Ch 3 Climate and Vegetation
What is a regional ecosystem called?
biome
What term is used to refer to the basic support systems that a nation needs to keep its economy running smoothly?
infrastructure
In which of these does the combination of climate and weather conditions often result in violent tornadoes?
Great Plains
The defeat of the Aztec Empire by Cortés and his army is known as part of the
Spanish conquest
Which term refers to a rise in the prices of goods and services?
inflation
What type of extreme weather results from air moving across warm ocean waters?
hurricane
What term refers to the creation, or invention, of a new system to fulfill a societal need?
innovation
Which landform encompasses over 4,000 square miles of tall grasses, trees, and swampland?
Everglades
The trade agreement that is expected to contribute to the economic prosperity of the United States, Mexico and Canada is known as
NAFTA
Which term means the cutting down and clearing away of trees and forests?
deforestation
What is another name for trees that have broad leaves?
deciduous
What is an economic system in which production of goods and services is determined by demand from consumers?
market economy
Which of these are hundreds of millions of years old and have been worn down by weather and other natural elements?
Appalachian Mountains
Factories along the U.S.-Mexican border that assemble imported materials into finished goods to be exported are called
maquiladoras
Which term is characterized by a rise in temperatures and a change in climate patterns?
global warming
What term identifies a flat, treeless area, such as that forming a ring around the Arctic Ocean.
tundra
What term refers to the number of organisms a piece of land can support?
carrying capacity
Which of these connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean by a series of locks that raise or lower water levels?
St. Lawrence Seaway
The party that helped to introduce democracy and maintain political stability for much of the 20th century was the
Institutional Revolutionary Party
Which term names a process of breaking up large landholdings and giving land to the people?
land reform
What term identifies a dry, desert region containing drought-resistant vegetation?
chaparral
What term is used to measure the total annual value of all goods and services produced within the boundaries of a nation?
GDP Gross Domestic Product
Which of these helps explain why the human population is sparse in the subarctic regions of Alaska and Canada?
permafrost
Two forms of music that started in the Caribbean and spread to other parts of the world are calypso and
reggae
Which term is the name of an agreement in which one partner agrees to pay off a part of government debt, and the other partner agrees to protect a part of the rain forest?
debt-for-nature swap