Glossary - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 491

Environmental determinism The notion that physical envi-
ronmental forces determine human behavior.
Environmental refugee A person who has lost his or her
home and land due to environmental disaster or deliberately
planned environmental change.
Environmental transformation Changes in the physical envi-
ronment wrought by values, attitudes, policies, and practices.
Ephemerals Desert plants that bloom sporadically in re-
sponse to rain.
Epiphytes Plants (such as orchids and ferns) physically but
not nutritionally supported by other plants. These are found
in the middle level of the rain forest canopy .
Erosion The wearing away of the Earth' s surface by the action
of wind and water.
Estate Tamils Indian, Tamil laborers imported by the British
to Sri Lanka to work on plantations or estates.
Ethnocentrism Judging other countries or cultures by one' s
own which is considered superior.
Eurasia

Floating population The movement of more than a million
individuals in China from city to city seeking work opportu-
nities.
Fluvial River-related.
Flying Geese Model Developed by a Japanese economist in
the 1930s. Describes industrial life cycles in newly industrial-
izing countries.
Foot-binding In China during the dynasties, the practice of
binding women' s feet with the toes folded under the arch.
Known as the Golden Lotus, bound feet were considered sen-
sual. The practice began among the upper classes and court
circles of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1278) and con-
tinued into the early 1900s.
Food insecurity Not having enough food to lead a healthy
and productive life.
Forward-thrust capital A new capital city built in a frontier
region to decentralize population from elsewhere and serve as
a growth pole. Islamabad, in Pakistan is an example.
Four Noble Truths The Buddhist notion that the world is
filled with suffering which is caused by desire and that desire
can be overcome by following a set of rules.
Frontline state A state that serves as a barrier to the progress
of an undesirable political system.
Functional interactions Relationships between people and
the natural world that are expressed in political, social, and
economic landscapes.
Ganga Ma Mother Ganges. A river in India that is considered
sacred by Hindus.
Gender A culturally constructed social institution. Gender
roles are expected and assumed in cultural contexts and soci-
ety is organized around gender.
Gender Development Index (GDI) Statistic that indicates the
well-being of women in a particular society .
Genghis Khan Lived 1155-1227. A military genius who
amassed his nomadic hordes into the world' s most formidable
cavalry . Occupied northern China, Mongolia, and the Far
East.
Geographic realms Based on physical and cultural character-
istics, the largest units into which we can divide the ecumene,
or the inhabited world.
Geomancer An expert in feng shui . Often called upon in
building orientation and design.
Gini Index

The geographical landmass comprising Europe and

Asia.
Eurocentric A worldview that puts Europe at the central and
superior position relative to the rest of the world.
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) The 200-nautical-mile zone
belonging to coastal states as defined by the 1982 Law of the
Sea T Treaty issued by the United Nations.
Extended Metropolitan Regions (EMRs Regions that have
evolved through the continual growth of cities over a large
area.
Extraterritoriality A consular jurisdiction whereby a for-
eigner is subject to the laws of his or her own country .
Exudates

Resins (such as copals and dammars) that ooze out

of a tree.
Factories T Trading posts established by the Dutch and British
in South and Southeast Asia.
Fa-hsien The first Chinese Buddhist pilgrim to visit India. His
journey took place from 399 to 412 AD.
FELDA Federal Land Development Authority in Malaysia.
FELDAdevelops schemes to open up jungle and virgin forests
to settlement and agriculture.
Female infanticide The deliberate killing or neglect of female

children.
Feminization of agriculture Women representing a larger
proportion of laborers than men in the agricultural sector
in Asia.
Feminization of labor In Asian economic development
zones, women being the majority of workers.
Feng shui Chinese term meaning “wind and water.” Forces of
nature that must be dealt with appropriately in behavior and
landscape design.
Filial piety Confucian concept of hierarchical loyalties of
ruler to heaven; subject to ruler; son to father; younger
brother to older brother; and wife to husband.
Filipinos People of the Philippines.
Five Pillars of Islam

Measures relative income inequality within a

country .
Glaciation The action of ice in the process of erosion and

deposition.
Global feminization of poverty The fact that increasing num-
bers of women are becoming poor and that the -majority of
the world' s poor are women.
Globalism The concept that countries are linked in -various
ways on a global basis.
Globalization The process by which regions become increas-
ingly linked with global capitalist enterprises and economic
systems. Rules for proper adherence to Islam.