GEOG 1700 Exam 3 Key Terms

alluvial fans

a fan-shaped deposit of sediments dropped by a river or stream flowing out of a mountain range

buffer state

A state located between two other states which provides a neutral zone. Mongolia, for example, emerged as an independent buffer state between China and Russia in 1911

Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)

A military alliance that links Russia to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, and Belarus. This organization was created in an attempt by Russia to enhance its power and provided that an attack on any CSTO member state be regarded as an attack on all others. The organization holds annual military exercises

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Dalai Lama

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The leader of the Tibetan Buddhist faith. The current Dalai Lama is an important advocate for Tibet rights

Desertification

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The spread of desert conditions into semiarid areas owing to improper management of the land

Desiccation

The process of extreme drying, in desert areas, such processes can lead to the disappearance of lakes when the rivers that previously fed them are diverted for agriculture or other purposes

Exclave

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A portion of a country’s territory that lies outside its contiguous land area

exotic rivers

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A river that issues from a humid area and flows into a dry area otherwise lacking streams

forward capital

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A capital city deliberately positioned near a contested territory, signifying the state’s interest and presence in this zone of conflict

loess

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A fine, wind-deposited sediment that makes fertile soil but is very vulnerable to water erosion

pastoralists

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Nomadic and sedentary peoples who rely upon livestock (especially cattle, camels, sheep, and goats) for their sustenance and livelihood

Salinization

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The accumulation of salts in the upper layers of soil, often causing a reduction in crop yields, resulting from irrigation with water of high natural salt content and/or irrigation of soils that contain a high level of mineral salts

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

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An international organization composed of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan that aims to enhance security and economic cooperation in Central Asia. India and Pakistan are expected to join the organization in 2017

Silk Road

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A historical trade route that extended across Central Asia, linking China with Europe and Southwest Asia

Steppes

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Semiarid grasslands found in many parts of the world. Steppe grasses are usually shorter and less dense than those found in prairies

Taliban

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A harsh, Islamic fundamentalist political group that rules most of Afghanistan in the late 1990s. In 2001, the Taliban lost power, but it later regrouped in Pakistan and continues to fight against the Afghan government in southern and eastern Afghanistan

theocracy

a government run by religious leaders

transhumance

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a form of pastoralism in which animals are taken to high-altitude pastures during the summer months and returned to low-altitude pastures during the winter

anthropogenic landscapes

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landscapes that have been heavily transformed by humans

autonomous region

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In China, province-level regions that have been given a degree of political and cultural autonomy due to the fact that they are inhabited in large part by minority groups

Burakumin

A group of people in Japan who suffer from discrimination due to the employment of their ancestors in “polluting” jobs

Chaebol

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Huge Korean industrial conglomerates which moved from manufacturing inexpensive consumer goods to heavy industrial products and then to high-tech equipment

China proper

The eastern half of the country of China where Han Chinese form the dominant ethnic group. The vast majority of China’s population is located in China

Cold War

The ideological struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union that occurred between 1946 and 1991

Confucianism

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The philosophical system developed in China by Confucius in the 6th century BCE that stresses the creation of a proper social order

Diaspora

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The scattering of a particular group of people over a vast geographical area. Originally, the term referred to the migration of Jews out of their original homeland, but now it has been generalized to refer to any ethnic dispersion

dynastic succession

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A system of succession in which power flows from father to son. Although, officially a communist republic, North Korea has embraced dynastic succession. When the leader Kim Jong-il died in late 2011, he was immediately replaced by his untested 28-year-old son, Kim Jong-un

geomancy

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The traditional Chinese and Korean practice of designing buildings in accordance with the principles of cosmic harmony and discord that supposedly course through the local topography

Hallyu

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South Korea’s popular culture industry which continues to thrive, as Korean music, movies, and television shows have become popular around the world; a phenomenon also known as “Korean wave”

Hukou

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In China, a hukou is a record in a government system of household registration that determines where citizens are allowed to live. Poor people moving from rural areas to cities are often unable to obtain a hukou that would officially allow them to do so. They, therefore, live as “undocumented migrants” in their own country and face difficult access to governmental services, including education for their children

Juche

A unique official ideology also known as “self-reliance” with which North Korean leaders supplemented Marxism. It demands absolute loyalty to North Korea’s political leaders. It also involves intense nationalism based on the idea of Korean racial purity

Ideographic writing

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A writing system in which each symbol represents not a sound but rather a concept

Laissez-faire

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An economic system in which the state has minimal involvement in which market forces largely guide economic activity

Mandarins

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A member of the high-level bureaucracy of Imperial China (before 1911), Mandarin Chinese based on the speech of these officials is the official spoken language of the country and is the native tongue of the vast majority of people living in north, central, and southwestern China

Marxism

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A term referring to the political philosophy developed by Karl Marx in the 1800s and based on the ideas of communism

Meiji Restoration

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The process that initiated the political transformation of Japan into a modern state in 1868. Although Meiji Restoration supposedly restored the emperor of the country to power, it did not actually give him real governing authority

“One Belt, One Road”

