Vocabulary Review for Benchmark 2016 Grade 6

Chapter One: Geography: the study of the world, people, and landscapes.

Landscape: all human and physical features that make it unique.

Social science: a field of study that looks at people and their relationships.

Region: a part of the world that has one or more common features that distinguish it from surrounding areas.

Characteristics: things that describe common characteristics of people, places, plant life, or climate.

Map: is a flat drawing that shows all or part of Earth’s surface.

Globe: is a spherical or ball-shaped model of the entire planet. ( earth)

5 themes of geography: 1. Location: describes where something is (ex: mountains, oceans, latitude and longitude. 2. Place: describes the features that make something unique ( one of a kind that stands out from other things.) 3. Regions: areas that share common characteristics. (ex: Mojave Desert defined by its distinctive climate and plant life. ) 4. Movement: the how and why people and things move. 5. Human-Environment Interaction: How people interact with their environments in many ways. ( crops, culture, architecture,(buildings), Think about : which of the five themes deals with the relationships between people and their surroundings? Answer: Human-environment Interaction.

Absolute location: a specific description : (use latitude and longitude exact coordinates ) (Name of a building, street address and city and state…. Etc. )

Relative location: a general description of where something is… (around 30 degrees East and 45 degrees North, near the Raceway gas station after the light on 1960… ) Environment: includes its land, water, climate, plants, and animals…

Physical Geography: the study of the world’s physical geographic features: its landforms, bodies of water, climates, soils, and plants.

Human Geography: study of the world’s human geographic features, people, communities, and landscapes.

Cartography: The science of making maps.

Latitude: the distance north or south of the Earth’s equator ( lines of latitude run around the earth like a belt on a pair of pants, and never intersect. The beginning line of measurement is called the Equator)

Longitude: the distance east or west from the Earth’s prime meridian. The lines of longitude run from the north pole to the south poles and all lines of longitude meet in a given point at the poles.)

Tropics: the regions close to the equator.

Precipitation: water that falls to Earth’s surface such as rain, sleet snow, or hail.

Landforms: are the shapes on the planet’s surface. ( The shape of specific continents, regions, peninsulas, islands, etc.)

Continents: large landmasses that are part of the Earth’s crust.

Ring of Fire: name of a region that circles the Pacific Ocean and its known for its fiery volcanoes and powerful earthquakes. (pg. 42-43 in textbook.)

Desertification: the spread of desertlike conditions.

Habitat: the place where a plant or animal lives. ( Man is considered part of the mammal group of animals…. Yes where man lives too.)

Resources: Natural resource: any materials in nature that people value.,... example, diamonds, oil, rubies, coal, water, all types of minerals, )....

Nonrenewable resources: any resource that cannot be replaced once it is used up. ( coal, diamonds, lakes, rivers, iron-ore. Etc. )

Deforestation: the clearing or cutting down of trees.

Reforestation: the replanting of trees to replace lost forests.

Fossil Fuels: nonrenewable resources that formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals.

Hydroelectric power; production of electricity from waterpower. ( Yes, dams help hold water to be used for hydroelectric power. )

Culture: the set of beliefs, values and practices that a group of people have in common.

Cultural trait: is an activity or behavior in which people often take part.

Cultural Region: an area in which people have many shared cultural traits.

Ethnic group: a group of people who share a common culture and ancestry.

Multicultural society: a society that includes a variety of cultures in the same area.

Population: a total number of people in a given area.

Population density: a measure of the number of people living in an area.

Migration: the process of moving from one place to another.

Globalization the process in which countries are increasingly linked to each other through culture, trade and technology. Interdependence: is a relationship between countries in which they rely on one another for resources, goods, or services.

United Nations (UN) is an organization of the world’s countries that promotes peace and security around the globe.

***GOVERNMENT: *** (You need to understand each type of government and all the items that go with them as well as examples.)

Limited Government: the power is in the hands of a single leader or small group that has limits on its power, usually in the form of a constitution.

Unlimited government: type of government where the power is concentrated into the hands of a single leader or small group for control of a country or area and doesn’t have limits on it’s power.

Totalitarian government: the government exercise control over all aspects of society, the government, the economy, and even the people’s personal beliefs and actions. Pg 109

Representative government: ( pg 112-113) people are the source of government authority. ( people power)

Nonpresentative government: ( p. 114) government power is unlimted and citizens have few or no rights.

