Human GEO Final Review Flashcards
hearth areas of agriculture
areas from where the origins of agricultural ideas of innovation ideas began and spread
e.g. seed agriculture and different kinds of foods
examples of hearth areas
- US & Canada: Corn and wheat
- South America: Corn
- Eastern Europe/ Russia: Wheat
- Africa: Sorghum of Millet
Asia: Rice
subsistence agriculture
agriculture only for farmers to meet the needs of themselves and their families
commercial agriculture
producing crops and livestock for sale and profit
food security
accessibility, affordability, safety, and availability of nutritious food at all times
hunting and gathering
self-explanatory
intensive subsistence agriculture
more work is needed to obtain the same level of production
ex. paddy and wet rice dominant
organic agriculture
farmers rely on natural methods to encourage plant health
e.g. avoidance of fertilizers, pesticides, and GMOs
pastoralism
individuals rely on livestock as a primary means of subsistence
e.g. herding of domestic animals
pastoral nomadism
moving animals on a seasonal basis to areas that have the necessary resources to meet the needs of the herd
* Central Asia, Sahel region of North and West Africa
* causes soil erosion & water degradation
plantation agriculture
production of one crop
- prevalent in LDCs, produced “banana republics” and cash crops
results in dependency: interactions between core countries which rely on peripheral countries for their raw materials
ranching
allows animals to roam freely on the fringes of productive land; unsupervised by farmer
* requires huge areas of land
sustainable agriculture
balances agriculture with environmental conservation and sustainability for current and future generations
Swidden/slash and burn/shifting cultivation
trees and undergrowth are cut down and vegetation is burned
Swidden: land on which shifting occurs
advantages: ash provides nutrients for the soil; good for small groups as the land has enough time to recover
disadvantages: lots of land need, environmental degradation is likely to occur
* people have to move regularly
transhumance
the seasonal movement of livestock between mountains and lowland pastures
* follows pre-established routes
VonThunen model of agricultural use
humans will use land in relation to the cost of land and the cost of transporting products to market
market gardening – dairy farming – forests – grains and field crops – ranching and livestock
break-of-bulk point
a location of transportation where goods are transferred from one mode of transportation to another
e.g. a ship to a truck or train
bulk-reducing industry
an industry in which the final product weighs less or has less volumes than its inputs
e.g. paper industry
bulk-gaining industry
an industry in which the final product has a greater volume than its inputs
e.g. soda industry, brick/cement making
market-oriented industry
prioritized identifying the needs of consumers and creating products to satisfy them
e.g. Coca Cola, amazon
deindustrialization
decline in manufacturing capacity and employment
* usually occurs in developed economies (NA, Europe, Japan)
* disadvantages: dissolution of industrial cities, unemployment, closing of plants, decline in income
economies of scale
the reduction in cost per unit of production as the volume of production increases
globalization
the increasing interdependence and interconnectedness of economic, political, and cultural characteristics throughout the world
Industrial Revolution
18th century Europe – huge technological transformation (railroad, telegraph, and manufacturing)
Industrialization
process by which economic activities on earth’s surface evolved from producing basic, primary goods to using factories for mass-producing goods for consumption.
Fordism and assembly line production
simplification, workers only have to learn one skill –> mass production, mass consumption, and higher wages for workers
e.g. scientific management: managers controlled the pace of the production line
primary sector
- agriculture
- gathering and extractive industries
secondary sector
- manufacturing and processing
- power generation
tertiary sector
- retail and wholesale
- personal services
quaternary sector
- information and research
- management and decision making
quinary
nursing homes, polices/fire services, childcare
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
complete output by a nation; higher GDP = more developed, lower poverty
Gross National income (GNI)
total income earned by a countries people and businesses (national wealth)
* adds in income received from investments from outside the country
Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) (GNI per capita)
exchange rate; amount of money needed in one country to purchase the same good in another country
Modernization Theory: Roster’s stages of economic growth
- modernization model: singapore
- development through industrialization and international trade
- suggests all countries follow a similar path through economic development:
traditional, preconditions to takeoff, takeoff, drive to maturity, high mass consumption
dependency theory
poor countries rely on rich countries, as rich countries destabilize the weak countries causing them to be in need
* alternative to modernization model
* based off colonial interactions
* sustain the prosperity of the dominant regions and poverty of the lesser regions
Wallerstein’s world systems theory
rich core capitalist societies succeed by exploiting poorer peripheral ones
core countries
- high level of socioeconomic prosperity
- dominant players in global economic game – have banking, high value manufacturing, high wages, high investment, and good welfare services
semi-periphery countries
- a mix of productive activities – some like core, other like the periphery
- regions that exert more power than periphery regions
- exploited by core. In turn, exploits the periphery
periphery countries
- poor regions, supply low value raw materials to the core, lac technical know-how
- do not have much control over their own affairs – non-democratic governments, low wages
