South America Key Terms

Mrs. T. (United States of America)
62 words 99 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. llano
    an extensive grassy and nearly treeless plain
  2. guerilla
    one who fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment
  3. referendum
    a legislative act referred for approval to a popular vote
  4. estuary
    the wide part of a river where it nears the sea
  5. deforestation
    the state of being clear of trees
  6. gaucho
    a cowboy of the South American pampas
  7. landlocked
    surrounded entirely or almost entirely by land
  8. strait
    a narrow channel joining two larger bodies of water
  9. El Nino
    a warm ocean current in the Pacific that sets off a chain of weather events
  10. viceroy
    governor who rules as the representative of a sovereign
  11. coup
    a sudden and decisive change of government by force
  12. buttress
    a support usually of stone or brick
  13. canopy
    a covering (usually of cloth) that shelters an area
  14. conservation
    careful management of the environment and natural resources
  15. deforestation
    the state of being clear of trees
  16. ecosystem
    organisms interacting with their physical environment
  17. emergent
    coming into existence
    When dealing with the rainforest, this is the uppermost layer of trees. This layer consists of the tops of the tallest trees.
  18. equator
    an imaginary line around the Earth forming a great circle
  19. extinction
    the state of being no longer in existence
  20. greenhouse effect
    warming due to solar radiation trapped by the atmosphere
  21. species
    taxonomic group whose members can interbreed
  22. sustainable
    capable of being prolonged
  23. tropical
    relating to part of the Earth's surface with hot climate
  24. pampas
    the vast grassy plains of northern Argentina
  25. indigenous
    originating where it is found
  26. Andes
    a mountain range in South America running 5000 miles along the Pacific coast
  27. Amazon River
    a major South American river
  28. Atacama Desert
    a desert in northern Chile rich in nitrate and copper deposits
  29. convergence
    the act of coming closer
  30. ecotourism
    tourism to exotic or threatened ecosystems to observe wildlife or to help preserve nature
  31. mestizo
    a Latin American with both European and indigenous heritage
  32. Panama Canal
    a ship canal 40 miles long across the Isthmus of Panama built by the United States (1904-1914)
  33. adaptation
    the process of adjusting or conforming to new conditions
  34. arboreal
    of or relating to or formed by trees
  35. epiphyte
    a plant that grows harmlessly on another
  36. ecology
    the environment as it relates to living organisms
  37. exploitation
    an act that victimizes someone
  38. liana
    a woody climbing usually tropical plant
  39. botanist
    a biologist specializing in the study of plants
  40. reforestation
    the restoration (replanting) of a forest that had been reduced by fire or cutting
  41. acuity
    sharpness of vision
  42. moniker
    a familiar name for a person
  43. symbiosis
    the relation between two interdependent species of organisms
  44. raze
    tear down so as to make flat with the ground
  45. summit
    the top or extreme point of something
  46. chasm
    a deep opening in the earth's surface
  47. nomadic
    relating to persons or groups who travel in search of food or work
  48. precarious
    not secure; beset with difficulties
  49. endemic
    native to or confined to a certain region
  50. habitat
    the type of environment in which an organism normally lives
  51. reserve
    something kept back or saved for future use
  52. transpiration
    the emission of water vapor from the leaves of plants
  53. eloquent
    expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
  54. stifled
    held in check or kept back with difficulty
  55. erratic
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
  56. chaotic
    completely unordered and unpredictable and confusing
  57. alluring
    highly attractive and able to arouse hope or desire
  58. conscience
    motivation deriving from ethical or moral principles
  59. notorious
    known widely and usually unfavorably
  60. admonish
    warn strongly; put on guard
  61. detain
    cause to be slowed down or delayed
  62. culmination
    a concluding action
Created on Mon Nov 11 16:34:25 EST 2013 (updated Wed Nov 13 12:26:17 EST 2013)

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