Democracy: people elect leaders and rule by the majority of people.

Direct democracy: Government is by the people, citizens are the source of government authority, citizens come to together to discuss items of importance. ( ex: Athens, Greece )

Dictatorship: single leader ( dictator) or small group holds absolute authority and power and makes all decisions. (violence and force used to maintain rule. ) Totalitarian Regimes: Dictator holds ultimate authority and government tightly controls all aspects of life, political, social and economic. … no limits on government. (example North Korea)

Theocracy: Governments ran by officials regarded to have religious authority, laws are rooted in religious beliefs, government power is unlimited. ( example Iran)

Republic/Representative Democracy: Government is by the people and citizens are the source of government authority. Indirect form of democracy and elect representatives to make government decisions on their behalf, representatives are elected for a set term of so many years. (Example: ancient Rome, United States of America.) pg. 107 chart)

Civic Responsibility: citizens of a representative government have some things expected of them: such as: Obeying the law, attending school, paying taxes, jury duty, voting, helping your community, respecting and protecting others rights.

World Economies

Economy: a society has a way of making money and using that money to in order to survive as a community. ( Money in ( the way an area makes money….Money out: the ways a community spends money to live comfortable lives. ) Economic System : organizes the production and distribution of goods and services.

Traditional Economy: people work based on long-established customs. The good of the group is more important than an individual. ( ancient societies like northern Canada, )

Command Economy: government controls the economy. (government decides what goods and services to produce, how and how much to produce and how the products are distributed.

Free Enterprise System: U.S. Capitalism is called a free enterprise system because people enjoy a number of freedoms like owning their own businesses, setting how much and at what price to sell items, etc. and there is little government intervention. ( check chart on pg. 120 in textbook)

Market Economy: pg. 119 in textbook: Based on private ownership of free trade and competition, Individual and business are free to buy and sell what they want with little to no interference from government. (example: United states is a combination of a Market economy and a free enterprise system.)

Economic activities

Agriculture Industries: primary growing crops and raising animals( livestock)

Manufacturing Industries: people and businesses make finished products from raw materials (example: tables and chair made from wood, bedroom furniture.)

Wholesale industries: business that sell to other businesses. Move goods from manufacturer to market.

Retail Industry: businesses that sell directly to the consumer. ( furniture stores,

Service Industry: business that provide services rather than providing goods. (example: waitress, waiter, bank teller, custodian, etc.,) Developed country: countries with strong economies and a high quality of life. ( High GDP like Germany and the USA)

Developing Country: countries with less productive economies and a lower quality of life. Pg. 124 in textbook)

Mexico

Mexico: located at the SouthWest edge of the United States. It is a peninsula. Mexico is surrounded by three bodies of water: 1. Baja California, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea and the Yucatan Penninsula Sierra Madre: made of two mountain ranges: Sierra Madre Oriental ( east) and the Sierra Madre Occidental (west) all in Mexico

Mexico’s Natural Resources: petroleum, oil reserves, some gold, silver mines, copper, lead and zinc, and water.

Early cultures: Olimex small villages southern Mexico. Maya: worshipped their gods, studied stars, and developed a calendar. Aztec: Central Mexico, builts island Tenochtitlan. Was an. An empire: is a land with different territories and all people under a single ruler. Mestizos: mixed European and Indian ancestors.

Haciendas: huge farm or ranch lands.

Government: Spain ruled then Mexico earned it independence from Spain in 1821. Mexico and United States fought over Texas, led to the Mexican-American War. Benito Juarez helped Mexico survive an invasion by the French, and helped the haciendas take land from the peasants. Mexican Rvolution broke out in 1910. Government gave land back to the peasants that the Haciendas had taken. Mexican culture comes from American Indians, Spanish influenced holidays.

Mexicos government: democratic Economy: developing country, Tourism is important with resort cities on the coast.

Inflation: rise in prices that occurs when currency loses its buying power. ( can happen to any country at any time. )

Slash and burn: practice of burning the forest in order to clear the land for planting.

Cash crop: farmers grow this crop mainly to sell for a profit,.

Culture and Religion: Capital city: Mexico City Smog: a mixture of smoke, chemicals, and fog. ( can cause health problems and eye irritation.

Maquiladoras: United States and foreign owned factories in Mexico.