A World of Words: Eastern Europe - Middle School and High School

Review this vocabulary list and learn all about Eastern Europe. You'll explore the geography, religious traditions, and politics of countries like Bulgaria, Hungary, and Poland.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. Adriatic Sea
    an arm of the Mediterranean between Slovenia and Croatia and Montenegro and Albania on the east and Italy on the west
  2. air pollution
    pollution of the atmosphere
  3. Albania
    a republic in southeastern Europe on the Adriatic coast of the Balkan Peninsula
  4. Alps
    a large mountain system in south-central Europe
  5. amber
    a hard yellowish to brownish translucent fossil resin
  6. anti-Semitism
    the intense dislike for and prejudice against Jewish people
  7. authoritarian
    characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule
  8. Balkan Mountains
    the major mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula
  9. Balkan Peninsula
    a large peninsula in southeastern Europe containing the Balkan Mountain Range
  10. Baltic
    of or near or on the Baltic Sea
  11. Baltic Sea
    a sea in northern Europe; stronghold of the Russian navy
  12. Belarus
    a landlocked republic in eastern Europe
  13. Belgrade
    capital and largest city of Serbia and Montenegro
  14. Black Sea
    a sea between Europe and Asia
  15. bloc
    a group of countries in special alliance
  16. Bohemia
    a historical area and former kingdom in the Czech Republic
  17. Bosnia and Herzegovina
    a mountainous republic of south-central Europe
  18. Bosnian
    of or relating to or characteristic of Bosnia-Herzegovina or the people of Bosnia
  19. Bratislava
    capital and largest city of Slovakia
  20. Bucharest
    national capital and largest city of Romania in southeastern Romania
  21. Bulgaria
    a republic in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe
  22. capitalism
    an economic system based on private ownership of assets
  23. capitalist
    of an economic system based on private ownership
  24. Carpathian Mountains
    a mountain range in central Europe that extends from Slovakia and southern Poland southeastward through western Ukraine to northeastern Romania; a popular resort area
  25. centralized
    located in one place or under control of a single authority
  26. Chernobyl
    a city in north central Ukraine
  27. Chisinau
    the capital of Moldova
  28. climate
    the weather in some location averaged over a period of time
  29. cold war
    a state of political hostility between countries
  30. communism
    a form of socialism that abolishes private ownership
  31. communist
    relating to socialism that abolishes private ownership
  32. Crimea
    a Ukrainian peninsula between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov
  33. Croat
    a member of the Slavic people living in Croatia
  34. Croatia
    a republic in the western Balkans in south-central Europe in the eastern Adriatic coastal area; formerly part of the Habsburg monarchy and Yugoslavia; became independent in 1991
  35. currency
    the metal or paper medium of exchange that is presently used
  36. Cyrillic
    an alphabet derived from the Greek alphabet and used for writing Slavic languages (Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Ukrainian, and some other Slavic languages)
  37. Czechoslovakia
    a former republic in central Europe
  38. Czech Republic
    a landlocked republic in central Europe
  39. Danube River
    the 2nd longest European river
  40. democratic
    based upon the principles of social equality
  41. development
    making some area of land or water more profitable or useful
  42. dictator
    a ruler who is unconstrained by law
  43. Eastern Orthodox Church
    derived from the Byzantine Church and adhering to Byzantine rites
  44. economy
    the system of production and distribution and consumption
  45. ecosystem
    organisms interacting with their physical environment
  46. emigration
    moving from one place in order to settle in another
  47. Estonia
    a republic in northeastern Europe on the Baltic Sea
  48. ethnic cleansing
    the deliberate removal of people from a specific culture
  49. euro
    the basic monetary unit of most members of the European Union (introduced in 1999); in 2002 twelve European nations (Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Austria, Finland) adopted the euro as their basic unit of money and abandoned their traditional currencies
  50. European Union
    an international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members
  51. export
    sell or transfer abroad
  52. Franz Ferdinand
    archduke of Austria and heir apparent to Francis Joseph I
  53. free press
    a press not restricted or controlled by government censorship regarding politics or ideology
  54. glasnost
    a Soviet policy allowing freer discussion of social problems
  55. Holocaust
    the mass murder of Jews under the German Nazi regime
  56. holocaust
    an act of mass destruction and loss of life
  57. Hungary
    a republic in central Europe
  58. immigration
    movement of people into a country or area
  59. independence
    freedom from control or influence of another or others
  60. Indo-European
    of or relating to the Indo-European language family
  61. industrial
    of or relating to commercial enterprise
  62. industrialization
    the development of commercial enterprise
  63. infrastructure
    basic facilities needed for the functioning of a country
  64. iron curtain
    the barrier between communist and democratic countries
  65. Jan Hus
    Czechoslovakian religious reformer who anticipated the Reformation; he questioned the infallibility of the Catholic Church was excommunicated (1409) for attacking the corruption of the clergy; he was burned at the stake (1372-1415)
  66. kaolin
    a fine usually white clay formed by the weathering of aluminous minerals (as feldspar); used in ceramics and as an absorbent and as a filler (e.g., in paper)
  67. Kiev
    capital and largest city of the Ukraine
  68. Kosovo
