Survival Dictionary

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “No; nine”

In contrast to a roti or chapati, naan bread is a yeast-leavened bread. A kulcha in Indian cuisine is a bread-like accompaniment, made of processed flour (maida) leavened with yeast.

The tendency to believe that we see the world around us objectively, and that people who disagree with us must be uninformed, irrational, or biased.

A narrow part of a navigable waterway.

The International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet or the more commonly known NATO Phonetic Alphabet is the most widely used radiotelephonic spelling alphabet. It assigns specific code words to each alphabet and numeral so that words, phrases and sentences can be pronounced and understood as intended without scope of misunderstanding or misinterpretation.

A Natural Disaster can be labelled an Act of God, like floods, earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, mudslides, tsunamis, etc, though many such Acts of God do seem to be a result of human intervention.

A Nautical Almanac comprises a series of charts describing the position of celestial bodies to help navigators know their exact geographical position at sea. The charts are detailed for each hour of every year, the positions of celestial bodies.

Graphic representation of a maritime area and adjacent coastal regions. Depending on scale it may show depths of water and topographic map of land, natural seabed features, coastline details, navigational hazards, locations of natural and aids to navigation, information on tides and currents, harbours, buildings and bridges. They are essential tools for marine navigation.

Each degree of latitude is divided into 60 minutes (distance, not time). The distance between two minutes is one nautical mile (1,852m or 6,076ft).

Navigation Aid. Maps, compasses, GPS devices, etc are all NavAids.

An acronym for Navigation with Indian Constellation, it is India’s Regional Navigation Satellite System offering terrestrial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management, navigation aid for hikers, visual and voice navigation for drivers, etc. The system comprises nine satellites - seven in orbit and two on the ground as stand-by.

Navigation is the science of determining geographical position from where one is to another known location, including distance travelled, route taken, etc.

An international, automated system for instantly distributing maritime safety information to ships. The frequency of transmission is 518 kHz in English, while 490 kHz is sometime used to broadcast in a local language.

Nuclear Biological Chemical. Typically refers to the kind of attack by an enemy.

National Contingency Action Plan.

National Cadet Corps.

National Calamity Contingency Fund.

National Crisis Management Committee.

National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project.

National Disaster Communication Network Project.

National Disaster Information and Communication Network.

National Disaster Management Authority.

National Disaster Management Information System.

National Disaster Mitigation Resource Centre.

National Disaster Response Force. The nodal agency responsible for disaster relief and evacuation in India.

During the Moon’s first and third quarter phases, the Sun and Moon are at 90° to each other as seen from the Earth. At this time the high water mark is at its lowest and the low water mark is at its highest, and the tidal range is at its minimum.

Also called NEAs are asteroids that orbit close to Earth or cross the orbit itself. The latter are called Earth Crossers and are estimated at about 1,000 with diameters of more than a kilometre.

A small fixed-blade knife suspended from around one’s neck carried by means of a cord, either handle up - mountain man style - or handle down. They are usually single-edged, with blade lengths typically around three inches.

It means “No” in radio communications and can be abbreviated to NEGAT. In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation (FM) is the encoding of information in a carrier wave by varying the instantaneous frequency of the wave. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier wave varies, while the frequency remains constant.

God of revenge in Greek and Roman mythology.

God of the forests and woods in Roman mythology.

One who loves the forest, its beauty and solitude.

Kind of synthetic rubber that maintains stability over a wide temperature range. Used in wading suits and wet suits for insulation from the cold waters for fishermen, white water adventurers and divers.

Roman God of the seas and oceans.

National Earthquake Risk Mitigation Project.

A cup in which a drinking water bottle ‘nests’ in. This reduces the need of carrying two items since both form one piece of equipment. Nesting cups can be used for boiling water and cooking food.

The Moon has no light of its own, we see reflected sunlight. On its 29-day orbit of the Earth, the shape of the reflected light varies. When it is new Moon it is on the same side of the Earth from the Sun.

National Flood Risk Mitigation Project.

