Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Mahayana Buddhism
The school of Buddhism practiced in
China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
Mainlanders
Those who moved to Taiwan from the Chinese
mainland between 1945 and 1949. They are associated with
Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist forces.
Malesia
Malaysia and Indonesia.
Manchukuo
Muhajirs
Urdu-speaking, post-partition, Muslim migrants to
Pakistan from India.
Muhammad
The prophet of Islam.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Leader of the Muslim League and first
prime minister of Pakistan.
Mujibur Rahman (Mujib)
Leader of the Awami League in
Japanese puppet state in Manchuria established
Pakistan.
Multilateral aid
Aid deriving from international organiza-
tions such as the United Nations, World Bank, or Organiza-
tion for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Multinational enterprise
An economic, social, or political
entity with ties to several nations.
Multiregional hypothesis
Proposes that humankind origi-
nated in several locations simultaneously .
Mullah
Islamic religious leader.
Mura
T Traditional rural village in Japan.
Muslims
Those who submit to God; adherents of Islam.
Myth of Asia
The fact that there is no cultural or historical
entity that equals Asia.
Naga
Sanskrit word meaning “serpent.” The
naga
is an
aquatic symbol that appears in art form as a dragon, snake, or
other bodily form. Part of cosmologies in Southeast Asia.
Nanyang
China' s name for the southern sea regions (South-
east Asia) in early times.
Native Taiwanese
Immigrants from southeastern China who
arrived from the fourteenth century into the twentieth cen-
tury . They speak the Taiwanese dialect and make up about
70 percent of Taiwan' s population.
Natural boundary
A boundary demarcated by physical fea-
tures such as mountain ridges or rivers.
Natural vegetation
Undisturbed, mature plant communities.
Naxalites
Far left-wing, radical communists in India who
support Maoist ideology .
Neo-Malthusian
Concept that while fertility rates are impor-
tant, it is absolute numbers of people that count.
New Theory Farming
In Thailand, a form of land and agri-
cultural management employed as a means to introduce
community-based economies.
New Thinking
A policy aimed at liberalizing the centrally
planned economy of Laos.
Newly industrializing countries (NICs)
Countries that have
recently begun to industrialize. Used in reference to several
East Asian countries such as South Korea and Taiwan.
Nirvana
in 1931.
Mandate of Heaven
In dynastic China, the belief that Heaven
bestowed the right for Chinese rulers to rule. The mandate
demanded virtue and the integrity of proper relationships.
Mangal
A mangrove community of tropical and subtropical
coasts.
Mao Zedong
Leader of the Chinese Communist Party whose
forces won the revolution and control of China in 1949. Mao
ruled China until his death in 1976.
Mappae Mundi
Religiously-inspired maps of the world that
portrayed the Earth as flat.
Mariculture
Aquaculture—the practice of raising fish, shell-
fish and other marine products in various water bodies.
Market gardening
The production of fresh agricultural prod-
ucts for urban markets.
Maternal mortality
The number of women who die in child
birth for every 100,000 live births.
Mecca
Place of origin of Islam and Islam' s holiest city .
Medina
Associated with Mecca as place of origin of Islam.
Mega-cities
Giant cities often incorporating several cities in a
cluster.
Mega-urban regions
Urban agglomerations that extend be-
yond metropolitan boundaries.
Mercantilism
An economic system whereby raw materials are
extracted from a colony and brought to the colonial power for
manufacture. The manufactured goods are shipped back to
the colony for purchase.
Mestizos
In the Philippines, people of Chinese-Filipino or
Mexican-Filipino descent.
Microcredit
Small loans given to poor people, usually
women, to start and maintain a business enterprise.
Mission civilisatrice
French term meaning “civilizing mis-
sion.” The French belief that colonialism would bring the
benefits of modern European civilization to the primitive peo-
ples of the world.
Mohandas Gandhi
He believed in non violent protest and
was a key figure in gaining India' s independence.
Monotheistic
Having one god.
Monsoon
A climatic system based on intense seasonal
changes in pressure and wind patterns. A realm affected by
the monsoon has wet and dry seasons.
Monsoon Asia
Those parts of Asia under the influence of the
monsoon climatic system.
Mosque
Place of worship for Muslims.
Mother Theresa (1910-1997)
Christian who founded the
Missionaries of Charity in Kolkhata, India.
Mughals
In Buddhism, a state of desirelessness and peaceful-
ness.
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
Non-governmental
aid organizations. NGOs have an agenda, be it political, humani-
tarian, or religious.
North-South dichotomy
The difference between the rich, in-
dustrialized countries of the Northern Hemisphere and the
poorer, developing countries of the Southern Hemisphere.
Nucleated
Clustered, as in human settlements.
Nutritional density
The number of people existing per square
mile or kilometer of cultivated land.
Ruled India from 1497 to 1858.
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