The United States

The United States

chapter 5 world geography

metropolitian area: region that includes a central city and its surrounding suburbs

empresario: agent who contracted with Mexico to settle famalies in Texas.

secede: to withdraw

reservation: public land set aside for Native American settlements.

eutrophication: process by which a body of water becomes too rich in dissolved nutrients, leading to plant growth that depletes oxygen in the water.

abandon: to give up; to let sit empty or unused.

aqueduct: a channel or pipeline for carrying a large quantity of flowing water.

petrochemical: chemical product derived from petroleum or natural gas.

agribusiness: industries involved in the production, distribution, and marketing of farm products, supplies, and equipment.

escarpment: a steep cliff or slope between a higher and lower land surface.

norther: a blast of cold northern air that sweeps across the plains, causing winter temperature to drop below freezing.

maquiladora: a manufacturing plant owned by a foreign company

mission: religious settlement

jazz: musical form that developed in the United States in the early 1900's, blending African rhythms and European harmonies.

postindustrial: economy that emphasizes services and technology rather than industry and manufacturing .

foreclosure: legal proceeding in which a borrower's rights to a property are relinquished due to his or her inability to make payments on the loan.

clear-cutting: the removal of all trees in a stand of timber.

acid rain: precipitation carrying large amounts of dissolved acids, which kills wildlife and damages building , forests, and crops.

smog: haze caused by the interaction of ultraviolet solar radiation with chemicals fumes from automobile exhausts and other pollution sources.

contribute : to give or add to

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Early Adopters

diversification: the creation of variety of business and industries to fuel economic growth.

"Visionaries"

conflict: a competition or struggle

Underground Railroad: a network of safe houses in the United States that helped thousands of enslaved people to escape to freedom.

dry farming: a farming method used in dry regions in which crops are grown that rely only on the natural precipitation.

manufacturing Belt: a concentrated region of manufacturing industries in the northeastern and Midwestern United States.

Immigrate: to change residence from a country to begin living in another country.

Sunbelt: a mild climate region in the southern and southwestern portions of the United States.

Megalopolis: a large population concentration made up of several large and many smaller cities such as the area between Boston and Washington D.C.

shift: to change the place, position, or direction of

alter: to change permanently

tributary: a small river or stream that feeds into a larger river.

headwaters: the source of a stream or river.

divide: a high point or ridge that determines the direction rivers flow.

fall line: a boundary in the eastern United States where the higher land of the Piedmont drops to the lower Atlantic Coastal Plain.

Hurricanes: a large, powerful windstorm that forms over warm ocean waters

fossil fuel: a resource formed in the Earth byplant and animal remains.