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Chapter 9 Vocabulary
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Conquistador | Name for the Spanish explorers who claimed land in the Americas for Spain. |
Cultural Convergence | The contact and interaction of one culture with another. |
Caudillo | A Latin American military dictator. |
Pampas | A grasslands region in Argentina and Uruguay. |
Cay | A small, low island or coral reef. |
Coral | The rocklike skeletons of tiny sea animals |
Tropical Storm | Winds of a least 74 miles per hour. |
Hurricane | A destructive tropical storm that forms over the Atlantic Ocean, usualy in late summer and early fall, with winds of at least 74 miles per hour. |
El Nino | A warm ocean current of South America's northwestern coast that influences global weather patterns. |
Canopy | The uppermost layer of a forest where tree branches meet. |
Mestizo | A person of mixed European and Native American heritage. |
Mulatto | A person of mixed African and European ancestry. |
Volcanoes | A break in Earth's crust where magma and other materials erupts from Earth's interior. |
Rainforests | A type of thick evergreen forest found in areas of heavy rainfall |
Deserts | A geographic region with too little rainfall to support much plant life; also a vegetation zone. |
Region | An area defined by one or more natural or cultural characteristics that set it apart from other areas. |
Isthmus | A narrow strip of land that links two larger landmasses. |
Volcanic Islands | An island formed when an underwater volcano build up enough lava and ash to rise above sea level. |
Plateaus | A raised area of land, such as a hill or mountain, with flat top. |
Basin | A bowl-shaped depression, or hollow, in Earth's surface. |
Climates | The pattern of weather over a long period of time. |
Temperate | Moderate or mild, without extremes of hot or cold. |
Arid | Dry or lacking rainfall; also a climate or climate zone that is hot and dry all year with very little rain. |
Semiarid | Dry, with little rainfall; also a climate or climate zone with hot, dry summers and cool, dry winters |
Ecosystem | A community of all the living things in an area and the environment in which they live. |
Cloud Forest | A type of high-altitude, tropical forest that is usually covered by clouds or mist. |
Tropical Wet | A climate or climate zone that is hot and rainy all year. |
Highlands | A mountaninous part of a country; a climate zone where temperature and precipitation vary with latitude and elevation; a vegetation zone where the mix of plants veries with latitude and elevation; also refers to the type of vegetation in this zone. |
Broadleaf Evergreen Forest | A vegetation zone of mainly tall trees that remain green all year; also refers to the type of vegetation in this zone. |
Desert Scrub | A vegetation zone of mainly small trees bushes, and other plants adappted to a dry climate; also refers to the type of vegatin in this zone. |
Tropical Grasslands | Vegetation or a vegetation zone of manily grasses and scattered trees adapted a tropical wet and dry climate. |
Vegetation Zone | A large area of Earth with a certain mix of plants and trees that are adapted to similar conditions. |
Forest Floor | The bottom layer, or ground, of a forest. |
Temperate Grasslands | Vegetation or a vegetation zone of mainly grasses and scattered trees adapted to a tropical we and dry climate. |
Empire | A group of territories, people, or nations ruled by a single authoriy. |
Dictators | A leader who governs by force, without the consent of the people. |
Urban | Found or living in a city. |
Natural Resources | A useful material that is found in nature, such as water, wood, coal, or oil. |
Economic Activities | Any action that relates to the making, buying, and selling of goods and service. |
Livestock Raising | Raising animals for food, milk, wool, or other products. |
Subsistence Farming | Farming carried out mainly to provide food for farm families, with little surplus for sale to others. |
Barter | Conducting trade by exchanging goods or services instead of money. |
Commercial Farming | Raising crops for sale, often on large farms. |
Plantations | A large farm,especially in a hot area. |
Forestry | The planting,growing, and harvesting of trees. |
Tourism | Travel for pleasure rather than business or necessity; also, the business of organizing such travel. |