| A | B |
|---|
| escarpment | a long, steep slope, especially one at the edge of a plateau or separating areas of land at different heights. |
| erg | an area of shifting sand dunes in the Sahara. |
| Sahel | the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the Savanna to the south. |
| deforestation | the permanent removal of trees to make room for something besides forest |
| coup | a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government |
| animsm | the belief in a supernatural power that organizes and animates the material universe |
| malnutrition | lack of proper nutrition, caused by not having enough to eat, not eating enough of the right things, or being unable to use the food that one does eat. |
| famine | extreme scarcity of food. |
| apartheid | (in South Africa) a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race |
| sanctions | a threatened penalty for disobeying a law or rule. |
| rift valley | a large elongated depression with steep walls formed by the downward displacement of a block of the earth's surface between nearly parallel faults or fault systems. |
| desertification | the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture. |
| Swahili | a Bantu language widely used as a lingua franca in East Africa and having official status in several countries. |
| subsistence agriculture | farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families |
| staple crop | plants grown for their parts which are used as staple food. A staple food is one that is regularly consumed in large quantities as to form the basis of a traditional diet and which serves as a major source of energy and nutrients |
