9th grade world geo key concepts

What is acid rain?

Rain containing high levels of chemical pollution that damages forests, lakes, and buildings.

What is a cartographer?

A professional person who designs and draws maps.

What is a caudillo?

A military or political dictator in Latin America.

What happened at Chernobyl?

Site of a catastrophic 1986 nuclear accident in Ukraine (Eurasian Republics).

What are chinampas?

Floating artificial islands built by Aztecs for farming.

What is the Chunnel?

An underwater rail tunnel linking the United Kingdom and France.

What are climate patterns?

Long-term weather trends in a specific geographic region.

What does a compass rose indicate?

Map symbol showing directions like North, South, East, and West.

What is deforestation?

The clearing and cutting down of entire forests for agriculture or urban use.

What is erosion?

The gradual weathering away and movement of earth by wind, water, or ice.

What is the European Union (EU)?

Economic and political alliance of European nations to promote free trade and open borders.

What are fjords?

Deep, narrow glacial valleys filled with seawater, famously found in Northern Europe.

What are foehns?

Dry, warm winds blowing down European mountain slopes that rapidly melt snow.

What is a glyph?

A picture or symbol used in ancient writing systems.

What is hydroelectric power?

Electricity generated by using moving water to turn turbines.

What is latitude?

Horizontal lines measuring distance north or south of the earth's equator.

What are minifundia?

Very small plots of land intensively farmed by Latin American peasants for subsistence.

What is a quipu?

Incan record-keeping device made of knotted strings used to record data.

What are service industries?

Jobs providing services like banking, retail, and healthcare instead of physical goods.

What is tundra?

Cold, flat, treeless Arctic region defined by permanently frozen subsoil (permafrost).

What is an archipelago?

A large group, chain, or cluster of islands like Japan or Indonesia.

What is ASEAN?

Association of Southeast Asian Nations promoting economic growth and regional stability.

What are atolls?

Ring-shaped coral islands enclosing a central lagoon, common in Oceania.

Who are the Berber?

Indigenous ethnic group living across North Africa west of the Nile Valley.

What are coral reefs?

Underwater structures built by tiny marine organisms in shallow tropical waters.

What are cyclones?

Violent, rotating tropical storms forming in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific.

What is desertification?

Process of fertile, semi-arid land turning into dry desert due to drought or overgrazing.

What is the economic miracle?

Rapid, unprecedented post-WWII economic growth in East Asian nations.

What are escarpments?

Steep cliffs or slopes separating flat areas of land at differing elevations.

What is Farsi?

Major Indo-Iranian language spoken primarily in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.

What is geothermal power?

Energy generated using heat from deep inside the Earth's crust.

What is global warming?

Long-term rise in the Earth's average atmospheric and oceanic temperatures.

What is light industry?

Manufacturing that focuses on producing lightweight consumer items like clothing or electronics.

What is a mosque?

A Muslim house of worship and central cultural feature.

What are petrochemicals?

Chemical products derived from petroleum or natural gas, central to Southwest Asian economies.

What is Pushtu?

Major language spoken in southern/eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan.

What is the Ring of Fire?

Pacific Ocean zone known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

What is the Silk Road?

Ancient trade network connecting East Asia to Europe and the Mediterranean.

What is a steppe?

A vast, semi-arid, flat grassland with few trees.

What is Swahili?

A Bantu language containing Arabic words, spoken as a lingua franca in East Africa.

What is the Great Barrier Reef?

The world's largest coral reef system, located off Australia.

What is the Great Dividing Range?

A major mountain range running along the eastern coast of Australia.

What is the Sahel?

A semi-arid transition zone in Africa separating the Sahara Desert from the savannas.

Who were the Sumerians?

Ancient Mesopotamian civilization known for early writing (cuneiform).

What is the Taklimakan?

A large, extremely dry desert located in northwestern China.

What is the Three Gorges Dam?

A massive hydroelectric gravity dam spanning the Yangtze River in China.

What is the Transvaal?

A historic, resource-rich geographic region in northeastern South Africa.

What is a tsunami?

A massive, destructive sea wave triggered by an underwater earthquake.

What are typhoons?

Powerful, rotating tropical storms that form in the western Pacific Ocean.

What are wadis?

Dry riverbeds in desert regions that fill with water only during rare rains.