Unit 4 Vocabulary Terms

1.Andes Mountains – chain of mountain ranges that run thru the w. portion of N, C, and S Am 2.Llanos – vast plains that are grassy, treeless areas used for livestock grazing and farming 3.Cerrado – savannas with flat terrain & moderate rainfall that make them good for farming 4.Pampas – areas of grasslands and rich soil found in northern Argentina & Uruguay 5.Orinoco river – winds thru northern part of South Am, mainly in Venezuela 6.Amazon river – flows about 4,000 miles from west to east, empting into the Atlantic Ocean 7.Parana river – originated in the highlands of southern Brazil. Travels 3,000 miles south and west thru Paraguay and Argentina 8.Slash and burn – cut trees, brush and grasses and burn the debris to clear the field 9.Terraced farming – ancient technique for growing crops on hillsides or mountain slopes 10.Push factors – factors that “push” people to leave rural areas

11.Pull factors – factors that “pull” people toward cities 12.Infrastructure – facilities such as sewers, transportation, electricity and housing 13.Spanish conquest – the conquering of the Native American by the Spanish 14.Tenochtitlan – the ancient Aztec capital, site of Mexico city today 15.Institutional revolutionary party – helped introduce democracy & maintain political stability for much of the 20 th century in Mexico 16.Mestizo – people of mixed Spanish and Native American heritage 17.Maquiladoras – factories in Mexico that assemble imported materials into finished products that are then exported, mostly to the US 18.NAFTA – North American Free Trade Agreement: Mexico, US & Canada 19.Cultural hearth – place from which important ideas spread 20.United Provinces of Central America – the name of Central America after the region declared independence from Mexico in 1823

21.Panama Canal - cuts thru the land bridge and connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans 22.Calypso – music started in Trinidad, combines musical elements from Africa, Spain and the Caribbean 23.Reggae – developed in Jamaica combines African, Caribbean and American music. 24.Informal economy – takes place outside officials channels, without benefits or protection for workers. Ex: street vendors 25.Inca – descendants of people who came across a land bridge from Siberia to Alaska and eventually crossed the Isthmus of Panama into S. Am 26.Quechua – language of the Inca 27.Treaty of Tordesillas – Portugal gained control over the land that became present-day Brazil 28.Carnival – the most colorful feast day in Brazil 29.Samba – Brazilian dance with African influences. 30.Capoeira – martial art and dance that developed in Brazil from African origins.

31.Biodiversity – wide range of plant and animal species 32.Deforestation – cutting down and clearing away of tree in the rain forest 33.Global warming – the build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, preventing heat from escaping into s[pace and causing temperatures and shifting weather patterns. 34.Debt for nature swap – a debt reducing deal wherein an organization agrees to pay off a certain amount of government debt in return for govt. protection of a certain portion of rain forest. 35.Oligarchy – a govt. run by a few persons or a small group 36.Junta – a govt. run by generals after a military takeover 37.Caudillo – military dictator or political boss 38.Land reform – process of breaking up large landholding to attain a more balanced land distribution among farmers 39.Rain forest – dense forests made up of different species of trees which form a unique ecosystem