6th Grade Social Studies Glossary

A
Aborigines: ​indigenous people of Australia

Abraham: ​founder of Judaism; common ancestor of all 3 monotheistic religions

Absolute Location: ​the exact spot of a place on Earth; usually denoted with
latitude and longitude

Acid Rain: ​Rain that is harmful to the environment because it has mixed with
pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides

Adolf Hitler: ​head of the Nazi party and autocratic leader of Germany from
1933-1945

Air Pollution: ​the human introduction into the atmosphere of chemicals and other
materials that cause harm to humans and the environment

Alliances: ​an agreement or partnership that is beneficial for both sides

Amazon Rainforest: ​largest tropical rainforest in the world; located in Brazil and
parts of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Rich in animal and plant
life and receives at least 80 inches of rainfall per year.

Amazon River: ​longest river in South America; runs through Brazil, Colombia, Peru,
and Ecuador

Andes Mountains: ​mountain range located along the Western Coast of South
America

Anti-semitism: ​hatred of the Jews simply because they practice the Jewish faith

Arable: ​land that is suitable for growing crops

Armistice:​ Declared peace after a war

Arms Race​: a competition between nations for superiority in the development and
accumulation of weapons, especially between the US and the former Soviet Union
during the Cold War.
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Asylum: ​the protection granted by a country to someone who has left their home
nation as a refugee

Atacama Desert: ​arid (dry) area in South America; located on the Western Coast

Atahualpa: ​last ruler of the Inca Empire

Atlantic Ocean: ​large body of salt water located between North and South America
and Europe and Africa

Autocrat:​ ​a ruler who has absolute power, such as Adolf Hitler.

Autocracy: ​a government where there is one leader in charge. Citizens have no

participation.

Ayers Rock: A​ massive sandstone monolith (single rock) located in central

Australia, known to Aborigines as “Uluru.”

Aztec: ​group of indigenous people located in Middle America (Mexico); conquered

by Hernan Cortes and the Spanish

B
Bartering: ​a system in which goods and services are exchanged instead of using
cash as a payment in a traditional economy

Bay: ​a body of water that borders a larger body of water and the coast (a large bay
is called a gulf)

Belgium​: country in central Europe bordering France and The Netherlands

Berlin Wall​: ​Fortified concrete and wire barrier that separated East and West ​Berlin
from 1961 to 1989. It was built by the government of what was then East Germany
to keep East Berliners from defecting to the West

Bible: ​holy book of Christianity

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Bolivia​: country in central South America; landlocked

Brazil​: large country in South America; colonized by the Portuguese

Budget: ​a plan for income and spending over a particular time period

C
Canadian Shield: ​large area of exposed rock in Canada, surrounding the Hudson
Bay; this area is mined for natural resources and is important for trade

Canal​: man-made waterway that connects two larger bodies of water; Ex: Panama
Canal

Capital Goods (Physical Capital): ​the factories, machines, and technology that
people need to make products

Cardinal Directions: ​North, South, East, and West on a compass rose

Caribbean Sea: ​a part of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by Central America, the West
Indies, and South America

Cartel: ​an organization of drug manufacturers, distributors, and dealers; often

violent

Cartography: ​the production of maps

Cause: ​the reason or motive for an action

Central Government: ​the area in a governing system concerned with areas that
affect the entire nation

Channel: ​a wide strait, as between a continent and an island (English Channel)

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant: ​power plant located in Pripyat, Ukraine; site of a
nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986
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Christianity (Roman Catholic): ​religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ;

believed to be the Son of God

Church: ​house of worship for Christianity

Citizen: ​a native or naturalized member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to

its government and is entitled to its protection

Citizen Participation: ​a process in which people have the opportunity to influence

the decisions and actions of their government

Clear-cutting:​ Cutting down all of the trees in a particular area

Climate: ​the average weather of a location over a long period of time

Cold War (the): ​A time of great tension and hostility between the Soviet Union and
the United States from 1945-1990

Colombia: ​a republic in NW South America

Colonization: ​to establish a ​colony​; settle: ​England colonized Australia

Colonize: ​one nation taking over another nation

Colony: ​an overseas settlement tied to a parent country

Columbian Exchange: ​a widespread exchange of animals, plants, culture, human

populations, disease, and ideas between the Americas, Europe and Africa following
the “discovery” the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Command Economy: ​an economy in which a government planning group makes

most of the basic economic decisions for the workers

Compass Rose: ​a circle showing the principal directions printed on a map or chart.

