Illustrated vocabulary words for January Final Exam

1. European vocabulary Define these terms in your own words

2. aqueduct The Romans built this water-carrying structure ca. 19 BCE.

3. alliances At the outbreak of World War I, the warring powers had allied themselves as either the Central Powers or Allied Nations.

4. arable - land suitable for agriculture

5. The Archipelago Sea, between the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland, is the largest archipelago in the world by number of islands; estimates vary between 20,000 and 50,000.

6. arid The climate of a local or region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life.

7. A prejudice in a general or specific sense, usually in the sense for having a preference to one particular point of view or ideological perspective.

8. Bubonic Plague It's possible that trade spread the disease to black rats, which then carried the bacteria to other sites of plague epidemics. Scientists suspect that black rats, endemic to India, arrived in Egypt with sea trade. In Egypt the rats picked up plague-carrying fleas and were later born on ships that sailed across the Mediterranean to southern Europe. (above) The acral gangrene caused by the disease gave it its macabre name. (below) Inguinal bubo on the upper thigh of a person with bubonic plague

9. Unfortunately, the Silk Roads also allowed diseases to spread. The bubonic plague traveled from Yunnan and Burma eastward to China and westward to Europe along the roads of the Mongol empire.

10. Private ownership of the means of production is an essential characteristic of capitalism

11. Chariot The Chariot of Zeus (1879 illustration from Stories from the Greek Tragedians by Alfred Church ) A two-wheeled, horse-drawn military weapon.

12. city-state: region controlled exclusively by a city, and usually having sovereignty. City-states ( like Monaco, pictured ) often have a distinctive cultural identity.

13. colonization No less than other European powers, Belgium proclaimed its colonial mission to be that of spreading civilization. But while Britain and France, say, had global empires, Belgium's attention was focused overwhelmingly on the vast, resource-rich Central African territory of Congo, 76 times larger than Belgium itself. The deal was implicit: in exchange for extracting immense wealth from its colony, Belgium offered schools, roads, Christianity and civilization.

14. A system of social organization in which property is held in common. In modern usage, the term Communism (written with a capital C ) is applied to the movement that aims to overthrow the capitalist order by revolutionary means and to establish a classless society in which all goods will be socially owned. The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx (right) launched many revolts against the excesses of capitalism

15. concrete A construction material that solidifies and hardens after mixing and placement creating a stone-like material. It was used extensively by the ancient Romans in formation of the Pantheon’s dome.

16. currency money

17. Deforestation Most of Europe was once covered by a hardwood forest. Overgrazing, bad soil management, inappropriate land-use, droughts, fires, and political turmoil, caused considerable deforestation, however, most of the forests of Europe and were reduced to charcoal to supply heat for manufacturing processes .

18. demographics Shorthand term for population characteristics. Demographics include race, age, income, mobility ( in terms of travel time to work or number of vehicles available ), educational attainment, home ownership, employment status, and even location. Demographics are primarily used in economic and marketing research.

19. dike a long wall built to keep out the sea or enclose land or generally to enclose or separate land

20. empire

21. Official legal tender of twelve of the EU countries, replacing their national currencies. Already established as an accounting currency on January 1, 1999, the euro represents the consolidation of European economic integration. euro

22. This general set of reciprocal legal and military obligations among the warrior nobility of Europe during the Middle Ages revolved around the three key concepts of lords, vassals , and fiefs . Roland pledges his fealty to Charlemagne; from a manuscript of a chanson de geste .

23. fjord - A long, narrow arm of the sea, usually formed by entrance of the sea into a deep glacial trough.

24. forum The central area around which ancient Rome developed, in which commerce and the administration of justice took place.

25. glaciers As the snow collects over many years, an ice field forms. Ice flows down the valleys and slopes of the mountains to the lower elevations, and glaciers are born.

26. grid The grid plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. A map grid map be formed using latitude and longitude lines to find an absolute position.

27. imperialism A policy of extending control or authority over foreign entities as a means of acquisition and/or maintenance of empires. This is either through direct territorial conquest or settlement, or through indirect methods of exerting control on the politics and/or economy of other countries.

29. industrialization Britain changed more during the Industrial Revolution than at any other time. People moved from the countryside to the new towns and cities. The way people worked changed, as did they way they lived - not always for the better.

30. infrastructure In the urban context denotes two general groups of support systems: transportation modalities ( roads , rail , etc.) and utilities . These typically compose both public and private systems, and some ambiguously held in common.

31. Amendment V - “ No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on presentment or indictment of a grand jury, A grand jury decides on whether there is sufficient evidence to bring a case to trial.

