World Geo S1 exam. terms i dont know
Plateau of Patagonia
a result of its location in the Ring of Fire, located in Southern Argentina, has a rain shadow from the Andes mountains
escarpment
a steep cliff or slope between a higher and lower land surface
democracy
a system of government in which leaders rule by the consent of the citizens; the people hold the sovereign power
Oligarchy
a system of government in which power is held by a small group. It gets its power from wealth, military power, social positions, or a combination of these.
theocracy
a type of government where officials are believed to be divinely inspired
semi- arid/ arid
Climate of the West
Spanish
most common language in central america
Roman Catholic
80% of Central America is _______________________ (religion)
Satellite
a natural or human-made object that orbits a planet or other astronomical body
Subarctic
Climate of Alaska
Marine West Coast
Climate of Northern California to southern Alaska Range
Mediterranean
Climate of Southern California
continental/humid continental
Climate of the Great Plains
High altitude
Climate of the Rockies and Pacific Ranges
Fidel Castro
Cuba, revolution in 1959, brought a communist state with ________________________________ as a dictator
Panama Canal
Divides Panama and one of the most important waterways in the world; allows ships travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
conic projection
Earth's surface projected onto a map formed into a cone
Geographic Information System (GIS)
Geographic Data Bullet used to link the location of a place with the characteristics of place sand analyze how places compare and interact with one another
Amazon Basin
Hundreds of smaller rivers join the Amazon and form the ____________________________
cylindrical projection
Most accurate near the equator, distorted at poles
Central Highlands
Mountains that rise west of the Caribbean lowlands, rises up to the western plateau highlands where 40 volcanic cones attain 12000 ft in elevation known as the Volcanic Axis
coffee
Natural Resource found in brazil
Lake Titicaca
South America's largest lake in BOLIVIA and PERU
Lake Maracaibo
South America's largest lake in VENEZUELA
altiplano
Spanish for "high plain," a region in Peru and Bolivia encircled by the Andes (second largest mountain plateau in the world)
written language
The Inca Empire had no _________________ but used quipus to record financial and historical records
Parana, Paraguay, Uruguay Rivers
What rivers form the 2nd largest river system in Latin America?
Llanos
inland grasslands in Columbia and Venezuela that provide grazing for cattle.
Sunbelt
a mild climate region in the southern and southwestern portions of the United States
isthmus
a narrow strip of land that connects 2 landforms (Panama)
metropolitan areas
Today most people live in _______________________________
producing enough food, using resources rapidly, strain on limited resources, population unevenly distributed by age
What are some challenges presented by rapid population growth
Europe and Asia
What are the two most densely populated continents
exports and global demand for raw materials.
What do South American countries rely on to make money
sea, elevation, latitude, local topography
What factors determine climate?
elevation, latitude, location in relation to water
What factors impact the climate in South America?
Ecuador, in urban areas or along the coast
Where do most people live in South America?
Balboa
_______________ crossed the isthmus claiming lands for Spain
Tropical Rainforest
_______________________ climate dominates Central America
El Salvador
_______________________ is the most densely populated country in Central America
Tropical wet/dry
________________________ climate is typical of the Caribbean
Silver and Gold
_______________________________ attracted Spanish conquistadors who conquered the inca's
Francois Toussaint- Louverture
____________________________________________ led a revolt of enslaved Africans in Haiti and by 1804- haiti won its independence
unitary system
a ______________________ of government gives all key powers to the national, or central, government
federal system
a _______________________ of government divides the power of government between the national government and state or provincial governments. Each level has unique power in some areas.
El Nino
a climate phenomenon that creates warm ocean conditions that affect weather, fishing, and agriculture
manufacturing belt
a concentrated region of manufacturing industries in the northeastern and midwestern United States
Autocracy
a government in which power to rule belongs to a single person
divide
a high point or ridge that determines the direction rivers flow
Machu Picchu
a well preserved Incan site that displays Inca engineering
longitude
also known as meridian; measure east and west of Prime Meridian
latitude
also known as parallels; measure north and south of the equator
NATO
an alliance of 30 Euro-Atlantic countries dedicated to maintaining democratic freedom by means of collective defense.