Communism: ​a​ ​government that promotes a classless society where government

controls the economy, products and property, and citizens have few personal
freedoms such as freedom of speech
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Confederation Government System: ​a system in which the local government
holds all of the power and the central government depends on the local government
for its existence

Conflict: ​a serious disagreement or argument​; ​to fight

Conquer​: to take control of (a place or people) by use of military force

Conquistador: ​a conqueror from the Spanish empire; conquered the Aztecs and
Incas

Constitution: ​a body of laws that governs a nation

Constitutional Monarchy: ​a government in which the powers of the ruler are

restricted to those granted under the constitution or laws of the nation (a form of
Parliamentary Democracy)

Continuum: ​a range that runs between Command and Market Economies that
countries are measured by to determine what type of economy they are

Coral Reef: ​largest living structure (made of coral) located off the northeastern
coast of Australia in the Coral Sea

Coral Sea: ​Large body of saltwater located off of the northeastern coast of Australia

Country: ​a nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory

Coup d’etat: ​the act of overthrowing an existing government authority (also known
as a “coup”)

Credit: ​the ability to obtain goods without payment, to be paid back at a later time

Cuba: ​a Latin American country located in the Caribbean Sea 90 miles south of
Miami, FL; it is an island

Cuban Revolution: ​armed revolution from 1953-1959 in Cuba, led by Fidel Castro;
resulted in Cuba becoming a communist country

Currency: ​something that is used as a medium of exchange; money

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Currency exchange: ​the process of converting one type of money into another,
such as converting dollars into euro

Czar (Tsar)​: title for an emperor of Russia prior to 1917; Czar Nicholas II was the
last czar of Russia; also spelled “tsar”

D
Danube River: ​Europe’s 2nd largest river; located in Eastern and Central Europe

Decision Making Process​: making and passing laws, voting, participating in town
hall meetings, any other way that citizens can be involved in the government
process

Deforestation: ​the destruction of trees and other vegetation

Demand: ​how many people want the goods and what they are willing to pay for
them

Democracy​: system of citizen participation where everyone can participate in the

decision-making process

Democratic Government System: ​a political system in which the people play a

much greater role in deciding who the rulers are and what decisions are made

Desert​: large area of arid (dry) land with extreme temperatures and little to no
vegetation or precipitation

Dictator​: ​a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained
power by force

Diversity​: a variety or difference between things

E
Economic: ​of or relating to the economy (the production, distribution, or
consumption of goods and services)
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Economic Continuum: ​an economic scale used to measure the amount of
government control over the economy

Economic Growth​: the relative increase of a nation’s Gross Domestic Product

(GDP) from one year to the next

Effect: ​an outcome of an event; example: if there is water pollution, then the ​effect
is that the water becomes undrinkable

Embargo: ​a trade barrier in which one country announces that it will no longer trade
with another country in order to isolate and cause problems with that country's
economy

Emissions: ​the production and discharge of gas/smoke

Emperor: ​the male ruler of an empire; ceremonial in a constitutional monarchy

Empire​: ​an extensive group of states or countries under a single supreme authority

English Channel​: small body of water between the United Kingdom and
France/Belgium/The Netherlands

Entrepreneur (​Entrepreneurship)​: ​people who are willing to take risks to create

new businesses and products - a person who owns and operates his or her own
business

Environment:​ ​the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant

lives or operates.

