| A | B |
|---|
| isthmus | narrow strip connecting two large land areas |
| coastal plains | lowlands next to the seacoast |
| rain forest | heavily wooded forests that may receive more than 100 inches of rain per year |
| archipelago | chain of islands |
| tectonic plate | part of Earth's crust that moves against other plates |
| seismic | movement that causes earthquakes |
| ecosystem | place where plants and animals rely on the environment to survive |
| deforestation | forest loss |
| fertile | able to produce plentiful crops |
| tourism | travel industry |
| canopy | tops of trees that create a roof |
| extinction | dying out completely |
| poacher | people who hunt or fish illegally |
| critical | extremely important |
| Caribbean Sea | Sea that borders Central American east coast and Caribbean islands |
| cash crop | crops for profit |
| scarcity | shortage |
| triangular trade | trade among the Americas, Europe, and Africa |
| multitude | numbers |
| staple | main |
| viceroy | governors who represented the Spanish king and queen |
| province | smaller parts of a larger nation |
| harbor | places where ships could land protected from the open sea |
| dictator | lead with complete power usually a military leader |
| commonwealth | nation that governs itself but is part of a larger country |
| exploit | took advantage |
| Columbian Exchange | triangular trade named for Christopher Columbus |
| Toussaint L'Ouverture | former slave who fought for independence of Haiti |
