| A | B |
|---|
| the area drained by a river and its tributaries | River Basin |
| a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or river | Tributary |
| the movement of water from the surface of Earth to the atmosphere and back again. During this cycle, water evaporates from rivers, lakes, and oceans, rises and condenses into clouds, and then falls back to Earth as rain, hail, sleet, or snow. | Water Cycle |
| the layer of air that surrounds Earth | Atmosphere |
| a system that allows for the year-round watering of crops | Perennial Irrigation |
| the electrical power that can be generated from flowing water | Hydroelectric Potential |
| electricity that is generated from the power of moving water | Hydroelectric Power |
| the process by which a liquid, such as water, turns into a vapor, or gas | Evaporation |
| water in the form of a gas, as in steam or moisture in the atmosphere | Water Vapor |
| to lose heat and change from a vapor or gas into a liquid. Moisture, or water vapor, in the air condenses to form rain. | Condense |
| - moisture that falls from the sky as rain, snow, sleet, or hail | Precipitation |
| the movement of water from Earth’s surface into the soil | Infiltration |
| water from rainfall that is not absorbed into the soil and instead flows into streams or lakes | Runoff |
| a stream or streams that make up the beginnings of a river | Headwaters |
| all of the plants and trees in an area | Vegetation |
| the flowing together of two or more streams | Confluence |
| a series of rapids and low waterfalls on a river | Cataract |
| the usually dry bed of river or stream in a desert or semiarid area | Wadi |
| dry or lacking rainfall; also a climate or climate zone that is hot and dry all year with very little rain | Arid |
| an artificial lake where water is stored | Reservoir |
| the flat area around a river that is covered with sediment as a result of frequent flooding | Floodplain |
| the triangle-shaped deposit of sand and sediment that occurs where a river flows into an ocean | Delta |
| a broadleaf evergreen forest found in wet and hot regions near the equator | Tropical Rainforest |
| solid and liquid waste from homes and other buildings that is carried away by sewers or drains | Sewage |
| any fuel, such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas, which is made from the remains of prehistoric plants and animals | Fossil Fuels |
| the natural environment in which a plant or animals live | Habitat |
| an area defined by one or more natural cultural characteristics that set it apart from other areas | Region |
| a geographic region with too little rainfall to support much plant life | Desert |
| an isolated spot in a desert where water is found | Oasis |
| an unusually long period which little or no rain falls | Drought |
| any natural characteristic of Earth’s surface, such as landforms and bodies of water | Physical Features |
| the pattern of weather over a period of time | Climate |
| steady winds in tropical latitudes that blow toward the equator from both the north and south | Trade Winds |
| land that is not well suited for growing crops | Marginal Land |
| groups of herders who move with their animals from place to place in search of pasture and water | Pastoral Nomads |
| the process by which land becomes more and more dry until it turns into desert. This may be caused by climate change, human activities, or both | Desertification |
| a large area with a particular kind of scenery | Landscape |
| any natural feature of Earth’s surface that has a distinct shape. Landforms include major features such as continents, plains, plateaus, and mountain ranges. They also include minor features such as hills, valleys, canyons, and dunes | Landform |
| a great sea of sand with tall sand dunes in the Sahara | Erg |
| a gravel covered desert plain | Reg |
| a high, rock-covered flatland in the Sahara | Hammada |
| the creation and use of tools to meet practical needs; also refers to the tools themselves | Technology |
| any action that relates to making, buying, and selling of goods and services | Economic Activities |
| a crop that is grown to be sold rather than to be consumed by the farmers and their families | Cash Crops |
| a wall or hedge that breaks the force of the wind | Windbreaks |
| a change in a way of life to suit new conditions | Adaptation |
| the practice of clearing one area for farming for a few years and then moving on to another area when the first has lost its fertility | Shifting Agriculture |
| removing or cleaning away the trees from a forest. Often done to clear land for farming or ranching | Deforestation |
| the gradual wearing away of Earth’s surface by the action of wind, water, ice, and gravity | Erosion |
| a very small business with few or no employees | Micro-Enterprise |
| a person who starts and runs a very small business | Micro-Entrepreneurs |
| a poorer country with a less advanced economy. These countries are trying to increase their industries and improve life for their people | Developing Countries |
| not nourished with sufficient or proper food to maintain or promote health or normal growth | Undernourished |
| a war between groups living in the same country | Civil War |
| the division of work into two categories based on sex or gender. The result is that men and women do different kinds of work. | Gender-Based Division of Labor |
| the part of the economy in which goods and services are exchanged outside of government control. The people in this economy often sell goods on the street or in a street market | Informal Economy |
| a group of people in a country who share a unique culture and identity | Ethnic Group |
| a variety of people from different ethnic groups | Ethnic Diversity |
| an area that is set apart from other places by the way of life of the people who live there | Cultural Regions |
| a group of people who share a common language | Linguistic Groups |
| A system in which one country rules another area as a colony. The ruling country controls trade with its colony for its own benefit. | Colonialism |
| a useful material that is found in nature, such as water, wood, coal or oil | Natural Resources |
| found or living in a city | Urban |
| found in or living in areas that are not close to cities | Rural |
| traditional Islamic laws | Shari’a |
| a type of tropical grassland | Savanna |
| a version of a language that is spoken in specific area | Dialect |
| a settlement made up of crudely built shacks | Shantytown |
| an area where the soil is usually wet or covered with water | Wetlands |
| made up of people from several ethnic groups | Multiracial |
| the former official South African policy of separating people according to race | Apartheid |
| the separation of one group of people from another, such as by race | Segregation |
| the way people or things are spread out over an area or space. This term can also refer to the way resources, power, or goods are divided among people or groups | Distribution |
| wild animals and birds living in their natural environment | Wildlife |
| poor urban settlements where blacks were forced to live during the apartheid in South Africa | Township |
| an overcrowded, dirty area of a city where the housing is usually in very poor condition | Slum |
| by or for each person. This figure is calculated by dividing the total amount of something by the number of people in a place | Per Capita |
| influence or effect | Impact |
| to adjust to current circumstances | Adapt |
| circumstance | Conditions |