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Also known as the “new Silk Road” initiative, this is a program that China is using to attempt to reorient global trade networks so that they focus on the Eurasian landmass rather than the Atlantic and Pacific ocean basins, a move that could have major geopolitical ramifications

“One country, two systems”

When Britain returned Hong Kong to China in the 1980s, this was the name of the model under which China promised that Hong Kong would retain its capitalist economic system and its partially democratic political system for 50 years. Civil liberties not enjoyed in China itself were to remain protected in Hong Kong

pollution exporting

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The process of exporting industrial pollution and other waste material to other countries. Pollution exporting can be direct, as when waste is simply shipped abroad for disposal, or indirect, as when highly polluting factories are constructed abroad

regulatory lakes

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A term applied to a series of lakes in the middle Yangtze Valley of China. Regulatory lakes take excess water from the river during flood periods and supply water to the river during dry periods

rust belt

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Regions of heavy industry that experienced marked economic decline after their factories ceased to be competitive

sediment load

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The amount of sand, salt, and clay carried by a river

Shogunate

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The political order of Japan before 1868, in which power was held by the military leader known as the shogun, rather than by the emperor, whose authority was merely symbolic

social and regional differentiation

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“Social differentiation” refers to a process by which certain classes of people grow richer when others grow poorer; “regional differentiation” refers to a process by which places grow more prosperous while others become less prosperous

Special Economic Zones (SEZs)

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Relatively small districts in China that were fully opened to global capitalism after China began to reform its economy in the 1980s

Spheres of influence

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In countries not formally colonized in the 19th and early 20th centuries (particularly China and Iran), areas called “spheres of influence” were gained by particular European countries for trade purposes and more generally for economic exploitation and political manipulation

Tonal language

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A language in which the meaning of a syllable varies in accordance with the tone in which it is uttered

tsunamis

very large sea waves induced by earthquakes

urban primacy

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The situation found in a country in which a disproportionately large city, such as London, Seoul, or Bangkok, dominates the urban system and is the center of economic, political, and cultural life

British East India Company

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Private trade organization with its own army that acted as an arm of Britain in monopolizing trade in South Asia until 1857, when it was abolished and replaced by full governmental control

Buddhism

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A religion based on the techings of Siddbartha Gautama, the Buddha, who was born in 563 BCE to an elite caste. He rejected the life of wealth and power and sought instead to attain enlightenment, or mystical union with the cosmos. He preached that the path to such “nirvana” was open to all, regardless of social position

Bustees

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Sprawling squatter settlements in Kolkata and other Indian cities that appear in and around urban areas, providing temporary shelter for many urban migrants

Caste system

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Complex division of South Asian society into different hierarchically ranked hereditary groups. Most explicit in Hindu society, the caste system is also found in other South Asian cultures to a lesser degree.

cyclone

Large storms, marked by well-defined air circulation around a low-pressure center. Tropical cyclones are typically called hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean and typhoons in the western Pacific

Dalit

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The so-called untouchable population of India; people often considered socially polluting because of their historic connections with occupations classified as unclean, such as leatherworking and latrine-cleaning

Dravidian family

a linguistic group unique to South Asia

enclave

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Portions of a country or of groups of people completely surrounded by another country or a different group of people. For example, the Omani territory of Madha is an enclave within the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as it is completely surrounded by other portions of the UAE

federal state

A country in which the major territorial subdivisions have a significant degree of political autonomy, such as the United States, India, or Mexico; federal states are contrasted with unitary states, in which the central governments set most policies

Green Revolution

A term applied to the development of new techniques, starting in the 1960s, that have transformed agriculture in India and many other developing countries; Green Revolution techniques usually involve the use of hybrid seeds that provide higher yields than native seeds when combines with high inputs of chemical fertilizer, irrigation, and pesticides

Hindu nationalism

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A contemporary “fundamentalist” religious and political movement that promoted Hindu values as essential– and exclusive– fabric of Indian society. As a political movement, it generally has less tolerance of India’s large Muslim minority than any other political movements

Hinduism

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A complicated faith that incorporates diverse forms of worship and lacks any standard system of beliefs. Certain deities are recognized by all believers, as is the notion that these various gods are all manifestatons of a single divine entity. All Hindus, moreover, share a set of epic stories, usually written in the sacred language of Sanskrit. One of its hallmarks is a belief in the transmigration of souls from being to being through reincarnation, wherein one’s actions in the physical world influences the course of these future lives

Indian diaspora

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The historical and contemporary movement of people from India to other countries in search of better opportunities. This process has led to large Indian populations in South Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands, along with Western Europe and North America

Indian subcontinent

The large Eurasian peninsula that extends south of the Himalayan Mountains and that encompasses most of South Asia

Jainism

A religious group in South Asia that emerged as a protest against orthodox Hinduism in the 6th century BCE. Jains are noted for their practice of nonviolence, which prohibits them from taking the life of any animal

linguistic nationalism

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The promotion of one language over other that is, in turn, linked to shared notions of political identity. In India, some nationalists promote Hindi as the unifying language of the country, yet this is resisted by many non-Hindi-speaking peoples

