October 2020 Vocabulary
Culture – the total of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors shared by and passed on by the members of a specific group.
Ethnic group – a specific group that shares a language, customs, and a common language.
Society – a group that shares a geographic region, a sense of identity, and a culture.
Diffusion – the spread of ideas, inventions, or patterns of behavior.
Innovation – taking existing technology and resources and creating something new to meet a need.
Acculturation – when a society changes because it accepts or adopts an innovation.
Dialect – versions of a language.
Religion – a belief in a supernatural power or powers that are regarded as the creators and maintainers of the universe.
Birth rate – the number of live births per thousand population
Mortality rate – the number of deaths per thousand people.
Population pyramid – a graphic device that shows sex and age distribution of a population.
Carrying Capacity – the number of organisms a piece of land can support
Democracy – citizens hold political power, either directly or through elected representatives.
Monarchy – a ruling family headed by a king or queen holds political power and may or may not share the power with the citizens.
Dictatorship – an individual or group holds complete political power.
Communism – nearly all political power and means of production are held by the government in the name of all the people.
State – an independent unit that occupies a specific territory and has full control of its internal and external affairs.
Nation – a group of people with a common culture living in a territory and having a strong sense of unity.
Urbanization – the dramatic rise in the number of cities and the changes in lifestyle that result.
Suburb – political units touching the borders of a central city.