1. Geography Vocabulary

2. arid having little or no rain; too dry or barren to support vegetation; “hot and arid conditions”

3. fertile the soil is productive or good for growing crops?

4. desert An area or region receiving extremely low amounts of precipitation ; the most common land form found in the Middle East

5. irrigation the word that means the process of bringing water to crops

6. scarcity the word that means a small amount of something

7. desalination the word that means the process of removing salt from seawater

8. oil or petroleum the remains of animals and plants that lived millions of years ago in a marine (water) environment; most valuable resource that is found in the Middle East

9. ethnic group a group that shares the same language or common ancestry

10. religious group a group that share a common belief in a same God or Gods

11. pollution a contaminant in the water/air supply; a dirt or chemical

12. climate prevailing weather conditions in an area

13. hydro electric power catching the energy of moving water

14. drought long periods without rainfall

15. famine Long period of time without food

16. natural resources materials or substances such as minerals, forest, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain.

17. abundance more than adequate; more than enough

18. culture a people’s heritage and all of the things that make a group different from another group (including beliefs, habits, laws)

19. arable land that can be used for growing crops

20. landlocked countries having no sea or ocean access

21. literacy The ability to read and write; affects standard of living

22. deforestation the process of cutting and clearing large area of trees

23. standard of living refers to the level of wealth, comfort, material goods and necessities available to a certain socioeconomic class in a certain geographic areawealth

24. conservation to avoid wasteful or destructive use of natural resources

25. distribution to distribute; give out in shares; to dispense; to hand out or to deliver

26. environment surroundings (land, air, water)

27. agriculture the practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals

28. desertification the process by which fertile land becomes desert; typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agricultural practices.

29. monotheistic the belief in one god

30. Polytheistic the belief in more than one god

31. ***GDP (gross domestic product) used to gauge the health of a country's economy. It represents the total dollar value of all goods and services produced over a specific time period (a year).economy To calculate the GDP, either add up what everyone earned in a year or add up what everyone spent in a year.