Maharaja

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Historical term for Hindu royalty, usually a king or prince, who ruled specific areas of South Asia before independence, but who was usually subject to overrule by British colonial advisors

Maoist

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The version of Marxism advocated by the Chinese revolutionary and political leader Mao Zedong in which the peasantry is regarded as the main revolutionary class. In east-central India, a Maoist insurgency has been fighting against the government for decades

microfinance

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A program to reduce poverty based on providing loans to small-scale business. Low-interest microfinancing, for example, is provided by Grameen Bank to many poor women in Bangladesh, allowing the emergence of some vibrant, small-scale enterprises

monsoon

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The seasonal pattern of changes in winds, heat, and moisture in South Asia and other regions of the world that is a product of larger meteorological forces of land and water heating, the resultant pressure gradients, and jet-stream dynamics. The monsoon produces distinct wet and dry seasons

Mughal Empire

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The Muslim-dominated state that covered most of South Asia from the early 16th to late 17th centuries. The last vestiges of the Mughal dynasty were dissolved by the British following the rebellion of 1857

orographic rainfall

Enhanced precipitation over uplands that results from lifting (and cooling) of air masses as they are forced over mountains

outsourcing

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A business practice that tranfers portions of a company’s production and service activities to lower-cost settings, often located overseas

Sikhism

A South Asian religion, concentrated in the Indian state of Punjab, that shows some similarities with both Islam and Hinduism

Tamil Tigers

The common name of the rebel forces in Sri Lanka (officially known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE) that fought the Sri Lankan army from 1983 until their defeat in 2009

animist

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belief in innumerable spiritual beings concerned with human affairs and capable of helping or harming human interests

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

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an international organization linking together the 10 most important countries of Southeast Asia

ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)

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Concerns about China’s economic rise have encourages the formation of trade agreements among Southeast Asian countries, this one being the most important

Bumiputra

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The name given to Native Malays (literally “sons of the soil”), who are given preference for jobs and schooling by the Malaysian government

Burman

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An ethnic group consisting of 68 percent of the population of Burma (Myanmar) who speak Burmese as their first language

Copra

dried coconut meat

crony capitalism

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A system in which close friends of a political leader are either legally or illegally given business advantages in return for their political support

domino theory

A U.S. geopolitical policy of the 1970s that stemmed from the assumption that if Vietnam fell to the communists, the rest of Southeast Asia would follow

el nino

An abnormally warm current that appears periodically in the eastern Pacific Ocean and usually influences storminess along the western coasts of the Americas. During el Nino event, which can last several years, torrential rains often bring devastating floods to the Pacific coasts of north, Central, and South America. El Nino events are often associated with droughts in Australia and Southeast Asia

entrepot

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A city and port that specializes in the transshipment and warehousing of goods

Golden Triangle

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An area of northern Thailand, Burma, and Laos that is known as a major source region for opium and heroin and is plugged into the global drug trade

Khmer Rouge

Literally, “Red (or communist) Cambodians.” The left-wing insurgent group led by the French-educated Marxists that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, during which time it engaged in genocidal acts against Cambodian people

peat

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Organic soils formed under wetland conditions or perennial saturation. When such areas are drained, organic peat soils can burn, often generating severe air pollution and adding large quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

piracy

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A practice of robbing and attacking ships at sea. Piracy is a maritime issue that China, the United States, and ASEAN countries agree needs to be suppressed, especially in Southeast Asia (which surpassed Somalia as the most pirate-afflicted part of the world)

primate city

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Massive urban settlements that dominate all other cities in a given country. A primate city is usually the capital of the country in which its located

Ramayana

One of the two main epic poems of the Hindu religion, the Ramayana is also commonly performed in the shadow puppet theaters of the predominately Muslim island of Java

Shifted cultivators

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Migrant farmers who are either transplanted by government relocation schemes or forced to move on their own when their lands are expropriated

Sunda Shelf

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An extension of the continental shelf from the Southeast Asia mainland to the large islands of Indonesia. Because of the shelf, the overlying sea is generally shallow (less than 200 feet deep)

swidden

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A form of cultivation in which forested or brushy plots are cleared of vegetation, burned, and then planted in crops, only to be abandoned a few years later as soil fertility declines. Also called slash-and-burn agriculture or shifting cultivation

transmigration

The planned, government-sponsored relocation of people from one area to another within a state territory; the term is usually associated with Indonesia

typhoons

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Large tropical stroms, synonymous with hurricanes, that form in the western Pacific Ocean in tropical latitudes and cause widespread damage to the Philippines, Vietnam, and coastal regions in East Asia

Aborgine

an indigenous inhabitant of Australia

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Group (APEC)

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An organization designed to encourage economic development in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Basin

Atoll

Low, sandy islands made from coral, often oriented around a central lagoon

Austronesian

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A language family that encompasses wide expanses of the Pacific, insular Southeast Asia, and Madagascar

Closer Economic Relations (CER) Agreement

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An agreement signed in 1982 between Australia and New Zealand designed to eliminate all economic and trade barriers between the two countries