United Nation (UN)
an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and aspirations to achieve world peace
folds
bends in layers of rock
Humid Subtropical
climate of Southeast US
Lake Managua
commercial fish and alligators; and near Managua
uneven development
condition in which some places do not benefit as much as others from social and economic development
erosion
displacement of Earth's solids (soil, rock, etc.) by wind, water, and glacier movement
cultural region
division of Earth in which people share a similar way of life, including language, religion, economic systems, and values
Postindustrial
economy that emphasizes service and technology rather than industry and manufacturing
planar projection
most accurately represented from its center, often used for maps of the poles, a straight line from center to any point is the shortest distance
pampas
inland grasslands in Argentina and Uruguay that provide grazing for cattle and is also known for producing wheat and corn.
Monarchy
king or queen exercises supreme power
quipus
knotted cords of various lengths and colors to keep financial records
language families
large groups of language having similar roots
Lake Nicaragua
largest freshwater lake in Central America
Foreclosure
legal proceeding in which a borrower's rights to a property are relinquished due to his or her inability to make payments on the loan
Columbia Plateau
located between Pacific Range and Rocky Mountains
Appalachian mountains
located in the east, oldest mountain range in north america, stretches from canada to alabama
rocky mountains
located in the west, considered to be young range, begins in New Mexico and stretches 3000 miles northward
pacific range
located in the west, considered to be younger range, includes cascade range, alaska range, coast range, and Sierra Nevada.
amazon river
longest river in the Western Hemisphere; Second longest river in the world; flows through Brazil and empties into the Atlantic Ocean
Vertical, tropical wet, tropical wet/dry, humid subtropical, arid
main climates in South America
Caribbean Lowlands
narrow plains along the Caribbean except in Nicaragua and Honduras
Pacific lowlands
narrow plains extending from Guatemala to Nicaragua
weathering
natural decomposition resulting from contact with Earth's atmosphere
copper
natural resource in Chile
emeralds
natural resource in Colombia
silver
natural resource in Peru
oil and gold
natural resources found in Venezuela
subduction
occurs when a heavy oceanic plate dives beneath a lighter continental plate. An example is the Andes mountains
faulting
occurs when folded land cannot be bent any further
accretion
occurs when pieces of earths crust come together slowly as oceanic plate slides under continental plate
Pantanal
one of the world's largest tropical wetlands.
cordilleras
parallel chains or ranges of mountains
Dutch, English, French, and Spanish
primary languages in the Carribean
inca
skilled engineers that built temples, fortresses, network of roads that crossed mountains. farmers also cut terraces and built irrigation systems in the Andes
cultural diffusion
spreading of cultural traits, material, and non-material, from one culture to another
demography
study of populations
Absolute or Totalitarian
the decisions are made by a single leader
brain drain
the loss of highly educated people and skilled workers to other countries
spreading
the process of oceanic plates being pushed apart (results in rifts/ cracks with magma in between) An example is the Mid Atlantic Ridge
remote sensing
the science of obtaining information about an object or an area from a distance, typically from instruments in aircraft or satellites
Amazon Rainforest
the world's largest rainforest; it covers 1/3 of South America and has more plants and animals per square mile than anywhere else in the world.
Andes
the worlds largest mountain chain with peaks that rise more than 20000 feet above sea level
Global Positioning System (GPS)
used to determine exact location. used for navigation of automobiles and vehicles
Republic
voters elect all major officials that are responsible to the people(same as Representative Democracy
faults
when plates grind past eachother, creating cracks in Earth's surface
Ring of Fire
zone of earthquake and volcanic activity around the perimeter of the Pacific