Ethnic Group: ​a group of people who share cultural ideas and beliefs that have
been a part of their community for generations

Euro: ​currency used by the European Union member nations

European Plain​: (​also known as Northern European Plain​) large area of mostly flat
land located in northeastern Europe

European Union​: ​an economic-political union of 28 member states that are located
primarily in Europe; created the Euro to use as a common currency
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Exchange​: to trade

Exchange Rate: ​a system of changing from one type of currency (money) to

another

Executive: ​the person or branch of a government responsible for putting policies or

laws into effect.

Exploration​: Traveling in or through an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it

Export: ​goods sold to another country

Extraction​: to take out of something; Example: “extracting” materials from the

Canadian Shield

F
Federal Government System: ​a political system in which power is shared between
the national and local governments, including executive, legislative, and judicial
branches

Federation​: ​a group of states with a central government but independence in

internal affairs; a country with a federal system of power distribution

Five Pillars of Islam: ​five things Muslims must do in their practice of Islam, during
their lifetime

France: ​country located in Western Europe; borders Spain, Germany, Belgium, and
others

Francisco Pizarro​: Spanish explorer and conquistador who conquered the Incan
Empire in South America (around the Andes Mountains)

Free market economy: ​an economic system where government does not interfere
in business activities
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G
Genocide: ​the planned killing of a race of people

German​: language from the Germanic language family

Germanic: ​language family in Europe; includes German and English

Germany: ​country located in Central Europe; borders France, The Netherlands,

Poland, Austria, and others

Great Barrier Reef: ​largest living structure in the world; located off of the northwest
coast of Australia in the Coral Sea

Great Dividing Range: ​mountain range that runs along the Eastern coast of
Australia

Great Lakes: ​five bodies of freshwater along the border of Canada and the United
States (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior)

Great Victoria Desert: ​desert located in southwestern Australia

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): ​the value of all goods and services produced
within a nation in a given year

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita: ​the GDP of a nation divided by the
population; per person

Guerilla​: ​a member of a small independent group taking part in irregular fighting,

typically against larger regular forces; present in the Zapatista movement in Mexico

Gulf: ​body of water surrounded by land on three sides; Example: Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico: ​body of saltwater bordering United States and Mexico

H
Habitat: ​the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism
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Haiti: ​Latin American country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean
Sea; the other country on Hispaniola is the Dominican Republic

Head of Government: ​an elected or appointed official of the state who is in charge
of the government; hold the true power

Head of State: ​the chief public representative of a country, such as a president or

monarch, who may also be the head of government

Hernan Cortes: ​Spanish explorer and conquistador that conquered the Aztec
Empire in Central America/Mexico

Holocaust: ​the systematic killing of over six million Jews and others by German
Nazis during WWII

Hudson Bay​: body of water surrounded by land on three sides located in Canada

Human Capital: ​the knowledge, skills, training and health care that workers need to
produce goods or services

I
Iberian Peninsula: ​piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides in
Western Europe; contains the countries of Spain and Portugal

Imperialism: ​a policy of extending a country's power and influence through

diplomacy or military force

Import: ​goods brought into a country

Inca​: Empire in South America located around the Andes Mountains

Independence: ​free from outside control

Indigenous: ​the original inhabitants of a specific area

Intermediate Directions: ​Directions on the compass rose that are between the
Cardinal Directions; Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, Southeast
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Income: ​money earned through work or investments

Indian Ocean: ​large body of saltwater that spans between Africa, Asia, and
Australia

Investment:​ money spent for future gains

Iron Curtain: ​the name for the political alliance shared by all of the countries that
made up the Soviet Union during the Cold War

Islam: ​the religious faith of Muslims, based on the words and religious system
founded by the prophet Muhammad

Israel: ​a republic in South West Asia (Middle East), on the Mediterranean Sea;
created in 1948 by the United Nations as a home to the Jewish people of the world

