Unit One - North America

Absolute Location: the exact location of a place on Earth using degrees north or south of the equator and east or west of the prime meridian

Anthropology: the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another

Constitutional Monarchy: a system of government where the real executive power is held by a legislature with members who are individually and collectively responsible for making laws. It usually has a Prime Minister elected by the legislature but also has a king or queen who is the chief of state but has no real power.

Culture: a particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period: Greek culture; the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture

Cultural trait: any characteristic of human activity acquired in social life and transmitted by communication

Democracy: a form of government in which the people elect leaders and have majority in government

Developed Nation: countries with strong economies and a high quality of life

Developing Nation: Very poor countries that rely more heavily on farming than on industry and do not have modern conveniences

Diversity: having differences

Entrepreneur: Individuals willing to take a risk to create a business to sell a new technique, idea, or
product

Ethnicity: a group of people whose members identify with each other through a common heritage, consisting of a common culture, including a shared language

Free Enterprise: Most developed countries have this type of system organized around the production and distribution of goods and services where the people, not the government, control production. It has four characteristics: economic freedom, voluntary exchange, private property, and profit motive

GDP: the value of goods and services produced within a country

GDP per capita: the value of goods and services produced within a country divided by the population

Geography: the study of the Earth’s physical features and human activity

Immigrate: to come into a foreign country for the purpose of permanent residence (to live there) Latitude: flat - horizontal lines on a map

Limited Government: a government in which everyone, including those in authority, must obey the laws. This is common in Western culture. The U.S. constitution is a document that is an example of limiting the power of government. Also government labeled as a republic, democracy, and constitutional monarchy would be in the category.

Literacy Rate: The percentage of people who can read and write

Longitude: up and down - vertical lines on a map measured in degrees

Manufacturing: the changing of raw or processed materials into usable products

Market Economy: Business owners in a free enterprise system sell their goods in this type of system

Mixed Economy: is an economic system is which both the state and private sector and private sector direct the economy. 


Monarchy: a government led by a king or queen

Moral Code: the unwritten rules that cultures live by

Migration: the movement of persons from one country or locality to another

Multiculturalism: the preservation of different cultures or cultural identities within a unified society, as a state or nation

Population Density: a measure of the number of people living in an area

Pull Factor: positive conditions and perceptions that effectively attract people to new locations from
other areas

Push Factor negative conditions and perceptions that compel people to leave their homes and migrate to a new location

Region: an extensive, continuous part of a surface, space, or body: a region of the Earth; a part of the Earth's surface (land or sea) of considerable and usually indefinite extent: a tropical region; a district without respect to boundaries or extent: a charming region in Connecticut; a large indefinite area or range

Relative Location: the position of a place in relation to another place

Religion: a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of
persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.

Representative Democracy: pertaining to a system of governance by chosen representatives
usually elected from among a large group. This is the type of government the US has. Republic: state in which supreme power rests in the people

Service Industry: a business that provides a service rather than a product. i.e. lawn service, education, car repairs etc.

Unlimited Government: a government in which no limits are imposed on the ruler's authority. The leaders don't have to follow the same laws as everyone