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Plate tectonics
The dominant force in the creation of the continents, mountain systems, and ocean deeps.
Category: Glossary
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Pleistocene overkill
A hypothesis stating that hunters and gatherers of the Pleistocene Era hunted many species to extinction.
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Podzol
Soil with a grayish, bleached appearance when plowed, lacking in well-decomposed organic matter, poorly structured, and very low in natural fertility.
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Polder
Land that is reclaimed from the sea or other body of water by diking and drainage.
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Polynesia
One of three regions in Oceania, meaning “many islands.”
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Population
Population estimates from the US Bureau of the Census are based on statistics from population censuses, vital statistics registration systems, or sample surveys about the recent past and assumptions about future trends.
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Population change rate
The birth rate minus the death rate in a population.
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Population density
Population density: the number of people living in a given area of land.
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Population distribution
Population distribution provides a brief description of the population dispersion within a country.
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Population explosion
The surge in Earth’s human population has occurred since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
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Population growth rate
The population growth rate is the average annual percent change in the population, resulting from a surplus (or deficit) of births over deaths and the balance of migrants entering and leaving a country.
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Population pyramid
A graphic device that shows the gender and age distribution of a population.
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Postindustrial economy
An economic phase in which manufacturing no longer plays a dominant role.
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PPP
Purchasing Power Parity. PPP statistics adjust for cost of living differences by replacing normal exchange rates with rates designed to equalize a standard “basket” of goods and services.
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Prairie
An area of tall grass in the middle latitudes composed of rich soils that have been cleared for agriculture.
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Prairie provinces
In Canada, the provinces west of Ontario and Quebec-Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
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Precipitation
Falling water droplets in the form of rain, sleet, snow, or hail.
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Prevailing westerlies
Winds that blow from west to east.
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Primary consumers
Herbivores – Consumers of green plants.