Term | Definition |
Culture | the way of life that distinguishes a people, for, example, government, language, region, customs, and beliefs. |
Population Density | the average number of people living in a given area |
Birthrate | the number of live births each year per 1,000 people |
Immirgrat | a person who moves into a country |
Emigrant | a person who leaves a country to live elsewhere |
Urbanization | the growth of city populations |
Rural | of, or characteristic of, the countryside |
Culture Hearth | a place in which important ideas begin and thereafter spread to surrounding cultures |
Cultural Convergence | the contact and interaction of one culture with another |
Diffusion | the process by which a cultural element is transmitted from one group or individual to another |
Cultural Divergence | the restriction of a culture from outside influences |
Sovereignty | a country's freedom and power to decide on policies and actions |
Unitary System | a system of government in which one central government holds most of the political power |
Federation | a government structure in which some powers are given to the national government and other powers are reserved for more local governmnets |
Confederation | a system of government in which individual political units keep their sovereignty but give limited power to a central government |
Authoritarian | descriptive of a system of government in which the leaders hold all political power |
Dictatorship | a system of government in which absolute power is heid by a small group or one person |
Totalitarianism | a system of government in which a central authority controls all aspects of society |
Monarchy | a system of authoritarian government headed by a monarch-a king, queen, shah, or sultan-whose position is usually inherited |
Democracy | a system of government in which the people are invested with the power to choose their leaders and determine government policy |
Traditional Economy | an economic system in which families produce goods and services for their own use, with little surplus and exchange of goods; also known as a subsistence economy |
Market Economy | an economic system in which decisions about production, price and other, economic factors are determined by the law of supply and emand |
Command Economy | a economic system that is controlled by a single central government |
Natural Resource | a material in the natural environment that people values and use to satisfy their needs |
Renewable Resource | a natural resource that the environment continues to supply or replace as it is used |
Nonrenewable Resource | a natural resource that cannot be replaced once it is used |
Fossil Fuel | any one of several nonrenewable mineral resources formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals and use for fuel |
Nuclear Energy | a type of energy produced by fission- the splitting of uranium atoms in a nuclear reactor, releasing stored energy |
Water Power | energy produced from falling water to move machinery or generate electricity |
Geothermal Energy | energy produced from the earth's intense interior heat |
Solar Energy | energy produced by the sun |
Primary Economic Activity | an economic activity that takes or uses natural resources directly, such as fishing or mining |
Subsistence Farming | farming that provides only enough for the needs of a family or a village |
Commercial Farming | the raising of crops and livestock for sale in outside markets |
Secondary Economic Activity | an economic activity in which people use raw materials to produce or manufacture new products of greater value |
Cottage Industry | a small-scale manufacturing operation using little technology, often located in or near people's homes |
Commercial Industry | a large-scale manufacturing operation that employs many people and produces large quantities of goods |
Tertiary Economic Activity | an economic activity in which people do not directly gather or process raw materials but pursue activities that serve others; service industry |
Quaternary Economic Activity | an economic activity that focuses on the acquisition, processing, and sharing of information, such as education or research |
Export | an item that is sent out of the country for sale |
Import | an item that is brought into the country for sale |