Non-Governmental Organisation.

National Institute of Amateur Radio.

National Institute for Communicable Diseases.

A type of rechargeable battery. They are made in a wide range of sizes and capacities. Sealed Ni-Cd cells were widely used in portable power tools, cameras, torches, emergency lights, etc. They have since lost market share to Nickel-metal hydride batteries.

A type of rechargeable battery similar to Nickel-Cadmium but with two to three times the capacity.

National Institute of Disaster Management.

The ability of the human eye to adjust to seeing in darkness. In the darkness, peripheral vision is better than direct vision. Depending on how dark it is, it takes about 30 minutes for the eyes to adjust and activate night vision capabilities.

A device allows typically monochrome images to be produced in light close to total darkness. The image may be a conversion to visible light of both visible light and near-infrared. An NVD may have an infrared illuminator, making it an active as opposed to passive night vision device.

Goddess of victory in Greek mythology.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Nothing”

National Institute for Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences.

Plant nutrient and fertiliser that enters water supply sources from fertilizers, animal feed lots, manures, sewage, septic systems, industrial wastewaters, sanitary landfills and garbage dumps.

A reversible alteration in consciousness, similar to alcohol intoxication in divers who breathe high-pressure gas at depth impairing judgment, make diving dangerous. Narcosis starts to affect some at 66 feet and the effect increases with depth. Almost all divers notice the effects by 132 feet with a feeling of euphoria, anxiety, loss of coordination and lack of concentration. At extreme depths, hallucinogenic reaction and tunnel vision can occur. Symptoms typically disappear during the ascent.

National Landslide Risk Mitigation Project.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Name”

National Mental Health Programme.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a US agency focused on the conditions of oceans and the atmosphere. It provides weather warnings, charts seas, protects ocean and coastal resources, and conducts research on the environment.

The notch at the end of an arrow that fits onto a bowstring.

Occurring at night usually referred to for animals that hunt at night.

One who roams and lives in different locations, moving from one place to another.

Historic time signal in Cape Town, South Africa since 1806. The gun situated on Signal Hill, fires a round exactly at 12 noon every day except Sundays and public holidays to allow ships in port to check the accuracy of their chronometers.

Any sliding loop knot that tightens once force is applied to it.

A mental state when facing a disaster. It causes people to underestimate the possibility of a disaster and its possible effects.

Normal core body temperature.

It is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth’s axis of rotation meets the surface. It is the northernmost point and lies at latitude 90°N. All longitudes converge here and all directions point South.

Also called aurora, aurora borealis, polar light, it is naturally occurring light display in the sky due to disturbance caused by solar winds to the magnetosphere.

Rupturing of a capillary of the nose. Dry air, nose picking, hot temperatures, hypertension, trauma, etc can cause a nose to bleed. Most nose bleeds are safe unless it is due to a head or neck injury. Most nose bleeds will stop if one leans forward and allows the blood to flow out while pinching the fleshy part of the nose.

Large self-bailing rafts can enter holes from downstream and submerge their nose.

Noseeum netting has 625 holes per inch compared to mosquito netting that has 200 holes per inch.

Bugs typically found near water bodies.

Phonetically stating NG for NO GO, literally, to fail.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Number”

Defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency as “an event that has led to significant consequences to people, the environment or the facility.” A nuclear disaster can be precipitated by bomb attacks.

Uses mathematical models of the atmosphere and oceans to predict the weather based on current weather conditions relayed from radiosondes, weather satellites and other systems.

An experience that is fearful yet fascinating, awe-inspiring yet attractive.

An individual who just doesn’t get it.

Small pellet of plastic which is the raw material in the manufacture of plastic products.

To stand in a tight single file line.

Elements in food needed to survive and grow. Macronutrients provide energy while micronutrients build and repair tissues and regulate body processes. Nutrients comprise fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and proteins and can be either essential or non essential.

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Now”

Morse Code abbreviation meaning “Noise or noisy”

Fear of dark wooded areas or forests at night.

Goddess of the Night in Greek mythology.