    a republic in the Balkan Peninsula that declared independence from Serbia in 2008; populated predominantly by Albanians
  69. landlocked
    surrounded entirely or almost entirely by land
  70. Latvia
    a republic in northeastern Europe on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea
  71. Lech Walesa
    Polish labor leader and statesman (born in 1943)
  72. life expectancy
    an expected time to live as calculated on the basis of statistical probabilities
  73. lignite
    intermediate between peat and bituminous coal
  74. Lithuania
    a republic in northeastern Europe on the Baltic Sea
  75. Ljubljana
    the capital of Slovenia
  76. Macedonia
    landlocked republic on the Balkan Peninsula
  77. Magyar
    relating to or characteristic of Hungary
  78. market economy
    an economy that relies on market forces to determine prices
  79. Marshal Tito
    Yugoslav statesman who led the resistance to German occupation during World War II and established a communist state after the war (1892-1980)
  80. mineral
    a solid inorganic substance occurring in nature
  81. Minsk
    the capital of Belarus and of the Commonwealth of Independent States
  82. Moldova
    a landlocked republic in eastern Europe
  83. monastery
    the residence of a religious community
  84. Montenegro
    a former country bordering on the Adriatic Sea
  85. Moravia
    a region in the central and eastern part of the Czech Republic; it lies to the east of Bohemia and to the west of the Carpathians
  86. mountainous
    containing many mountains
  87. nationalism
    the doctrine that your country's interests are superior
  88. NATO
    an international organization created in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty for purposes of collective security
  89. oil shale
    shale from which oil can be obtained by heating
  90. orthodox
    adhering to what is commonly accepted
  91. parliament
    a legislative assembly in certain countries
  92. peninsula
    a large mass of land projecting into a body of water
  93. perestroika
    an economic policy adopted in the former Soviet Union
  94. permafrost
    ground that is permanently frozen
  95. petroleum
    a dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbons
  96. plain
    an extensive tract of level, open land
  97. Poland
    a republic in central Europe
  98. pollution
    contamination of the natural environment
  99. population
    the number of inhabitants in a given place
  100. potash
    a potassium compound often used in agriculture and industry
  101. Prague
    the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic in the western part of the country; a cultural and commercial center since the 14th century
  102. precipitation
    the falling to earth of any form of water
  103. privatization
    changing something from state to individual ownership
  104. republic
    a political system in which power lies in a body of citizens
  105. revolution
    the overthrow of a government by those who are governed
  106. Riga
    a port city on the Gulf of Riga that is the capital and largest city of Latvia; formerly a member of the Hanseatic League
  107. Roma
    capital and largest city of Italy
  108. Romania
    a republic in southeastern Europe with a short coastline on the Black Sea
  109. Sarajevo
    capital and largest city of Bosnia
  110. Serb
    a member of a Slavic people who settled in Serbia and neighboring areas in the 6th and 7th centuries
  111. Serbia
    a historical region in central and northern Yugoslavia
  112. Skopje
    capital of modern Macedonia
  113. Slavic language
    a branch of the Indo-European family of languages
  114. Slovakia
    a landlocked republic in central Europe
  115. Slovenia
    a mountainous republic in central Europe
  116. Sofia
    capital and largest city of Bulgaria located in western Bulgaria
  117. Soviet Union
    a former communist country in eastern Europe and northern Asia; established in 1922; included Russia and 14 other soviet socialist republics (Ukraine and Byelorussia and others); officially dissolved 31 December 1991
  118. standard of living
    the level of material goods and services available
  119. state
    a politically organized body under a single government
  120. steppe
    an extensive plain without trees
  121. Tallinn
    a port city on the Gulf of Finland that is the capital and largest city of Estonia
  122. territory
    a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
  123. Tirana
    the capital and largest city of Albania in the center of the country
  124. tourism
    the business of providing services to travelers for pleasure
  125. Transylvania
    a historical plateau region in northwestern Romania that is separated from the rest of the country by the Transylvanian Alps; originally part of Hungary; incorporated into Romania at the end of World War I
  126. Transylvanian Alps
    a range of the southern Carpathian Mountains extending across central Romania
  127. Ukraine
    a republic in southeastern Europe
  128. unemployment
    the state of not having a job
  129. union
    a political unit formed from previously independent groups
  130. USSR
    a former communist country in eastern Europe and northern Asia; established in 1922; included Russia and 14 other soviet socialist republics (Ukraine and Byelorussia and others); officially dissolved 31 December 1991
  131. Vaclav Havel
    Czech dramatist and statesman whose plays opposed totalitarianism and who served as president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992 and president of the Czech Republic since 1993 (born in 1936)
  132. Vilnius
    the capital and largest city of Lithuania
  133. Vistula River
    a European river; flows into the Baltic Sea
  134. Warsaw
    the capital and largest city of Poland
  135. Yugoslavia
    a former country of southeastern Europe bordering the Adriatic Sea; formed in 1918 and named Yugoslavia in 1929; controlled by Marshal Tito as a communist state until his death in 1980
  136. Zagreb
    the capital of Croatia
Created on January 12, 2017 (updated April 7, 2017)

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