Italy: ​country in Southern Europe; it is also a peninsula

J
James Cook: ​British explorer who led an expedition to Australia; led to the United
Kingdom using Australia as a penal colony

Jerusalem: ​holy city to the three monotheistic religions; located in the modern state
of Israel

Jesus: ​founder of Christianity

Judaism: ​a religious group of Jews who believe in one God

K
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L
Lake: ​an area of variable size filled with water, localized in a ​basin​, that is
surrounded by land, apart from any ​river​ or other outlet that serves to feed or drain
the lake

Languages: ​the method of human communication, either spoken or written,

consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way

Latin America: ​the part of the American continents south of the United States in
which Spanish, Portuguese, or French is officially spoken.

Latitude: ​imaginary lines depicted on a map running horizontally (left to right) used
to determine location

Legend (Key): ​included with a map to unlock it. It gives you the information needed
for the map to make sense. Maps often use symbols or colors to represent things,
and the map key explains what they mean

Literacy: ​the ability to read and write

Literacy Rate: ​the percentage of person over the age of 15 that can read and write

Location: ​the place where something is; can be absolute or relative

Local Government: ​the area in a governing system concerned with areas that
affect smaller regions of a country/state/etc.

Logging: ​the process of cutting down trees

Longitude: ​imaginary lines depicted on a map running vertically (up and down)
used to determine location

M
Market Economy: ​an economy in which a society's economic decisions are made
by individuals who decide what to produce and what to buy

Mediterranean Sea: ​large body of saltwater located to the south of Europe

 6th Grade Social Studies Glossary
 

Mexico: ​country located in North America but is often associated with Latin America
due to the similarities in culture that it shares with the region; borders the U.S. to the
south

Middle Passage: ​the transport of slaves by boat from Africa to the Americas across
the Atlantic Ocean

Migration: ​the movement of people from one place to another

Miguel Hidalgo: ​former priest who helped lead a movement in Mexico that became
the Mexican Revolution to fight against the Spanish control of the land. He was
arrested and executed for the cause but, in death, became a martyr (someone who
dies for a noble cause) and a national hero.

Mining:​ ​the process of extracting (digging up) ores, coal, minerals, etc., from mines

Mixed Economy: ​an economy that has characteristics of both market and
command economic systems

Monarchy: ​a government where a king and his advisors make most of the decisions

Monotheism: ​the belief in one god

Montezuma II: ​last emperor of the Aztec empire; conquered by Hernan Cortez and
the Spanish empire

Mosque: ​house of worship for Islam

Mountains: ​a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited
area, usually in the form of a peak

Movement: ​a group of people working together to advance their shared political or

social ideas

Muhammad: ​an Arab prophet who founded Islam

Muslim: ​a name given to the followers of the Islam religion​

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N
NAFTA: ​stands for North America Free Trade Agreement; removed all trade
barriers between Canada, Mexico, and the United States

Nation: ​a large aggregate of people united by common descent, history, culture, or

language, inhabiting a particular country or territory

Nationalism: ​the love of one’s country

NATO: ​North Atlantic Treaty Organization; ​an intergovernmental military alliance

based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949

Natural Resource: ​something that is in or supplied by our natural environment and

can be consumed or used by people

Navigation: ​determining position, course, and location; how people sailed ships to
the desired destinations by using maps, math, and science to calculate the proper
course

Nazism: ​(or National Socialism) political beliefs associated with the Nazi Party of
Germany. It started in the 1920s. The Party gained power in 1933, starting the Third
Reich. They lasted in Germany until 1945, at the end of World War II. Led by Adolf
Hitler.

Nuclear Disaster: ​a nuclear power plant explosion (Chernobyl power plant) in

Pripyat, Ukraine in 1986; faulty reactors and poorly trained workers resulted in an
accidental explosion resulting in the spread of dangerous radioactive material that
causes severe health problems, including cancer and death

Nuclear Fallout​: dangerous radioactive material that “falls out of the sky” following
a nuclear explosion (example: Chernobyl disaster)

Nuclear Power Plant​: A factory that uses nuclear energy to create electricity.

