Chapter 1: The North American Realm

Question 1

physiographic regions

Answer 1

a region within which there prevails substantial natural-landscape homogeneity, expressed by a certain degree of uniformity in surface relief, climate, vegetation, and soils

Question 2

continentality

Answer 2

the variation of the continental effect on air temperatures in the inferior parts of the world’s landmasses; the greater the distance from the moderating influence of an ocean, the greater the extreme i summer and winter temps. Tend to be dry when the distance from oceanic moisture sources becomes considerable

Question 3

rain shadow effect

Answer 3

the relative dryness in areas downwind of mountain ranges resulting from orographic precipitation, where moist air masses are forced to deposit most of their water content as they cross the highlands

Question 4

First Nations

Answer 4

name given Canad;a’s indigenous peoples of American descent, whose U.S. counterparts are called Native Americans

Question 5

Cultural Foundations

Answer 5

language and religion

Question 6

unitary state

Answer 6

centralized state; delineations

Question 7

federal state

Answer 7

power is shared; central government represents the various subnational entities within a nation-state where they have common interests, yet allow these entities to retain their own identities and have their ow laws, policies, customs in certain spheres

Question 8

aquifers

Answer 8

underground reservoirs of water contained within a porous, water-bearing rock layer

Question 9

Natural Resources

Answer 9

Water, minerals, oil, natural gas, hydraulic fracking, coal

Question 10

fossil fuel

Answer 10

energy resources of coal, natural gas, and petroleum, named collectively because they were formed by the geologic compression and transformation of tiny plant and animal organisms

Question 11

urban system

Answer 11

a hierarchical network of grouping urban areas within a finite geographic area, such as a country

Question 12

American Manufacturing Belt

Answer 12

North America’s near-rectangular core area, whose corners are Boston, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Baltimore

Question 13

primary sector

Answer 13

involves the extraction of raw materials from nature

Question 14

secondary sector

Answer 14

uses the input of raw materials and manufactures them into finished products

Question 15

tertiary sector

Answer 15

entails all kinds of services to support production and consumption (banking, retail, transport)

Question 16

Both the secondary and tertiary sectors were overwhelmingly concentrated in….

Answer 16

cities

Question 17

distribution center

Answer 17

a centralized focus of economic activity specializing in the distribution of goods; a major hub on its regional transportation network

Question 18

What is a distribution center in this realm?

Answer 18

Atlanta, Georgia; outstanding highway, rail, and air-freight connections to surrounding southeastern US

Question 19

intermodal connections

Answer 19

facilities and activities related to the transfer of goods, from one mode of transportation to another (e.g. loading containers from a ship directly onto a truck or rail car)

Question 20

outer city

Answer 20

non-central city portion of the American metropolis; no longer “sub” to the “urb”, as it’s become a full-fledged city

Question 21

deindistrialization

Answer 21

process by which companies relocate manufacturing jobs to other regions with cheaper labor, leaving the newly-deindustralized region to convert to a service economy while struggling with the accompanying effects of increased unemployment and meeting the retaining needs of its workforce

Question 22

central business district (CBD)

Answer 22

the downtown heart of a central city; marked by high land values, a concentration of business and commerce, and clustering of the tallest buildings

Question 23

information economy

Answer 23

the new, incresingly dominant, postindustrial economy of maturing in the most highly advanced countries of North America, Europe, and the Pacific Rim; traditional industry here is being eclipsed by a higher-technology productive complex focused on information-related activities

Question 24

GPS

Answer 24

orbiting satellite-based navigation system that provides locational and time info, anywhere on the Earth;s surface where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites

Question 25

suburban downtowns

Answer 25

towns encircling the old central-city CBD… making the modern metropolis polycentric in nature (like a pepperoni pizza in its general form)

Question 26

gentrification

Answer 26

the upgrading of older residential areas through private reinvestment usually in the downtown area of a central city; frequently involves displacement of established lower-income residents who cannot afford the heightened costs of living, increasing conflicts as neighborhood changes occur

Question 27

neighborhood effect

Answer 27

the impact of one’s neighborhood on an individual’s outlook, aspirations, socialization, and life chances

Question 28

residential geography

Answer 28

spatial distribution of a residential population; can describe the clustering of social groups into the neighborhoods that form the residential fabric of cities and suburbs

Question 29

Great Recession

Answer 29

occurred between 2008-2011; housing mortgage crisis that deepened inequality across urban America’s mosaic of residential landscapes

Question 30

Sunbelt

Answer 30

name given to the southern tier of the US, anchored by the mega-states of California, Texas, and Florida; warmer climate, recreational opportunities, and other amenities attract large numbers of relocating people since the 1960s

Question 31

migrations

Answer 31

change in residence intended to be permanent

Question 32

electoral geography

Answer 32

the spatial distribution of political preferences in voting behavior for political parties and/or candidates; mapping election results is the foundation of electoral geography

Question 33

melting pot

Answer 33

traditional characterization that American society is a blend of complex ethnic and cultures

Question 34

mosaic culture

Answer 34

increasingly heterogeneous complex of separate, more or less, uniform “tiles” whose residents spend less time than ever interacting or “melting”

Question 35

technopoles

Answer 35

state-of-the-art, high-technology industrial complexes (Austin, TX is the heart of it)

Question 36

Dallas-Forth Worth-Houston-Austin-San Antonio Triangle

Answer 36

one of the world’s most productive technopoles

Question 37

Pacific Rim

Answer 37

the discontinuous regions surrounding the Pacific Ocean that have experienced spectacular economic growth an progress over the past 4 decades

Question 38

tar sands

Answer 38

main source of oil from non-liquid petroleum reserves; largest known deposits are in Alberta province in Canada

Question 39

boreal forests

Answer 39

subarctic, mostly coniferous snow forest that blankets

Canada south of the tundra that lines the Arctic shore, known as the ‘taiga’ in Russia