Europe vocabulary
(Looking for a specific word or definition? Try ctrl F and then use the box that comes up to search!)
Acid Rain: rain, snow or mist that is acidic
Alliances: agreeing to defend one another from attack
Aftermath: the consequences of a significant unpleasant event
Autocratic: government controlled by one person
Berlin Wall: wall built by the East German government in 1961 to divide East and West Berlin that came to symbolize Cold War divisions
Canadian Shield: major landform in eastern Canada
Capital: money or goods that are used to make products
Chernobyl: Nuclear power plant in Ukraine that exploded in 1986 killing & sickening many in surrounding area
Christianity: main religion of Europe, which is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ
Citizen: legal member of a country
Climate: average weather of a place over many years
Cold War: post World War II period of hostility between the U.S. and its allies on one side and the Soviet Union and its allies on the other side
Colonization: movement of new settlers and their culture to an area
Colony: group of people living in a new territory
Command: economy in which the central government makes all basic economic decisions
Communism: economic system in which the government owns all property and makes all economic decisions
Constitutional monarchy: system of government in which laws in the constitution limit the monarch’s power
Culture: believes, customs, practices and behavior of a particular nation or group of people
Currency: money used by different countries
Danube River: Europe’s second longest river that flows from Germany to the Black Sea
Democratic: type of government where people vote
Dictator: a ruler with total power over a country
Dictatorship: government controlled by a single leader
Diversity: ?inclusion of different types of people
Depression: economic decline when trade and industrial activity are reduced
Embargo: prohibition on trade with a certain country
Empire: state containing several countries or territories
English Channel: body of water separating England from France
Entrepreneur: person who organizes and manages his or her own business
Environment: the natural world, especially as affected by human activity
Ethnic: group of people who share many characteristics such as language, physical appearance, customs and traditions
European union: a group of European countries united to bring more advantages to members that might not be able to the smaller nations; works to improve trade, education, farming and industry among the members
Exploration: Investigating new areas
Fascism: political system that stresses national strength, military might & the belief that the state is more important than the individual
Fertile: rich in nutrients; able to grow many plants
First Nations: native groups who lived south of the Arctic region in Canada
Fossil fuel: a natural fuel such as coal or gas
Free trade: removal of trade barriers
Government: group of people who have the power to make and enforce laws for a country or area
Great Depression: worldwide economic slump during the 1930s
Great Lakes: A group of five freshwater?lakes?of central North America between the United States and Canada, including?Lakes?Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) : total value of all goods and services produced in a country in a year
Holocaust: the mass murder of Jews by the Nazis during WWII
Hudson Bay: large body of salt water in Northeastern Canada
Human capital: workers of a business or country including their education, training, skills and health
Hydroelectric energy: electricity produced from fast-flowing water
Iberian Peninsula: Peninsula in Southwest Europe occupied by Spain and Portugal
Impact: the influence of one person or thing on another
Imperialism: extending empires by seizing territory
Independence: the right to rule oneself
Indigenous: native to a region
Inflation: general increase in prices
International trade: trade between different countries
Investing: act of using money in the hopes of making a future profit
Islam: religion centered in the Middle East based on the teachings of the prophet Mohamed
Judaism: monotheistic religion descended from Abraham
Judicial branch: applies and interprets the laws of the constitution