NORTH AFRICA VOCABULARY Sixth Grade Social Studies: Unit 11

Nile River  The longest river in the world. It empties into the Mediterranean Sea from Egypt and is one of the few rivers in the world that flows from south to north.

Sahara Desert  World’s largest hot desert. Located in the northern part of the African continent.

Mediterranean Sea  Sea that connects Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

canal  A man-made waterway used for either navigation or irrigation.

pharaoh  A ruler (king) in Ancient Egypt.

Alexander the Great  Greek conqueror of most of the known world, including Ancient Egypt in 332 B.C. He was made a pharaoh by the Egyptians. He died at age 32.

Berber  An ethnic group in North Africa named after the language the people speak.

nomad  A person who moves from place to place.

Arab  A member of the people inhabiting Arabia; a member of any Arabic-speaking people.

Islam  A major world religion that began in the Middle East.

Muslim  A person who practices Islam.

developing economy  A non-industrialized, poor country that is seeking to improve its resources and standard of living through industrialization.