Term | Definition |
aborigine | one of the original inhabitants of Australia |
lagoon | a shallow body of water separated from the sea by coral reefs or sandbars |
cylone | A violent rotating windstorm |
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 groundwater |
atoll | a ring shaped coral island surrounding a lagoon |
geyser | a natural hot spring that shoots a column of water and steam into the air |
trust territory | 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 extension of glacial ice over the sea often protruding hundreds of miles |
pack ice | floating sea ice formed by a mix of icebergs with other ice formed in superchilled ocean waters |
convergence zone | an area of severe storms where the frigid waters circulating around Antarctica meet the warmer wasters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans |
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 consisting of rich, fertile soil left by floods |
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 an means other than violence |
boycott | to refuse to purchase or use a product or service as an expression of disapproval |
partition | a division into separate parts |
reincarnation | the belief that the soul of a human being or animal goes through a series of births, deaths, or rebirths |
purdah | the practice among Hindu and Muslim women o covering the face with a veil when outside the home |
caste system | a social hierarchy in which a person possesses a distinct rank in society that is determined by birth |
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 |
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 peoples homes |
hydroelectric power | electricity that is generated by moving water |
irrigate | the watering of farmland with water drawn from reservoirs or rivers |
embankment dam | a wall of soil and rock to hold back water |
buffer state | a country that separates two hostile countries |
malnutrition | disease caused by a lack of food or an unbalanced diet |
deforestation | process of stripping land of its trees |