Question | Answer |
very cold areas with virtually no precipitation | tundra |
areas near the poles completely covered by ice | ice cap |
climate along the N American west coast with plenty of rainfall due to westerlies coming from the Pacific Ocean | marine west coast |
windstorms that often bring rain in South and Southeast Asia | monsoons |
hurricanes in the Pacific Oceans | typhoons |
water or wind wear away land | erosion |
man-made waterways; many in Europe to connect rivers | canals |
man-made areas to contain water and prevent flooding | reservoirs |
transporting water usually for the purpose of aiding agriculture | irrigation |
area where a river spreads out before emptying into a large body of water | delta |
area of vegetation in the middle of a desert, usually due to an underground water source | oasis |
a dried up riverbed in an arid region; population centers develop around wadis because of underground water sources | wadi |
farming to feed a person’s own family; crops are not sold for profits; usually found in very poor areas | subsistence farming |
a form of commercial farming where a large farm usually focuses on one or a few crops and sells them for profit | plantation agriculture |
crop grown to be sold for profit | cash crop |
crop usually grown to be eaten by farmer’s family | food crop |
cutting steps into the side of a hill or mountain to create arable land; found in many parts of S and E Asia, as well as in the Andes of S America | agricultural terracing |
land in the Netherlands where seawater has been drained to create usable land | polders |
the loss of forests usually due to human activity (building homes, parking lots, etc.) | deforestation |
grasslands areas turning into deserts due to overgrazing of animals and the loss of vegetation; the Sahel of Africa is a good example | desertification |
polluted rainfall; currently occurs in Germany’s Black Forest, the US’s Appalachian Mountains | acid rain |
divides the watershed of North America; located along the top of the Rocky Mountains | continental divide |
areas of the world that speak French, usually because they were formerly French colonies (such as Quebec, SE Asia, West Africa, etc.) | Francophone world |
a group of countries that join together for a specific purpose (military assistance, trade, maintain peace, etc.) | alliance |
economic union of many European countries that cooperate for mutual benefit | European Union |
economic union of the US, Canada, and Mexico that eliminates many tariffs between the three countries to stimulate trade | North American Free Trade Association |
military alliance originally created to oppose the Soviet Union; now fights terrorism | North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
political union in Africa to support cooperation | Organization of African Unity |
economic union of SE Asian countries | Association of Southeast Asian Nations |
political union of countries in North and South America | Organization of American States |
political union to stimulate cooperation between Arab countries | League of Arab States |
EU | European Union |
NAFTA | North American Free Trade Association |
NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
OAU | Organization of African Unity |
ASEAN | Association of Southeast Asian Nations |