| A | B |
|---|
| atmospheric pressure | the weight of the atmosphere pressing down on any point of the surface of Earth. Air sinks in high pressure areas, and few clouds form. Air rises in low-pressure areas to form clouds that produce rain |
| monsoon | a seasonal wind. Summer monsoon winds in South Asia usually bring rain to that region |
| orographic effect | the precipitation that occurs when moist air rises up the side of a mountain. As the air rises, it cools down and releases most of its moisture as rain or snow |
| rain shadow | a dry area on the downwind side of a mountain |
| peninsula | a long, narrow stretch of land that is surrounded by water on 3 sides |
| atmosphere | layer of air that surrounds Earth |
| upwind | against the direction that the wind is blowing |
| downwind | in the direction that the wind is blowing |
| delta | the triangle-shaped deposit of sand and sediment that occurs wehre a river flows into an ocean |
| tropical cyclone | a severe storm with high winds that spiral around a calm center. Depending on where they form, these are called hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones |
| drought | an unusually long period in wich little or no rain falls |
| semiarid | dry, with little rainfall; also a climate or climate zone with hot, dry summers or cool, dry winters |
| runoff | water from rainfall that is not absorbed into the soil and instead flows in the streams or lakes |
| evaporation | the process by which a liquid, such as water, turns into a vapor or gas |
| cloud seeding | scattering chemicals into clouds to bring about rain |
| information technology (IT) | the use of technology to move and process information. IT includes computers, communication satellites, cell phones, and the Internet |
| outsource | to hire someone outside a company to do work that was once done inside the company |
| comparative advantage | the ability of one country o produce a good or provide a service at a lower cost or more effectively than another country |
| rainforests | thick evergreen forests found in areas of heavy rainfall |
| deserts | geographic regions with too little rainfall to support much plan life; a vegetation zone |
| time zone | an area that uses the same clock time. Earth has 24 of them. |
| workforce | all the people who are available for work, for example, in a country |
| cost of living | the average cost of basic necessitites, such as food, clothing, and shelter, in a particular place or country |
| standard of living | the overall level of comfort and well-being of a group or a country |
| dialects | versions of a language that are spoken in a specific area |
| linguistic groups | groups of people who share a common language |
| illiterate | unable to read or write |
| brain drain | the loss of well-educated people such as doctors or engineers to another country |
| foreign investment | investment by a person or company based in another country |
