Honors world geography unit 4 vocab

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Autocracy

A government in which the ruler has unlimited power and uses it in an arbitrary manner.

Confucianism

A philosophy based on the teachings of Confucius that stresses the importance of education in an ordered society and a person respecting one's elders and obeying the government.

Sweatshop

A workplace where people work long hours for low pay under poor conditions to enrich manufacturers.

Human Development Index

The summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life (life expectancy at birth), being knowledgeable (expected years of schooling & mean schooling) and have a decent standard of living (gross national income per capita).

Hong Kong

City and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta in South China. A former British possession Hong Kong has continued to enjoy success as an international financial center.

Centralized government

A government in which power is concentrated in a central authority to which local governments are subject.

Taiwan

Officially the Republic of China (ROC) - disputed island with a democratically elected government off the coast of China. The Chinese government in Beijing has maintained that it has jurisdiction over Taiwan and has continued to propound a one-China policy.

Daoism

A philosophy based on the ideas of the Chinese thinker Laozi, who taught that people should be guided by a universal force.

Mandarin

The official language of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan, as well as one of the four official languages of Singapore. It is spoken by 70% of all Chinese speakers and is also used as one of the official languages of the United Nations.

Command Economy

A type of economic system in which production of goods and services is determined by a central government, which usually owns the means of production; also called a planned economy.

Filial Piety

Respect shown by children for their parents and elders.

Formosa

Historical name for Taiwan - means "beautiful island" in Portuguese.

Han

The largest ethnic group in China.

Typhoon

A tropical storm that occurs in the west Pacific.

Loess

A fertile deposit of yellow windblown soil.

Tsunami

Ocean or sea wave of great destructive power often created by an undersea earthquake.

Shinkansen

Japan's bullet train that can reach speeds of 186 miles per hour.

Uighur

Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with Central and East Asia who are predominantly Muslims. They are one of China's fifty-five (55) officially recognized ethnic minorities.

ASEAN

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, an alliance that promotes economic growth and peace in the region.

Ring of fire

A chain of volcanoes that line the Pacific rim.

Plateau

A flat, elevated landform that rises sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side.

Gross Domestic Product Per Capita

Financial metric that measures a country's economic output per person and is calculated by dividing the GDP of a country by its population.

Qin

Name given to the first great Chinese Empire which lasted from 221 to 207 BCE, but from which the name China is derived—established the approximate boundaries and basic administrative system that all subsequent Chinese dynasties were to follow for the next two millennia.

Shinto

The native religion of Japan.

Tibet

Historic and autonomous region of China that is often called "the roof of the world." It occupies a vast area of plateaus and mountains in Central Asia. Its incorporation into the People's Republic of China began in 1950 and has remained a highly charged and controversial issue.

Three Gorges Dam

Structure built by China on the Yangtze (Chang Jiang) River; completed in 2006.

Market economy

A type of economic system in which production of goods and services is determined by the demand from consumers (also called capitalism).

Yin & Yang

In Chinese thought, the two powers that govern the natural rhythms of life.

Economic tiger

A nation that has high economic growth due to cheap labor, high technology, and aggressive exports.

Communism

A system in which the government holds nearly all political power in government and the economic means of production.

Aryans

And Indo-European people who, about 1500 B.C., began to migrate into the Indian subcontinent.

Moksha

In Hinduism, a state of perfect understanding of all things and a release from the cycle of reincarnation.

civilization

Highly organized society marked by P.E.R.S.I.A: political organization (advanced government), economic system (an advanced knowledge of trade, an organized [eligion, social hierarchy, inventions (which often included written language and other scientific and engineering accomplishments), and arts.

specialization

The development of skills in a particular kind or work, such as trading or record keeping

artisan

person skilled in a craft

scribe

one of the professional record keepers in early civilizations

cuneiform

Sumerian (Sumer was a region within Mesopotamia) system of writing using wedge-shaped markings (important to note: cuneiform was not an alphabet, but pictographs which represented whole words. In addition, it is the first writing system ever developed)

ziggurat

A tiered, pyramid-shaped structure that formed part of a Sumerian (Mesopotamian) temple

Fertile Crescent

An arc of rich farmland in Southwest Asia, between the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea.

covenant

A solemn pledge or agreement (like a contract)

city-state

An independent state consisting of a city and the surrounding land and villages.

dynasty

A line of rulers who belong to the same family

cultural diffusion

The exchange of goods, ideas, and customs among different cultures.

matriarchal / patriarchal

Relating to a social system in which the mother (matriarchal) / father (patriarchal) is head of the family

theocracy

Government headed by religious leaders or a leader regarded as a god.

push-pull factors

Conditions that draw people to another location (pull factors) or cause people to leave their homelands and migrate to another region (push factors)

filial piety

Respect shown by children for their parents and elders (a core principle of the Chinese philosophy of Confucianism

Surplus

an amount that is more than needed, excess

Mandate of Heaven

In ancient China, authority granted by heaven to deserving rulers, called Mandate of Heaven

caste

One of the four classes of people in the social system of the Aryans who settled in India -priests, warriors, peasants or traders, and non-Aryan laborers or craftsmen

reincarnation

In Hinduism and Buddhism, the process by which a soul is reborn continuously until it achieves perfect understanding.

karma

In Hinduism and Buddhism, the totality of the good and bad deeds performed by a person, which is believed to determine his or her fate after rebirth

animism

The belief that spirits are present in animals, plants, and other natural objects

nirvana

In Buddhism, the release from pain and suffering achieved after enlightenment

Torah

The first five books of the Hebrew Bible - the most sacred writings in the Jewish tradition.