Latin America

Telenovelas

Long serial dramas made for television, similar to soap operas

Oligarchy

A small group that holds political power

Mechanization

When machines do the work instead of people

Abolitionists

People who pushed for slavery to be banned

Nationalize

Put under government control

Coup

An overthrow of the government

Carnival

A religious celebration that millions of people attend before Lent

Ethnic Groups

People who share a unique culture and identity

Hydroelectric Power

A power-making method that uses water and gravity to generate electricity

Diversify

To make many different products

Bandeiras

Explorers and slave hunters that tried to enslave the native people

Free Trade Zones

Areas that include several countries that allow free trade among their members

Samba

One of the most famous telenovelas that its roots in African dance rhythm

Infrastructure

Built networks, such as roads and power lines, that are needed to support modern life

Literacy Rate

The measure of the ability to read and write

Privatize

To sell government-owned businesses to private individuals and groups

Deforestation

Widespread clearing of rainforests

Corruption

The use of political power for personal gain

Interdependent

They depend on other countries for some of their needs, as other countries depend on them

Nongovernmental Organizations

Groups that operate with private funding

Brazilwood

An important export that's valued because its wood produced a reddish-purple dye

Domesticate

Cultivate a plant for food

Mita System

A system that allowed people to pay taxes with labor

Terraces

Strips of level land that are planted with crops

Ayllu

A group of related families that pooled resources

Treaty of Tordesillas

The treaty that established the Line of Demarcation and claimed that Spain had claims all to the west of the line, while Portugal had claims all to the east of the line

The Andes

A very long mountain range along the western edge of South America

Nomads

People who move from place to place without a permanent home

Hierarchy

A system for ranking members of a group according to their importance

Line of Demarcation

A partition that divided the non-European world into two zones

Immunity

The ability of the body to fight a disease

Quipu

A record-keeping device made of knotted strings