Term | Definition |
Aborigine | An original ingabitant; one of the original inhabitants of Australia |
lagoon | A shallow body of water separated from the sea by coral reefs or sandbars |
cyclone | A violent rotating wind storm |
outback | Remote sparsely settled, arid, rural country, especially the central and western plains and plateaus of Australia. |
artesian well | A well that is drilled deep enough to tap a layer of porous material filled with ground water. |
atoll | A ring shaped coral island surrounding a lagoon |
geyser | A natural hot spring that shoos a column of water and steam into the air. |
trust teritory | A dependent colony or territory supervised by another country by commission of the United Nations |
crevasse | A deep crack in glacial ice |
ice shelf | A massive extesion of glacial ice over the sea often protruding hundreds of miles F |
pack ice | Floating sea ice formed by a mix of icebergs with other ice formed in super chilled sea water. |
convergence zone | An area of severe storms where the frigid water circulating around Antarctica meet the warmer water of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans |
krill | Small shrimplike creature; 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 land mass forming a distinct part of a continent |
alluvial plain | A broad expanse of land along riverbanks, consisting of rich fertile soil |
monsoon | A seasonal shift in the prevailing winds that influences large climate regions |
Nationalism | Pride in one's nation; the desire of 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 to purchase or use a product or service as an expression of disaproval |
parition | A division into seperate parts |
reincarnation | the belief that the soul of a human being or animal goes through a series of births, deaths and rebirths |
caste system | A social hierarchy in which a person possesses a distinct rank in society |
charpoy | A wooden bed frame with knotted string in place of a mattress |
sari | A brightly colored cloth, worn by many Indian women, that is draped over the body like a long dress |
purdah | The pratice among Hindu and Muslim women of covering the face with a veil when outside of 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, often located in or near people's homes |
hydroelectric power | Electricity that is generated by moving water |
irrigate | The watering of farmland with water drawn from reervoirs or rivers |
embankment dam | A wall of soil and rock to hold back water |
buffer state | A country that serparates two hostile countries |
malnutrition | Disease cause by lack of food or an unbalanced diet |
deforestation | The process of stripping land of its trees |