Unit 3 Vocabulary

Front 1

Andes Mountains

Back 1

A chain of mountain ranges that run through the western portion of North, Central, and South America.

Front 2

Llanos

Back 2

Colombia and Venezuela contain vast plains which are grassy, treeless areas used for livestock grazing and farming.

Front 3

Cerrado

Back 3

Savannas with flat terrain and moderate rainfall that make them suitable for farming.

Front 4

Pampas

Back 4

Areas of grasslands and rich soil.

Front 5

Orinoco River

Back 5

Winds through the northern part of the continent, mainly in Venezuela. It flows more than 1,500 miles, partly along the Colombia-Venezuela border, to the Atlantic.

Front 6

Amazon River

Back 6

Flows about 4,000 miles from west to east, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.

Front 7

Parana River

Back 7

It travels about 3,000 miles south and west through Paraguay and Argentina, where it is fed by several rivers, and then turns eastward.

Front 8

Rain Forest

Back 8

Dense forests made up of different species of trees. They form a unique ecosystem—a community of plants and animals living in balance.

Front 9

Slash-and-burn

Back 9

They cut trees, brush, and grasses and burned the debris to clear the field.

Front 10

Terrance Farming

Back 10

An ancient technique for growing crops on hillsides or mountain slopes.

Front 11

Push Factors

Back 11

Factors that “push” people to leave rural areas.

Front 12

Pull Factors

Back 12

Factors that “pull” people toward cities.

Front 13

Infrastructure

Back 13

Includes such things as sewers, transportation, electricity, and housing.

Front 14

Spanish Conquest

Back 14

n 1519, Hernando Cortés landed on the coast of Mexico. Cortés and his men marched into the interior of the country until they reached the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán.

Front 15

Tenochtitlán

Back 15

The site today of Mexico City.

Front 16

Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

Back 16

Helped to maintain political stability for much of the 20th century.

Front 17

Mestizo

Back 17

Population—people of mixed Spanish and Native American heritage.

Front 18

Maquiladoras

Back 18

Factories in Mexico that assemble imported materials into finished products that are then exported, mostly to the United States.

Front 19

NAFTA

Back 19

(North American Free Trade Agreement). This agreement has broken down many economic barriers among the three countries.

Front 20

Cultural Hearth

Back 20

A place from which important ideas spread. Usually, it is the heartland or place of origin of a major culture.

Front 21

United Provinces of Central America

Back 21

In 1823, however, the whole region declared its independence from Mexico.

Front 22

Panama Canal

Back 22

Cuts through the land bridge and connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Front 23

Calypso

Back 23

Music began in Trinidad. Calypso combines musical elements from Africa, Spain, and the Caribbean.

Front 24

Reggae

Back 24

Developed in Jamaica in the 1960s. Many reggae songs deal with social problems and religion.

Front 25

Informal Economy

Back 25

Takes place outside official channels, without benefits or protection for workers.

Front 26

Inca

Back 26

Descendants of people who may have crossed a land bridge from Siberia to Alaska and eventually found their way to South America.

Front 27

Quechua

Back 27

Language of the Inca was overshadowed by Spanish as the settlers became the dominant culture.

Front 28

Mercosur

Back 28

Associate members are countries with free-trade agreements with Mercosur.

Front 29

Treaty of Tordesillas

Back 29

Portugal gained control over the land that became present-day Brazil.

Front 30

Carnival

Back 30

The most colorful feast day in Brazil.

Front 31

Samba

Back 31

A Brazilian dance with African influences.

Front 32

Capoeira

Back 32

A martial art and dance that developed in Brazil from African origins.

Front 33

Biodiversity

Back 33

A wide range of plant and animal species.

Front 34

Deforestation

Back 34

The cutting down and clearing away of trees—in the rain forest.

Front 35

Global Warming

Back 35

Produces carbon dioxide and other harmful gases that are harmful to our environment.

Front 36

Debt-for-nature-swap

Back 36

Affected governments should be paid to preserve the forests.

Front 37

Oligarchy

Back 37

The government censored the press, limited free speech, and punished dissent.

Front 38

Junta

Back 38

Harsher government run by the generals

Front 39

Caudillo

Back 39

A military dictator or political boss, such as Juan Perón in Argentina.

Front 40

Land Reform

Back 40

The process of breaking up large landholdings and giving portions of the land to land-poor peasant farmers.