32. keystone

33. lagoon A body of comparatively shallow salt water separated from the deeper sea by a shallow or exposed sandbank, coral reef, or similar feature. Thus, the enclosed body of water behind barrier islands or enclosed by an atoll reef is called a lagoon .

34. Mistral A cold, northerly katabatic wind flowing into the Gulf of Lion from the southern coast of France, mistrals are most common during winter and spring, although gale-force events can occur year-round.

35. Sirocco This satellite image shows a dust storm over the Mediterranean Sea. The north African winds, known as Sirocco, blow dust north-west out over the Mediterranean Sea from the Libyan desert to the Italian mainland crossing the island of Sicily and part of Sardinia island to the west.

36. nationalism Th is ideology holds that nations are the fundamental units for human social life and that "each nation is entitled to its own state."

37. parliament The British Parliament in London, U.K. A legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modelled after that of the United Kingdom. World’s largest parliament building in Budapest, Hungary. Established in 930 CE, Iceland’s Althing, is the oldest parliamentary institution in the world.

38. peat A common source of fuel over the centuries, the decayed plant matter is dried into briquettes.

39. peninsula Europe is composed of the westward-projecting peninsulas of Eurasia and occupying nearly one-fifteenth of the world's total land area.

40. plateau - an elevated area of flat land

41. Polder Polder: An area of low-lying land, especially in the Netherlands, that has been reclaimed from a body of water and is protected by dikes.

42. taiga (boreal forest) This biome is characterized by its coniferous forests. In Europe, taiga is confined to Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Russia with a small amount in Scotland. 86% of Finland’s land surface is covered by taiga.

43. tundra – hardy vegetation including moss and lichens blanket the permafrost of the tundra.

44. westerlies prevailing winds blowing from the west

45. Windmills Though mostly non-functioning, the antique Dutch windmills are a popular tourist attraction.

46. Are windmills bad for the environment? Ecologists are up in arms saying the massive structures are fatal for the migrating birds.

47. command economy Any economic system that is centrally-planned by a government is commonly referred to as economic statism . To stress the centralized character of planned economies and to contrast the term with decentralized planning in a market economy, a more specific term, centrally planned economy , is also used. Many Eastern European countries are transitioning from command economies to market economies with varying results.

48. Constitutional Monarchy A form of government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges an elected or hereditary monarch as head of state, as opposed to an absolute monarchy, where the monarch is not bound by a constitution and is the sole source of political power. King Albert II of Belgium

49. communism In a communist country, the government owns businesses and farms. It provides its people's healthcare, education and welfare.

50. Democracy The ancient Greeks and Romans both practiced a form of democracy providing the model for America’s Founding Fathers. Direct participation was the key to Athenian democracy. In the Assembly, every male citizen was not only entitled to attend as often as he pleased but also had the right to debate, offer amendments, and vote on proposals.

51. EU The European Union is a unique, treaty-based, institutional framework that defines and manages economic and political cooperation among its fifteen European member countries.

52. GDP The industrial revolution did not affect all parts of the world uniformly. Based on per capita income data estimated is one way of illustrating the origins and the diffusion of the industrial revolution. The huge increases in the post-WWII period were even more dramatic in Japan and Europe as the United States’ Marshall Plan helped rebuild these war-torn economies .

53. Industrial Revolution Britain changed more during this era than at any other time. People moved from the countryside to the new towns and cities. Britain became the world's biggest superpower with the huge increase in industrial production, and imperial expansion.

54. Modern economy Modern traders generally negotiate through the use of a medium of exchange, i.e. money, and rarely through barter: as a result one can separate buying and earning from selling. The invention of money (and subsequently of credit, paper money and non-physical money) greatly simplified and promoted the development of trade.

55. Culture What people believe, eat, wear, and speak

56. acropolis: These remnants of classical Athens perch 200 feet above Athens, Greece

57. capitalism - Private ownership of the means of production is an essential characteristic of capitalism

58. One of the many reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union was the overall failure of the command economy . Unlike the market economy where prices of goods and services are set by the forces or supply and demand based on the purchasing decisions of consumers, prices in a command economy are set centrally and resources are allocated based on government priorities.

59. Crusades Urging the knights and noblemen to win back the Holy Land, Pope Urban II delivered an impassioned speech in 1095 at Clermont, France that launched 200 years of warring in the Holy Lands. The Pope exhorted those present to face their sins, and called upon to save their souls and become "Soldiers of Christ.“

60. ethnic cleansing During the 1990s it was used extensively by the media in the former Yugoslavia in relation to the Yugoslav wars. This massacre occurred near Kosovo.

