Latin America Vocab Review

2. a state of confusion, uncertainty, or disorder.
5. the unequal distribution of wealth or resources in a geographic area so that some places are richer than others.
6. the highest elevation where trees grow on a mountain.
7. development: using resources in ways that meet the needs of people today without harming the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This means finding ways to use resources without using them up.
11. customs and ways of life handed down from ancestors.
12. Maya adaptation, instead of sacrifices/death sentences, this is using community service as punishment.
13. farming carried out mainly to provide food for farm families, with little surplus for sale to others.
16. the lowest elevation on mountains where snow remains year-round.
17. the movement of people from rural to urban areas, resulting in the growth of urban areas.
20. the state of being extremely poor.
21. Zonation: the division of land into zones based on elevation, which in turn helps determine climate and vegetation.
22. a broadleaf evergreen forest found in wet and hot regions near the equator.
23. and burn method. a traditional way of farming, cutting down trees, burning them and using the ash to fertilize soil.
25. a change in a way of life to suit new conditions.
26. the scientific study of climate and weather patterns.
27. great destruction or loss of life caused by natural forces rather than by human actions.

1. the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
3. monetary inflation occurring at a very high rate.
4. removing or clearing away the trees from a forest. This is usually done to clear land for agriculture.
8. the creation of flat areas on mountain slopes for the purpose of farming.
9. disagreement over how to use a particular area of land.
10. worsening economic conditions in the countryside, including rising unemployment and growing poverty. This drives migration to cities.
14. the trading of crops between lowland and highland areas.
15. natives of an area who have been conquered or dominated by others who came later.
18. the action or fact of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work.
19. the overall level in comfort and well-being of a group or a country. This is generally higher for developed countries.
24. The name for a tropical cyclone that begins in the Atlantic Ocean.