| A | B |
|---|
| Mount Everest | the highest mountain peak in the world, located in the Himalayas on the border of China and Nepal |
| Mount Fuji | the tallest mountain in Japan, also an active volcano |
| Ring of Fire | an area of volcanic activity along the borders of the Pacific Ocean |
| typhoon | a hurricane that occurs in the western Pacific Ocean |
| outback | the vast, flat plain that extends across most of central Australia |
| Great Barrier Reef | world's largest coral reef system, located off of Australia's northeastern coast |
| dynasty | a family of rulers |
| Genghis Khan | the leader of the Mongols who invaded China in 1211 |
| Kublai Khan | the grandson of Genghis Khan who conquered China's Song Dynasty to create the Yuan Dynasty |
| Confucius | the Chinese philosopher who taught the importance of individual responsibility |
| bureaucracy | the administration of a government through departments called bureaus |
| Taoism | a Chinese philosophy based on finding harmony with the "way of nature" |
| Lao Tzu | the Chinese philosopher who developed Taoism and wrote the book Tao te Ching |
| Shinto | a religion teaching that spirits called kami live in all objects and forces of nature |
| Heian Age | the period in Japanese history from AD 794-1185 |
| clan | a group of families who trace their descent from a common ancestor |
| The Tale of Genji | the world's first novel which was written in Japan |
| Zen | a branch of Buddhism practiced in Japan |
| samurai | a warrior in feudal Japan |
| shogun | In feudal Japan, the emperor's chief general, who held most of the country's power |
