Term | Definition |
Cultural diffusion | in which peoples adopt the practices of their neighbors. |
Renaissance | Meaning "Rebirth." |
Industrial Revolution | The growing use of machines. |
Summit | or highest points. |
Prevailing Westerlies | The constant flow of air from west to east in the temperate zones of the earth. |
Euro | a single currency to be used by member nations. |
Fertile | able to produce abundant crops. |
Ore | or rocky material containing a valuable mineral. |
Tertiary economic activity | or service industries, such as finance, insurance, and tourism. |
Moor | broad, treeless rolling plains. |
Bog | areas of wet, spongy ground. |
Glen | is a narrow valley. |
Peat | a spongy material containing waterlogged mosses and plants. |
Cultural divergence | or deliberate efforts to keep the cultures separate. |
Blight | or plant disease. |
Fjord | flooded glacial valleys. |
Geothermal energy | or energy produced from the heat of the earth's interior. |
Mixed economy | or systems combining different degrees of government regulation. |
Dialect | variations of a language that are unique to a region or community. |
Impressionism | a certain style of painting. |
Nationalize | or brought under state control. |
Recession | an extended decline in business activity. |
Confederation | or loose political union. |
Reparation | money for war damages. |
Inflation | or sharply rising prices. |
Lignite | a soft, brown coal. |
Dike | or embankments of earth and rock, to hold back the water. |
Polder | what the Dutch call reclaimed land from the sea. |
Decentralize | that is, transfer power to smaller regions. |
Canton | or states, formed the Swiss Confederation to fight an Austrian emperor. |
Nuetral | whenever Napoleon's forces were defeated. |
Perishable good | meaning that it does not stay fresh for long. |
Strip mining | whereby miners strip away the surface of the earth to lay bare the mineral deposits. |
Navigable | that is, deep and wide enough to allow ships to pass. |
Dry farming | methods that leave land unplanted every few years in order to gather moisture. |
Sirocco | or hot, dry winds from northern Africa, blow over this area. |
Hub | a central point of concentrated activity and influence of new transportation routes. |
Seismic activity | that is, it has many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. |
Subsidence | a geological phenomenon in which the ground in an area sinks. |
Graben | areas of land that have dropped down between faults, were flooded. |
Inhabitable | that is, able to support permanent residents. |
Tsunami | giant sea waves. |