62. imperialism is a policy of extending control or authority over foreign entities as a means of acquisition and/or maintenance of empires. This is either through direct territorial conquest or settlement, or through indirect methods of exerting control on the politics and/or economy of other countries

63. nationalism Th is ideology holds that nations are the fundamental units for human social life and that "each nation is entitled to its own state."

64. Nullification Crisis It occurred in 1832 when South Carolina felt that they would not have to enforce laws created by Congress if they felt it was unconstitutional. South Carolina felt that the Tariff of 1828 was unconstitutional. They threatened to secede or leave the Union if it wasn't changed. President Andrew Jackson

65. Renaissance In the 12th century a rediscovery of Greek and Roman literature occurred across Europe that eventually led to the development of the humanist movement in the 14th century. “ The Rebirth”

66. Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman who conquered Gaul (modern France and Belgium - 58-50 BC).

67. Leonardo da Vinci From 1485 to 1490, Leonardo produced studies on nature, flying machines, geometry, mechanics, municipal construction, canals and architecture. His studies from this period contain designs for advanced weapons, including a tank and other war vehicles, various combat devices, and submarines.

68. Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) A German theologian and an Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Lutheran, Protestant and other Christian traditions.

69. Marco Polo China and Europe were strangers in AD1265. The Himalaya Mountains and the Gobi Desert were natural boundaries that were difficult to cross. He was one of the first Westerners to travel the Silk Road to China and visit the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, Kublai Khan

70. Napoléon Bonaparte , in over the course of little more than a decade, acquired control of most or all of the western and central mainland of Europe by conquest or alliance until his defeat at the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig in October 1813 .

71. Renaissance “The Rebirth” In the 12th century a rediscovery of Greek and Roman literature occurred across Europe that eventually led to the development of the humanist movement in the 14th century.

72. The Vikings The bold and warlike Vikings dominated the maritime regions of Northern Europe and sailed out of Scandinavian ports on voyages of exploration and colonization.

73. Vikings In the year 793 Viking pirate raiders sailed across the North Sea to a Christian monastery at Lindisfarne in north-east England. They stole its treasures, murdered the monks and terrified everyone. This was followed by other violent 'Viking raids' all over Britain. (pg. 302)

74. Cities Athens, Greece London, England Paris, France Rome, Italy Turkey, Istanbul

75. Acropolis: These remnants of classical Athens perch 200 feet above Athens, Greece

76. Athens, Greece “cradle of democracy” The Parthenon

77. London, England British House of Parliament Big Ben clock tower Queen Elizabeth II

78. Paris, France The Eiffel {y'-ful} Tower, an immense structure of exposed latticework supports made of iron, was erected for the Paris Exposition of 1889.

79. Rome grew along the banks of the Tiber River into a major city under the rule of the Etruscans in the centuries before Christ.

80. Stockholm Capital of Sweden.

81. Vatican City The State of the Vatican City is a landlocked enclave surrounded by the city of Rome in Italy, and the smallest independent state in the world. Nearly a billion Catholics worldwide mourned the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005.

82. Venice Lagoon Industrial pollution in the Venice lagoon, 1998 The Venice Lagoon has a surface area of 55,000 has and was formed nearly 6,000 years ago.

83. Sinking Venice Raised walkways have been installed in places where the flooding is worst. These people are queueing to enter the Basilica di San Marco A combination of man’s activities and natural changes threaten the very existence of this historical Italian city.

84. Peninsulas

85. The Balkan Peninsula The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe southeastern Europe.

86. Iberian Peninsula The Meseta, a great uplifted fault block ringed and crossed by mountain ranges, dominates this peninsula that contains the countries of Spain, Portugal, and the tiny Andorra. Coastal lowlands, the site of the major industrial cities, surround the primarily agrarian-oriented Meseta.

87. Italian Boot The Italian peninsula or the Apennine peninsula is one of the greatest peninsulas of Europe, spanning 1000 km from the Alps in the north, to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south.

88. Jutland Peninsula It borders the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, and includes Denmark and part of Northern Germany.

89. Scandanavian Peninsula The most common definition includes, mainland Norway and Sweden, though it would appear that part of Finland could be on this peninsula as well.

90. NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), is an international organization for defense collaboration established in 1949.

91. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) split into 15 independent countries in the early 1990s.

92. Istanbul Turkey's largest city, and its cultural and economic center located on the Bosphorus strait. Istanbul extends both on the European and on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world which is on two continents.

93. London, United Kingdom

94. Warsaw, Poland at night