| A | B |
|---|
| geography | the study of earth and the people who live on it |
| enviroment | surroundings that include physical, social, and, cultural conditions |
| location | the position of a place on earths surface |
| absolute location | the exact position of a place on earths surface expressed in latitude and longitude |
| relative location | the position of a place as compared to some other place |
| place | the features and characteristics that give an area its own identity or personality |
| movement | people interacting across the globe |
| human-enviroment interaction | how people use, adapt to, or change their surroundings |
| region | an area that is unified by some feature |
| suburb | a community near a central city |
| urban center | a city and its suburbs |
| latitude | the imaginary lines on earth used for measuring distance north and south of the equator |
| parallel | a line of latitude |
| longitude | the imagionary lines on earth used for measuring distance east and west of the Prime Meridian |
| merdian | a line of longitude |
| geographic grid | a crisscross system of parallels and meridians used on a globe or map |
| legend | the part of a map that explains the colors, patterns, and symbols used on it |
| elevation | the height of land above or below sea level |
| cardinal direction | one of the four main directions: north, south, east, or west |
| intermediate direction | one of the directions midway between the cardinal directions: northeast, southeast, northwest, or southwest |
| scale | a measure on a map that corresponds to a certain number of miles or kilometers on earth |
| map projection | a process of transferring earths rounded features to a flat surface |
| conformal projection | a map on which paralles and meridians are drawn so that an area is shown as close to its true shape as possible |
| equal-area projection | a map on which parallels and merdians are drawn so that the areas shown have the same relative size as they do on earth |
| horizontal axis | the line across the bottom of a graph |
| vertival axis | the line along the side of a graph |
| trend | a general movement in a certain direction |
| rate of change | the speed at which change is taking place |
| diameter | the length of a straight line through the center of a circle |
| plain | a landform that generally is level |
| barrier island | an island that protects the main body of land from ocean waves |
| escarpment | a steep cliff |
| fault | a weak place in the earths crust |
| plateau | a broad, level landform that has steep cliffs called escarpments on at least one side and higher elevation than the surrounding land |
| aquifer | an underground waterbearing formation |
| natural vegetation | the plants that grow in an area if the natural enviroment has not been changed by people |
| savanna | a grassland with scattered trees and shrubs |
| grassland | an area where the natural vegetation is grass |
| norther | icy wind that blows in quickly from Canada |
| middle latitudes | the area approximately midway between the Equator and the North Pole or South Pole |
| ethnic group | people who share a common racial, national, religious, or cultural background |
| tejano | a person of Mexican heritage who considers Texas as home |
| natural region | an area that has general similarities in landforms, climate, and vegetation |
| drought | dry period in which little, if any, preciptation falls, often causing extensive damage to crops |
| basin | a sunken area in a plateau found between mountain ranges |
| geographic section | an are that has specific similarities in vegetation, wildlife, and other resources |
| fodder | feed for livestock |
| petrochemical | substance made from petroleum or natural gas |
| agribusiness | large-scale farming, ranching, and related business that supply farm and ranch needs process their products |
| alluvial soil | soil that has been deposited from river water |
| butte | a flat-topped hill, smaller than a mesa |
| erosion | the wearing away of the earths surface by the movement of water, wind, ice, and gravity |
| maquiladoras | factories in Mexico that assemble parts made in the United States |
| prehistory | the period of time before writing was developed |
| archaeologist | a scientist who studies the materials remains of past human life |
| artifact | an object made or altered by humans |
| atatl | a notched throwing stick used to hurl a spear with great range and force |
| forage | to wonder in search of food |
| Mesoamerica | the region that includes Mexico and the countries of Central America |
| culture | the way of life developed by a group of people to satisfy its needs |
| anthropoligist | a scientist who studies the origin, movement, and way of life of humans |
| nomad | a member of a group that wanders from place to place |
| confederacy | a union of peoples or groups |
| adobe | building material made of sundried earth and straw |
| shaman | a person who is believed to have the power to cure the sick and forecast and control the future |
| assimilate | to blend into another culture |
| conquistador | a conqueror |
| firar | a member of a Catholic religious group |
| mission | a religious settlement |
| viceroy | the governor of a region who represents the monarch |
| pueblo | a Native American village with joined, flat-roofed buildings |
| monarch | a king or a queen |
| presidio | a Spanish military post |
| council | a group of advisers |
| province | one district of a country |
| ayuntamiento | city council |
| alcalde | the chief official of a Spanish town |
| garrison | a fort |
| alliance | an agreement by two or more nations, peoples, or groups to work together |
| filibuster | an individual who carries out rebellious activities in a foreign country |
| liberation | setting something free |
| republic | a government in which the power lies with the citizens who vote for people to represent them |
| refuge | safety |
| pardon | to excuse from punishment |
| vaquero | a cowhand |
| depression | a period of low economic activity, often marked by high unemployment |
| survey | to measure for size and boundaries |
| title | a legal right to the possession of property |
| empresario | the Spanish word for contrector |
| militia | group of citizens acting as a military force |
| federal | government where power is divided between national and state governments |
| department | a land division within Texas |
| dowry | the money, property, and goods a bride gave to her husband upon marriage |
