Term | Definition |
aborigine | an original inhabitant |
lagoon | a shallow body of water separated from the sea by coral reefs or sandbars |
cyclone | a violent rotating windstorm |
outback | remote, sparsely settled arid rural country |
artesian well | a well that is drilled deep enough to tap a layer of porous material filled with groundwater |
geyser | a natural hot spring that shoots a column of water and steam into the air |
trust territory | a dependant colony or or territory supervised by another country by commision of the united nations |
atoll | a ring shaped coral island surrounding a lagoon |
crevasse | a deep crack in glacial ice |
ice shelf | a massive extension of glacial ice over the sea often protruding hundreds of miles |
pack ice | floating sea ice formed by a mix of ice bergs with other ice formed in superchilled ocean waters |
convergence zone | an area of severe storms |
krill | small shrimplike creatures food for whales and fish |
sultanate | a state ruled by a sultan |
nonaligned nation | a nation that adopted neutrality during the cold war |
subcontinent | a large landmass forming a distinct part of a continent |
alluvial plain | a broad expanse of land along riverbanks |
monsoon | a seasonal shift in the prevailing winds that influences large climate regions |
nationalism | pride in ones nation the desire of a cultural group to rule themselves as a separate nation |
nonviolent resistance | the policy of opposing an enemy or oppressor by any means other than violence |
boycott | to refuse to purchase or use a product or service as an expression of dissapproval |
partition | a division into separate parts |
reincarnation | the belief that a soul of a human being or animal goes through a series of births, deaths, and rebirths |
caste system | a social heirarchy in which a person possesses a distinct rank in society |
charpoy | a wooden bed frame with knotted string in place of a matress |
sari | a brightly colored cloth, worn by many indian women |
purdah | the practice among Hindu and muslim women of covering the face with a veil when outside the home |
joint family system | in india the custom of housing all members of an extended family together |
cottage industry | a small-scale manufacturing operation using little technology |
hydroelectric power | electricity that is generated by moving water |
irrigate | the watering of farm land with water drawn from reservoirs or rivers |
embankment dam | a wall of soil and rock to hold bak water |
buffer state | a country that seperates two hostile countries |
malnutrition | disease caused by a lack of food or an unbalanced diet |
deforestation | the process of stripping the land of its trees |