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GLOSSARY (N-Q)


natural increase - the yearly difference in number of births and deaths in a country

neocolonialism - a modern form of colonialism usually leftover from colonial times - the control over the nation is accomplished through economic rather than political systems

net migration - the number of immigrants to a country minus the number of emigrants

newly industrialized countries (NIC) - countries which have experienced rapid industrialization in the past 2 decades - examples include Brazil, Singapore, and Korea

nonrenewable resources - resources such as minerals and fossils fuels which are not replaceable once removed

OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries - a group of oil producing nations cooperating to maximize their advantage over world oil production and prices

organic farming - farming which uses agricultural waste as fertilizer and natural forms of weed control and pest management rather than chemicals

ozone (O3) - a colourless gas formed in the stratosphere by the effect of UV light on oxygen molecules - the molecules in the upper stratosphere absorb incoming UV light which would severely damage life on Earth - in the lower troposhpere, it mixes with other gases to form smog

pesticide - a substance used to kill pests such as animals or insects - it includes herbicides, fungicides and insecticides

pH - a measure of the degree of acidity or alkalinity on a logarithmic scale from 1 to 14 where anything measuring less than 7 is acidic and over 7 is alkaline

population density - the number of people per unit area

population pyramid - a graph showing the age-gender structure of a population usually in 5 year increments with the youngest age groups at the bottom of the graph