O
Ocean: ​large body of saltwater; Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, Southern
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Oil Pollution: ​due to oil spills or tanker (ships) leaks that result in oil being in water,
making it dangerous to wildlife and makes it undrinkable

Oligarchy: ​a system in which a political party or other small group takes over a
government and makes all of the major decisions; government by the few

P
Pacific Ocean: ​large body of saltwater that spans between the Americas and Asia

Panama: ​country in Latin America that connects the rest of Central America to
South America; borders Colombia and Costa Rica

Panama Canal: ​man-made waterway that connects the Pacific Ocean to the
Atlantic Ocean (by way of the Caribbean Sea) so that trade by boat could speed up
tremendously

Parliament: ​the name often given to the legislative branch in a parliamentary

democracy

Parliamentary​: a republic that operates under a parliamentary system; see

parliamentary democracy

Parliamentary Democracy: ​a democratic form of government in which the citizens

vote for the legislature and the legislature then elects or selects the chief executive
or head of government

Penal Colony: ​a colony with the main purpose of being a place to house criminals
of the colonizing nation; often used prisoners to provide the manual labor to help
settle new colonies

Peninsula: ​land surrounded by water on three sides

Per Capita: ​for each person

Physical Feature:​ anything naturally occurring in the environment. Example:

mountain, river, forest, ocean

Physical map:​ A representation of an area’s landforms and waterways on paper

 6th Grade Social Studies Glossary
 

Plain: ​an area of flat land; European Plain is an example

Poland: ​country in Central Europe; borders Germany and was invaded by Germany
during World War II

Political: ​of or relating to government

Political Map​: ​a representation of a country's boundaries, and capital(s) on paper or

other material.

Pollution: ​the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause
adverse change.

Polytheism: ​the belief in two or more gods

Population Density: ​the number of people living in a certain area (per square mile
or square kilometer)

Population Distribution: ​where people live within a country

Portugal: ​country in Western Europe; located on the Iberian Peninsula, bordered by

Spain

Portuguese​: language spoken by people of Portugal; from the Romance language

family

Potable: ​water that is safe to drink without health problems

Poverty​: being extremely poor.

Power Distribution​: systems that explain how authority is divided up among central
and local governments

Prejudice: ​an ​opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.

President: ​the chief executive of a government

Presidential​: a republic that operates under a presidential system; see presidential

democracy
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Presidential Democracy: ​citizens vote for the legislature as well as directly vote for
the chief executive or head of government

Prime Minister: ​the name given to the head of government; chief executive in some
parliamentary democracies

Prince Henry the Navigator: ​(1394-1460) was a Portuguese royal prince, soldier,
and patron of explorers. Henry sent many sailing expeditions down Africa's west
coast, but did not go on them himself; primary purpose was to find quicker trade
routes to India/Asia

Propaganda:​ information, especially of a misleading nature, used to promote or

publicize a political cause or point of view.

Province: ​district, or region, (found in Canada; similar to states in the United States)

Pyrenees: ​mountain range along the border of Spain and France

Q
Quebec: ​city in Canada with a uniquely French culture in an otherwise
English-speaking country

Quebec Independence Movement: ​independence movement whose goal is for the

province of Quebec to become a separate country, independent from Canada.

