CashCrop
A crop that is grown to sell for money.

Civil War
A war between different groups of people within the same country.

Famine
An extreme food shortage that causes people to die from starvation.

GNP
This stands for 'Gross National Product', which means the amount of money that a country makes in a year. It is usually divided between the number of people in the country to make an average wealth per person.

Independence
When a country wins the right to control its own affairs.

Infant Mortality
The number of babies out of every thousand born that die before the age of one.

Irrigation
Different ways of watering the land to help crops grow.

Landlocked
An area that does not have a coast but is surrounded by land.

Life Expectancy
How long people are expected to live. This is measured in years.

Missionaries
People who visit areas to spread the message of their religion.

NATO
Stands for 'North Atlantic Treaty Organisation'. 19 countries are members of NATO; 17 are European including the UK, and the other two are the USA and Canada. The organisation began after the North Atlantic Treaty was signed by the countries' leaders in 1949. NATO aims to keep peace and security in member countries, and to defend them from military attack. Today, NATO has a role in managing crisis situations in other areas as well.

Palestine
This is not a country, but the Palestinians are a group of people with their own customs and traditions. Without a country that they can call their own, the Palestinians live in many countries, especially in the Middle East, the original home of their culture. One day, they hope to have an independent country called Palestine.

Persecution
The way in which someone is harmed and picked on by others.

Plantation
A type of farm found in tropical areas. A plantation usually covers a large area and grows one or two types of crop.

Plateau
A flat area of land on raised ground.

Refuge
A safe place.

Regent
Somebody who is put in charge of a country when the leader cannot do the job themselves because he/she is not in the country, or is too young or too ill.

Savannah
Tropical grassland with long grasses, bushes and a few scattered trees.