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massif
a body of mountain ranges formed by fault-line activity
tungsten
an extremely rare heavy-metal element essential in high-tech industry
city-state
an independently governed community consisting of a city and the surrounding lands, notably present in ancient Greece
Renaissance
rebirth; the period in European civilization characterized by a surge of interest in classical learning and values
complementarity
relationship between two places in which one produces something the other needs, resulting in an exchange
pollution hot spot
a location where pollution and other human activities have led to the degradation, or even death, of an ecosystem
karst
terrain dominated by limestone bedrock and characterized by rocky ground, caves, sinkholes, underground rivers, and the absence of surface streams and lakes
shatter belt
a region where political alliances are constantly splintering and fracturing based on ethnicity
Balkanization
division of a region into smaller regions
ethnic cleansing
the expelling from a country or genocide of an ethnic group
reforestation
the action of renewing forest cover (as by natural seeding or by the artificial planting of seeds or young trees)
meltwater
water formed by melting snow and ice
chernozem
rich, black topsoil found in the Northern European Plain, especially in Russia and Ukraine
permafrost
permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the surface of the ground
continentality
effect of extreme variation in temperature and very little precipitation within the interior portions of a landmass
czar
ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution; originally from Latin word Caesar, title of Roman emperors
Russification
in nineteenth and twentieth century Russia and the Soviet Union, a government program that required everyone in the empire to speak Russian and to become a Christian; assignment of some Russian-speaking people to non-Russian ethnic regions
satellite
a country controlled by another country, notably Eastern European countries controlled by the Soviet Union by the end of World War II
perestroika
in Russian, "restructuring"; part of Gorbachev's plan for reforming the Soviet economy and government
glasnost
Russian term for new openness in areas of politics, social issues, and media; part of Gorbachev's reform plans
black market
illegal trade of scarce or illegal goods, usually sold at high prices
privatization
a change to private ownership of state-owned companies and industries
nuclear wastes
by-products of producing nuclear power and weapons
radioactive material
material contaminated by residue from the generation of nuclear energy and weapons
pesticide
chemicals used to kill crop-damaging insects, rodents, and other pests