Core Subjects Vocabulary: Social Studies (Part 2)

Tropics

the region between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees north latitude) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degrees south latitude); warm temperatures, high rainfall

Suez Canal

man-made navigable water route from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea

American Modernism

occurred after WWI and through WWII; rejected Enlightenment thinking and focused on life in the newly industrialized world; made America the center of the art world

Social Control

methods that are used in a society to encourage compliance of rules, regulations, and behaviors

Tropical Rainforest

area with high temperature and precipitation year round; often has high humidity

Human Migration

the movement of people from one location to another

Arctic

area north of the Arctic Circle

Irish Potato Famine

a disease devastated potato crops across Europe, hitting Ireland the hardest; approximately one million Irish people died of starvation or disease; major driver of immigration to the U.S. from Ireland in the mid-1800s

Potato Blight

potato disease that cause the Irish Potato Famine

Social Conflict

belief that disagreements will occur in societies where there are differing beliefs and values

Telephone

invented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell; allowed instantaneous voice communication over a long distance for the first time

Marine

are found in the middle latitudes in areas near or surrounded by water

Transcontinental Railroad

built between 1863 and 1869 and connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

Status

position that a person has in a group or setting

Airplane

invented in 1903 by the Write Brothers; sped up travel over long distances

The Great Migration

migration of approximately six million African Americans from the South to the North during the 20th century

Fertility Rate

average number of children that will be born to 1000 women in a population per year

Social Stratification

ranking of people in a society into various levels, often based on wealth, race, gender, or power

Humid Continental

area found inland in the middle latitudes; marked by 4 distinct seasons

Canal

man-made waterway made to allow boats to pass through or to transport water for irrigation purposes

Humid Subtropical

area found in the middle latitudes along the southeastern coast of continents

Primary Groups

group of people who have frequent close interactions and intimacy with others in the group

Surrealism

cultural and artistic movement that started in the 1920s and sought to bring down rational, traditional values and force new perspectives on the viewer

Erie Canal

man-made navigable water route from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean (via New York City's Hudson River)

Hierarchy

system or organizing people into different ranks or levels of importance

Secondary Groups

group of people who have little close interaction or intimacy

Group (sociology)

two or more people who have common norms and have interactions over a period of time

El Niño

surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean near the Equator becomes warmer than normal, which changes the weather patterns around the world; one major effect is dry weather in Asia when they would normally be in the monsoon season

Sociological Structures

organization and relationships in social institutions that guide individuals in the way they behave and interact with each other

Socio-Economic Status

social and economic standing within a group

Mediterranean

area found in the middle latitudes in land along the western coast of a continent

Steppes

area found far from the ocean in the middle latitudes; marked by extreme seasons

Sun Belt

region in the souther/southwestern U.S. known for its warm climate, economic growth, and cultural diversity; includes Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, portions of California, North Carolina, and Tennessee

Norms

rules or expectations that help regulate behavior of individuals in a society

Transcendentalism

literary movement of the American Romantic Period in which authors embraced idealism and nature, and rejected materialism

Socioeconomic Class

people who have the same or similar status based on their wealth, education, and/or family background

Matrix of Domination

paradigm showing how race, gender, and social class interact and relate to an individual's social standing

Sociology

primarily social distinction; a way to categorize people who have common physical traits like body type, skin color, hair color, and facial feature characteristics

Cesar Chavez

leading advocate for the rights of farm workers, co-founder of the United Farm Workers union in the 1960s, and advocate for Mexican-American civil rights

Ellis Island

located in New York, used as a gateway for immigrants until 1954

Socialization

process of learning the norms and customs of a group or culture

Non-Material Components

any aspect of culture that is not physical

Abstract

popular around WWII; uses color and shape to create meaning and represent objects, landscapes, and people

American Progress

painting from 1872 representing forward progress, specifically Manifest Destiny

John James Audubon

(1785-1851) American ornithologist (expert on birds), naturalist, and painter; known for his in-depth study of birds that include detailed paintings and drawings

Positive Sanctions in Socialization

approval of some activities in a society

Discrimination

unfair treatment towards cultures or individuals who are not in the dominant culture

Great Circle

lines that can be drawn on the Earth to determine the shortest path between two points

