East Asia Vocab

3. a vast, cold-winter rain shadow desert covering over 500,000 sq mi (1.3 million sq km) across southern Mongolia and northern/northwestern China.
4. a group of traders, pilgrims, or travelers journeying together for mutual safety and efficiency across dangerous or difficult terrain, such as deserts or along long-distance trade routes.
7. the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime, based on current age-specific fertility rates
12. large, centralized enterprises that own or control production, services, or assets in at least one country outside their home nation.
13. hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan.
15. military dictator and de facto ruler of Japan.

1. a string of volcanoes and sites of seismic activity, or earthquakes, around the edges of the Pacific Ocean.
2. the belief in the existence of a single, all-powerful deity, commonly referred to as God.
5. a natural or artificial lake used to store, regulate, and control water, typically created by building a dam across a river or valley.
6. a specific geographic area established by treaty, armistice, or agreement where military forces, installations, and activities are forbidden.
8. animation originating from Japan, often characterized by distinct, vibrant art styles, varied genres, and a global fandom.
9. temporary substitution of military authority for civilian rule in a designated geographic area.
10. a style of comic books, graphic novels, and cartoons that originated in Japan and are primarily produced there.
11. the belief in and worship of multiple gods or deities, commonly representing various natural forces, societal aspects, or human experiences.
14. the belief that everything is alive.