes, values and ideas belonging to a cultural group. |
| writ of habeas corpus | A court order demanding that the individual in custody be brought into court and shown the cause for detention. Habeas corpus is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and can be suspended only in cases of rebellion or invasion. |
| map element | One of the components usually found on a map (e.g., direction indicator, key, scale). |
| diffusion | The spread of people, ideas, technology and products among places. |
| imperialism | A policy used by strong countries to gain social, political and economic control over foreign territories. |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace