Africa Physical and Human Geography Vocabulary Terms Flashcards

Basin

A natural depression on the earth's surface, typically containing water

Aquifer

A body of permeable rock that can contain or transmit groundwater

Canopy

Top layer of a rain forest, where the tops of tall trees form a
continuous layer of leaves

Berlin Conference

Major European powers negotiated and formalized claims to territory
in Africa

Pandemic

A widespread epidemic affecting a large part of the population

Rai

A form of popular Algerian music with traditional Arabic vocal
styles, some elements of popular Western music and with outspoken,
often controversial lyrics

Ashanti

A tribe and region in ghana

Commodity

A raw material or primary agriculture product that can be bought and sold

AIDS

A disease in which there is a severe loss of the body's cellular
immunity, greatly lowering the resistance to infection and malignancy

Malaria

A mosquito-born disease caused by a parasite, spread by mosquitoes.

Escarpment

A long, precipitous, clifflike ridge of land, rock, or the like,
commonly formed by faulting or fracturing of the earth's crust

Oasis

A fertile spot in a desert where water is found

Desertification

The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a
result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture

Cash crop

A crop grown to be sold

Masai

A member of a pastoral people living in Tanzania and Kenya or the
Nilotic language of the Masai

Stateless society

A society that is not governed by a state or especially in common
American English, has no goverment

Apartheid

A policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of
race in South Africa

Diversify

To make or become diverse or varied

Cholera

An infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small
intestine, typically contracted from infected water supplies and
causing severe vomiting and diarrhea

Tuberculosis

An infectious bacterial disease characterized by the growth of
nodules in the tissues, especially the lungs