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WGeo 14
Vocabulary chapters 24-27
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Sahel | The region in Africa just south of the Sahara |
colonialism | The system by which countries set up colonies to secure sources of raw material |
Plateau | an area of high flat land |
escarpment | A steep cliff that separates two areas of level elevation |
chaparral | A type of natural vegetation that is adapted to Mediterranean climates, small evergreen trees and low bushes or scrub |
savanna | A tropical grassland with scattered trees located in the warm lands near the Equator |
oral history | A history passed down by word of mouth |
nomadic hearding | The practice of moving flockes to different pastures throughout the year |
leaching | The dissolving and washing away of nutrients in the soil |
landegredation | Reduction in the productive potential of the land |
population density | The average number of people living in a given area |
delta | The land formed at the mouth of soom rievers |
basin irrigation | In egypt a system by which water and silt were controlled by embankments and timed reased to irrigate farmlands |
reservoir | A natural or artifical lake used to collect water for human needs |
sand storm | A windstorm that blows hot air dust and grit |
perennial irrigation | An irrigation system that provides necessary water to the land though out the year |
bazaar | An open air market; a street lined with shops and stalls |
capital | wealth in the form of money or property owned or used in business |
wadi | A unusually dry riverbed or gulley that holds water in case of a sudden downpoor |
caravan | A large group of merchants who join together to travel in safety |
medina | The old section of a North African city usually centered around a mosque |
souk | A market in an Arab community |
fellaheen | Egyptian pesants |
shifting agriculture | The practice of farming a site until the soil is exhausted |
forage | food for grazing animals |
deforestation | The process of stripping land for its trees |
desertification | The transformation of arable land into desert either naturally or through human intervention |
refugee | A person who flees his or her country to escape danger or unfair treatment |
landlocked | ALmost or entirely surrounded by land; cut off from the sea |
inland delta | An area of lakes creeks and swamps away from the ocean |
coup | The sudden overthrow of a ruler or government often involving violent force or the threat of force |
ancestor worship | The belief that respoect and honoring ones ancestor will cause them to live in the spirit world after death |
animism | The religious belief that such things as the sky rivers, and trees contain gods of spirits |
WOrld bank International MOnetary Fund | An agency fo the UN that provides loans to the countries for development |
structural adjustment program | A program to reform the structure of an economy |
watershed | A dividing ridge between two basins |
mercenary | A professional soldier hired by a foreign country |
barter | The exchange of goods without money |
harambee | A policy of cooperation adopted in Kenya after independence to encourage economic growth |
pyrethrum | A pesticide produced from certain flowers |
malnutrition | Disease caused by a lack of food or an unbalanced diet |
strategic value | Importance of a place or thing for nations planning military actions |
villagization | A political movement by whcih rural people are forced to move to towns and work on collective farms |
ethnocracy | A system of governemnt in which one ethnic group rules over others |