Glossary
Seawork
A structure used to control the sea’s destructive impact on human life.
Second law of thermodynamics
A natural law stating that high-quality, concentrated energy is increasingly degraded as it passes through the food chain.
Secondary consumers
Carnivores – Consumers of primary consumers.
Sectionalism
When people place their loyalty to their region, or section, above loyalty to the nation.
Sedentarization
Voluntary or coerced settling down, particularly by pastoral nomads in the Middle East.
Sediment
Small pieces of rock are produced by weathering processes.
Sedimentary rock
Rock formed from sediments deposited by running water, wind, or wave action either in water bodies or on land and which have been consolidated into rock.
Segmentary kinship system
The organization of kinship groups in concentric units of membership, lineage, clan, and tribe among Middle Eastern pastoral nomads.
Seismograph
A device that measures the size of the waves created by an earthquake.
Senegal
Location: West Africa Official name: Republic of Senegal Formation (date of independence / date current borders were established): 1960 / 1960 Capital city: Dakar Population: 12.9 million / 174 people per sq mile (67 people per sq km) Total land area: 75,749 square miles (196,190 square km) Language(s) spoken: Wolof, Pulaar, Serer, Diola, Mandinka, Malinké, …
Seoul
The largest city in South Korea, with a population of more than ten million people.
Serbia
Location: Southeast Europe Official name: Republic of Serbia Formation (date of independence / date current borders were established): 2006 / 2008 Capital city: Belgrade Population: 9.9 million / 331 people per sq mile (128 people per sq km) Total land area: 29,905 square miles (77,453 square km) Language(s) spoken: Serbian (official language), Hungarian (Magyar) Main …
Serengeti
An East Africa area contains some of the best grasslands in the world and many grazing animals.
Service industry
Any economic activity that produces a service rather than a product.
Service sector
The labor sector is made up of employees in retail trade and personal services.
Settler colonization
The historical pattern by which Europeans sought to create new or “neo-Europes” abroad.
Sex ratio
Sex ratio includes the number of males for each female in five age groups – at birth, under 15 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over, and the total population.
Seychelles
Location: Indian Ocean Official name: Republic of Seychelles Formation (date of independence / date current borders were established): 1976 / 1976 Capital city: Victoria Population: 89,188 / 858 people per sq mile (330 people per sq km) Total land area: 176 square miles (455 square km) Language(s) spoken: French Creole (official language), English (official language), …