Quota: ​a way of limiting the amount of foreign goods that can come into a country

Quran (​also spelled Koran or Qur’an​): ​the holy book of the Islam religion

R
Radiation: ​energy that can travel over space and through materials; types of
radiation include light, heat, and nuclear radiation

Rainforest: ​forests characterized by high rainfall, with annual rainfall between 250
and 450 centimetres (98 and 177 in); example: Amazon Rainforest in South
America (Brazil)
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Raw Materials: ​the basic materials from which a product is made

Rebellion:​ ​an act of violent or open resistance to an established government or

ruler

Relative Location: ​determining where something is in relation to something else;

use of directions to explain where something is; example: Georgia is to the east of
Alabama

Religion: ​a set of beliefs in a higher power; some examples are Judaism,

Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism

Religious Group: ​a group with a belief system in a god or gods, with a specific set
of rituals and literature

Reparations​: ​the idea that payment should be made to pay for damage caused; for
example, former slave owners paying money, land, etc. to freed slaves; or in
Europe, Germany paid reparations to the countries it fought against in World War I

Republic: ​a form of democracy in which the supreme power rests in the body of
citizens through their elected representatives

Respiratory: ​related to the organs used for breathing (lungs, throat, etc.)

Reunification: ​bringing something back together that was once whole but then
broken up; Germany was divided into East and West Germany after World War II
and ​reunified​ when the Cold War ended.

Revolution: ​a forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new

system

Rhine River: ​waterway located in Germany that is very important for trade

Rights: ​legal, social, or ethical freedoms

River: ​ a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean,

sea, lake or another river
 6th Grade Social Studies Glossary
 
Rocky Mountains: ​mountain system in North America, extending from New Mexico
to Alaska.

Romance Languages​: family of languages that includes French, Spanish,

Portuguese, Romanian, and Italian

Rural Areas: ​areas with low population densities (countryside, mountains, etc.)

Russia: ​largest country in the world that spans over the continents of Europe and
Asia

Russian Revolution​: overthrow of the government of Russia in 1917 (during World

War I) sparked by a large number of poor citizens experiencing widespread famine
(lack of food) while the rich lived comfortably; Czar Nicholas II was overthrown and
Russia became the Soviet Union under communist control

S
Sacred: ​dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration

Saving (money): ​not spending money earned; to be used at a later time

Scale: ​the relationship (or ratio) between distance on a map and the corresponding
distance on the ground.

Scandinavian Peninsula: ​body of land surrounded by water on three sides located

in Northern Europe including Sweden, Finland, and Norway

Scarcity: ​a lack of a good or resource

Sea: ​large body of saltwater, smaller than an ocean

Scramble for Africa: ​the invasion, occupation, colonization of African territory by

European powers between 1881 and 1914

Sect: ​a division within a religion

Sierra Madre Mountains​: mountain range located in Southern Mexico; Mexico City
is located in the valley of the Sierra Madre mountains
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Simon Bolivar: ​the “Father of Latin American Independence;” led several Latin
American countries to independence from Spain including Venezuela, Colombia,
Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and others; also nicknamed the “George Washington of
Latin America”

Slave trade: ​t​he business of capturing, transporting, and selling slaves, especially
black Africans to the New World before the mid 1800’s

Slavery: ​system by which people are owned by other people as slaves

Slavic Languages: ​group of languages that includes Russian

Solution: ​an answer to a problem; example: we look for ​solutions​ to environmental

issues such as deforestation or oil pollution

Sovereignty​: when a country has the freedom to rule themselves

Soviet Union (USSR): ​a post World War II superpower supporting Communist

ideas and movements throughout the developing world

Spain: ​country in Western Europe located on the Iberian Peninsula

Spanish: ​major language spoken in Latin America due to Spain being the colonizer
of most of Latin America

Specialization: ​those products a country makes best and that are in demand on the
world market

St. Lawrence River​: important waterway for trade that connects the Great Lakes to
the Atlantic Ocean; runs along the U.S. - Canada border

Standard of Living: ​A level of material comfort as measured by the goods,

services, and luxuries available to an individual, group, or nation

State: ​a nation or territory considered as an organized political community under

one government

Suffrage: ​the right to vote

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Superpowers​: term meant to represent a nation that has the ability to influence the
world through military strength, economic strength, etc.; after World War II, the
United States and the Soviet Union were referred to as ​Superpowers​ mainly due to
their nuclear capabilities