Ural Mountains

mountain range that divides continental Europe from Asia

Physical Region

region that shares similar physical features

Situation

how a settlement relates to factors such as available building resources, water supply, food supply, roads, and available natural resources for consumption

Inset Map

smaller maps that zoom into a location to show more details about an area

Human-Environment Interaction

ways in which people and places interact with and influence each other; one of the 5 themes of geography

Alps Mountain Range

key physical feature in Europe; runs from Austria to France

New England

region of the Northeastern U.S. consisting of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, and Rhode Island, founded by Puritains

Cultural Region

region defined by common human characteristics

Location

particular position of a place, described with absolute or relative terms; one of the 5 themes of geography

Great Plains

includes Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Whyoming, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and Montana; features hot summers and fertile prairie grassland; economic activity is wheat agriculture

Place

refers to the physical and human aspects of a specific area; one of the 5 themes of geography

Great Basin

area of watersheds to the east of California that extends into several other western states

Transition Zones

areas which exhibit characteristics similar to multiple regions around it

Gobi Desert

one of the key physical features in Asia, it is the 5th largest desert in the world, covering nothern and northwestern China and southern Mongolia

Himalaya Mountains

one of the key physical features in Asia, they are the tallest mountains in the world and are home to ten of the tallest peaks in the world

Appalachian Mountains

mountain range running vertically in Eastern North America and that serves as one of the key physical features of North America

Site

the physical setting of a settlement

Time Zones

region of the earth which observes a uniform standard time; there are around 37 time zones, depending on daylight saving time

Fertile Crescent

crescent-shaped area from the Mediterranean Sea on the West to the Persian Gulf on the East and that contained extremely fertile soil; some of the first agricultural communities were settled there and it is sometimes referred to as "The Cradle of Civilization"

Great Lakes Region

geographic region surrounding the Great Lakes

Strait of Hormuz

key physical feature in the Middle East that is a narrow stretch of water between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Irrigation

process of moving water from rivers, streams, and aquifers onto drier areas

Rocky Mountains

3000 mile mountain range stretching from British Columbia in Canada to New Mexico, and are the tallest mountains in North America

Grid System

imaginary lines, spaced equally apart, running horizontally and vertically that divide the world for referencing absolute location

Amazon River

one of two key physical features in South America, the second longest river in the world, discharges more water than any other river

Functional Regions

region based on a shared service or purpose

Prime Meridian

center line of longitude that divides the Earth into an eastern and western hemisphere

Andes Mountains

one of two key physical features in South America, the longest mountain range in the world and second highest range in the world

Cartography Symbol

common images to represent real-world features on a map

International Date Line

longitudinal line (180 degrees) that separates two consecutive dates

Movement

stepwise or by leap

Tigris and Euphrates River

in the modern-day Middle East, bodies of water known for the settlement of Mesopotamia, one of the earliest civilizations

Sierra Nevada

single largest mountain range in California; serves as a barrier between the Central Valley to the west and the Great Basin to the east

Sahara Desert

key physical feature in Africa, largest hot desert in the world and covers most of northern Africa

Region

collection of different places that have one or more unifying characteristics; one of the 5 themes of geography

Mississippi River

key physical feature of North America that runs from Minnesota into the Gulf of America

Panama Canal

man-made waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean

Mixed Economy

market economy with varying levels of government intervention

Macroeconomics

design and function of the economy as a whole

Demand

the quantity of a good that consumers desire to purchase at a given time in an economy

Importing

buying from other countries

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

total value of all domestic production in a country; GDP sums up the market value of all final goods and services produced in a nation within one year

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

trade agreement that created a free trade zone between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico

Exporting

selling to other countries

Trade Barriers

obstacles to trade

ex: government regulations

Trade

the exchange of products for money between entities

World Wars

WWI and WWII occuring overseas (with the exception of Pearl Harbor) allowed the U.S. to maintain and grow its production capacity, leading to massive economic expansions

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

international organization of countries that produce the majority of the world's oil supply; current member states range in location from South America to central Africa with the majority of member states located in the Middle East

Trade Cap

limit to the amount of a good that can be imported or exported

Free Trade

the ability for one country to trade with another without hindrance so that all goods can be produced with the greatest efficiency

Dividends

periodic payments made by a corporation to its shareholders, usually in the form of cash or additional shares, representing a portion of the company's earnings

Interdependence of Economies

all economies require each other to function