Chapter 1 Physical, Spatial, And Environmental Science Flashcards
What is physical geography?
The branch of geography that deals with the natural environment and physical processes.
What is geography?
The study of the Earth’s landscapes, environments, and the relationships between people and their environments.
What is human geography?
The branch of geography that focuses on the study of human activities and their relationship with the environment.
What is a spatial discipline?
A field of study that examines the arrangement of phenomena across space.
What is a region?
An area defined by certain unifying characteristics.
What is cartography?
The art and science of map-making.
What is the scientific method?
A systematic process for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge.
What is a system?
A set of interconnected components that work together to form a complex whole.
What is the Earth system?
The complex system of interactions between the atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere.
What is a subsystem?
A smaller, self-contained system within a larger system.
What is the atmosphere?
The layer of gases surrounding the Earth.
What is the lithosphere?
The rigid outer layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
What is the biosphere?
The global sum of all ecosystems, where life exists.
What is the hydrosphere?
All the water on Earth, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
What is absolute location?
The precise location of a point on the Earth’s surface, usually expressed in coordinates.
What is relative location?
The position of a place in relation to other places.
What is spatial distribution?
The arrangement of a phenomenon across the Earth’s surface.
What is spatial pattern?
The geometric arrangement of objects in space.
What is spatial interaction?
The movement and flow of people, goods, and information between locations.