Supply: ​the amount of goods available

Synagogue: ​House of worship for Judaism; interchangeable with temple

T
Tariff: ​a tax placed on goods when they are brought into one country from another
country

Territory:​ an area of land under the rule of a government

The Alps​: mountain range located in central Europe

Torah: ​the holy book of Judaism

Toussaint L’Ouverture​: former slave that led the first and only successful slave
rebellion in world history against the French to gain independence for Haiti

Trade​: exchange of goods or services between two or more parties

Trade Barrier: ​anything that slows down or prevents one country from exchanging
goods with another

Traditional Economy: ​an economy in which most of the economic decisions that
are made are based on custom and on the habit of how such decisions were made
in the past

Tropical (climate): ​a climate that is hot and humid (lots of precipitation) located
near the equator (between the tropics)

Tropical Rainforest: ​a tropical forest, usually of tall, densely growing, broad-leaved

evergreen trees in an area of high annual rainfall.
 6th Grade Social Studies Glossary
 
Treaty of Versailles: ​treaty signed to officially end World War I; forced Germany to
take blame for WWI, pay reparations to the countries it fought against (Allied
Forces), give up all lands it forcibly took, and to reduce its military forces - indirectly
led to outbreak of World War II

U
Ukraine: ​country in eastern Europe; location of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
disaster in 1986; former part of the Soviet Union during the Cold War

Uluru (Ayers Rock): ​a massive sandstone monolith in the heart of the Northern
Territory’s Red Centre desert; It’s sacred to indigenous Australians and believed to
be about 700 million years old.

Unitary Government System: ​local governments such as state or county systems

may have some power, but they are under the control of the central government

United Kingdom​: island nation in Western Europe that was a major colonizing
country that set up colonies all over the world; some colonies included India,
Australia, Canada, and the 13 colonies in North America (U.S.)

United Nations: ​an international organization formed after World War II whose aims
are to facilitate cooperation in international law and international security

Ural Mountains​: mountain range in Russia that represents the border between
Europe and Asia

Urban Area: ​areas with high population densities (cities and suburbs)

V
Venezuela: ​country in the northern part of South America; borders Colombia and
Brazil
 

W
Water Pollution: ​contamination of water supplies due to chemicals, fertilizer,
sewage and other garbage
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War: ​A state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups
within a nation or state.

War on Drugs:​ The United States government’s fight against the international sale,
use, and trade of illegal drugs.

Warsaw Pact: ​the name commonly given to the treaty between Albania, Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union,
which was signed in Poland in 1955 and was officially called 'The Treaty of
Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance'

World War I: ​a war fought from 1914-1918 between the Central Powers (Germany,
Austria-Hungary, and Ottoman Empire) and the Allied Powers (United States, Great
Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and Japan)

World War II: ​a war fought from 1939-1945 between the Axis Powers (Germany,
Italy, Japan) and the Allied Powers (United States, Great Britain, France, Soviet
Union)

Worldwide Depression​: severe ​economic depression that took place during the
1930s. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations; however, in most
countries it started in 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s

Z
Zapatista: ​a member or supporter of a Mexican revolutionary force working for
social and agrarian reforms, which launched a popular uprising in the state of
Chiapas in 1994.
 6th Grade Social Studies Glossary
 

Action Verbs from Standards:

Describe​: give a detailed account or picture of an event, situation, or process

Explain: ​give a detailed account including reasons or causes

Compare: ​give an account of similarities between two or more items or situations

Contrast: ​give an account of differences between two or more items or situations

Analyze​: break down in order to bring out the essential elements or structure. To
identify parts and relationships and to interpret information to reach conclusions

Locate​: find the place or position of something

Identify​: provide an answer from a number of possibilities. Recognize and state

briefly a distinguishing fact or feature

Trace​: a course or path that is followed

Evaluate​: assess the implications and limitation; make judgments about the ideas,
works, solutions, or methods in relation to selected criteria

Distinguish​: to notice or recognize a difference