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Vegetation
Vegetation: the plant life of a region.
Category: Glossary
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Vertical migration
Movements of pastoral nomads between low winter and high summer pastures.
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Victoria Falls
The largest waterfalls globally, Victoria Falls, have a drop of more than 99 meters (325 feet).
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Vietnam war
The military conflict (1954-1975) resulting from American involvement in South Vietnam to prevent its takeover by communist North Vietnam.
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Virgin and idle lands
(New lands) Steppe areas of Kazakhstan and Siberia brought into grain production in the 1950s.
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Volcano
A natural event, formed when magma, gases, and water from the lower part of the crust or mantle collect in underground chambers eventually erupt and poured out of cracks in the earth’s surface.
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Voodoo
Voodoo, or Vodun, is a form of spirit and ancestor worship combined with Christian faiths, especially Catholicism.
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Voyaging canoe
A large ship developed by pacific islanders to sail the ocean.
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Wadi
A riverbed that remains dry except during the rainy seasons.
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Warsaw Pact
A military alliance, now dissolved, consisting of the Soviet Union and the European countries of Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.
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Water contact diseases
Water contact diseases acquired through swimming or wading in freshwater lakes, streams, and rivers.
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Water table
The level at which rock is saturated.
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Waterhead
In attempting to control water for the generation of electricity or a gravity flow irrigation project, it is essential to pond up water in relative quantity so that there is an adequate force – Waterhead – to achieve the desired goal.
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Weather
The condition of the atmosphere at a particular location and time.
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Weathering
Physical and chemical processes that change rock characteristics on or near the earth’s surface, occurring slowly over many years.
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Welfare system
Welfare system: the way a government organizes assistance to its people, particularly the young, the elderly, the sick, and the unemployed.
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West
The West refers to nations influenced by Western civilization, particularly those linked to the United States and Western Europe, emphasizing democracy, market economies, and cultural innovation. For a detailed description, click on the article title.
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West Bank
In Israel, a strip of land on the west side of the Jordan river, originally controlled by Jordan, is part of the land set aside for Arab Palestinians.
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Westerly Winds
Westerly winds, or westerlies, are middle-latitude airstreams that blow from west to east, shaping global weather, ocean currents, and climate patterns. For a detailed description, click on the article title.
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Western Civilization
Western Civilization is the sum of values and achievements rooted in ancient Mesopotamia, Palestine, Greece, and Rome, which later flourished in Europe and shaped the modern world. For a detailed description, click on the article title.