| A | B |
|---|
| aquifer | an underground layer of rock that stores water |
| archipelago | a set of closely grouped islands |
| atoll | a ringlike coral island or string of small islands surrounding a lagoon |
| colonialism | the control or governing influence of a nation over a dependent country, territory, or people |
| desalinization | the removal of salt from ocean water |
| genocide | the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group |
| globalization | to extend to other or all parts of the globe; make worldwide |
| guest worker | a largely unskilled laborer brought into oil producing countries to fill jobs the native people find culturally or economically unacceptable |
| stateless nation | a nation of people without a land to legally occupy such as the Kurds or Palestinians |
| monsoon | a seasonal wind, especially in South Asia |
| OPEC | a group established in the 1980s by some oil-producing nations to coordinate policies on selling petroleum products |
| pandemic | a disease affecting a large population over a wide geographic area such as AIDS in Africa |
| plateau | a land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons |
| samurai | a professional soldier in Japan who served the interests of landowners and clan chiefs |
| subsistence | producing only what is needed to survive |
| sultan | a ruler of a Muslim country |
| theocracy | a form of government in which religious leaders have control |
| Zionism | a movement that began in the 19th century to create and support a Jewish homeland in Palestine |
| Al Qaeda | a worldwide interconnected group of extremist Islamic terrorists responsible for attacks of 9/11 |
| Hutu | majority ethnic group responsible for the genocide in Rwanda |
| Tutsi | minority ethnic group that was the target of the Rwandan genocide |
| Kurd | an ethnic group in Southwestern Asia that has occupied Kurdistan, located in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran, for about 1,000 years and has often been in conflict with these countries over land claims |
| Shi'ite | one of the two main branches of Islam including most Iranians and some peoples of Iraq & Afghanistan |
| Sunni | one of the two main branches of Islam, comprising about 83% of all Muslims |
| Taliban | a strict Muslim group in Afghanistan that has imposed rigid rules on society |
| Mohandas Gandhi | started a campaign against British rule in India based on nonviolent resistance |
| Siddhartha Gautama | Indian religious leader: founder of Buddhism |
| Mao Zedong | Communist leader of China who defeated the Nationalists in 1949 |
| apatheid | the official policy of segregating the races in South Africa |
| Nelson Mandela | Leader of the African National Congress with the goal of ending apartheid in South Africa; elected president in 1994 |
| caste system | system of social classes in India that does not allow for social mobility |
| crude oil | petroleum that has not been processed |
| refined oil | oil that has been converted into useful products |
| Sahara Desert | world's largest desert located in northern Africa |
| Nile River | world's longest river; located in Egypt |
| Mount Everest | world's highest mountain peak; located on the border between Nepal and Tibet (China) |
| Hinduism | the dominant religion in India; linked with the Ganges River and the caste system |
| Buddhism | religion that originated in India and spread to China; meditation is required |
| Judaism | monotheistic religion; sacred text is the Torah; Israel is the homeland of many of its followers |
| Christianity | monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ who followers believe to be the Son of God |
| Islam | monotheistic religion based on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad; followers found mostly in the Middle East and North Africa |
| Palestinians | displaced group of Arabs who seek to reclaim their homeland from the Jews in Israel |
| subcontinent | a land area that is like a continent only smaller; such as South Asia |
| Korean War | conflict between Communist North Korea and democratic South Korea; resulted in the countries remaining separated at the 38th parallel |
| Vietnam War | civil war that the U.S. became involved in to stop the spread of communism |
| Berlin Conference | meeting of 14 European nations in 1884-85 to establish rules for political control of Africa |