Human Development Index
- created by the UN
- measures economic (GNI), social (expected years of education), and demographic factors (life expectancy)
- communities with a high HDI often have stable governments and good education
- Europe – highest score
- South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa – lowest score
Gender Inequality Index (GII)
- reproductive health
- empowerment
- economic status
- insight into gender disparities in health, empowerment, and the labour market
- higher values in GII indicate worse achievements
micro loans/ microfinancing
provision of small loans to individuals and businesses in developing countries that are unable to obtain loans form commercial bank
transnational corporations
international; controls assets in other economies, and operates in multiple countries
outsourcing
the act of getting alternative goods and services from other cheaper locations rather than locally
offshoring
transfer of a production function to another country
special economic zones
an area in a country that is subject to different economic regulations/trade laws than other regions in the same country
* tend to attract foreign direct investment
* Japan and Korea
Free Trade Zones
area where goods are handled without the intervention of authorities
* where goods from foreign countries can be imported without tariffs
export processing zones
industrial estates for manufacturing goods for exports
* often found in developing countries
* government creates specialized policies and desirable investment
Maquiladoras
factories in Mexico which are largely duty and tariff-free
* an export processing zone
sustainability
the use of earth’s renewable and nonrenewable resources in ways that assure resource availability in the future
e.g. Cost Rica, Galapagos Island (Ecuador)
Ecotourism
a type of tourism that focuses on experiencing natural areas while minimizing the negative impact on the environment
* economic benefits for the local people and host communities
Site
physical characteristics, terrain
e.g. Manhattan is NYC located on an island
Situation
relative location, and how it is related to other places, surroundings
e.g. Manhattan is bounded by the Hudson, East, and Harlem rivers
Central Business District (CBD)
often referred to as downtown, where business occurs
edge city
cities growing at the edge of major suburban freeway changes
* office towers, huge retail complexes, located close to major highways
gentrification
the process of middle and upper-class individuals moving into traditionally lower and working-class areas in a city, displacing original residents as greater investment occurs and rents and land prices begin to rise.
gentrification pros
- reduction in crime
- increased CPP at local businesses
- increased property values/rehabilitation of property
- increased diversity and social mix
gentrification cons
- increased costs for local services
- displacement through rent and price increases
- homelessness (loss of affordable housing)
- shift in neighborhood character – cultural displacement
hearth areas of settlements
where settles agriculture first took place
e.g. Mesopotamia, ancient cities of the Fertile Crescent, Indus Valley, Rome)
informal sector activities in the city
not offered by the government, does not offer the same benefits
e.g. dependent subcontract workers, unpaid workers in a family business, street vendors
formal sector activities in the city
government, banking, education, healthcare
megacity
a city with over 10 million people
Megalopolis
a vast, continuous metropolitan area over 300 miles stretching from the South to the North
e.g. Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, NY, and Boston
Primacy
the state of being first in importance
primate city
huge city; captures a large portion of a countries population as well as its economic and cultural activities
* often the capital cities of countries
* population is at least twice the population of the next biggest city
rank-size rule
pattern of settlement generally adhered to in which the nth largest settlement in a country is 1/n the size of the largest city
urban sprawl
the spread of residences, office buildings, commercial centers, shopping malls, etc, in undeveloped areas near densely populated areas
suburbanization
the growth of cities outside an urban area
high costs:
* energy
*commute/transportation/rush hour traffic
* loss of farmland and green space
urban system
interconnected systems of buildings, microclimate, transportation, power and water supply, and humans
urbanism
concentration of human habitation and center of society, culture, and business
urbanization
the process through which cities grow, and higher and higher percentages of the population come to live in the city
green belt, garden cities
area reserved for and maintained as farms, forests, and parks in order to restrict urban sprawl
* planned dispersal to keep cities sustainable
sustainable cities
the ability of a city or urban area to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
- green areas
- solar/renewable energy
- transportation
- composting bins
- phasing out plastics at supermarkets
- conservative vehicles and light
slums
a highly congested urban area marked by deteriorated unsanitary buildings, poverty, and social disorganization
a slum household lacks of any one of the 5 following elements:
1) access to improved water
2) access to improved sanitation
3) security of tenure
4) durability of housing
5) sufficient living area
largest slums in the world:
* somalia
* egypt
* pakistan
* kenya
health risks to slum dwellers:
* contaminated water
* inadequate disposal of human wastes
* wastewater and garbage
* insects, pests, and parasites in homes
* poor ventilation and overcrowding –> indoor air pollution
squatter settlements
housing that occupies public or unoccupied land without right or legal title.
* found on marginal land parcels like railways setbacks or “undesirable” marshy land
biofuels
produce energy from living matter (corn, sugar, cane, etc.)
* debate over whether they should be used for food or fuel
eutrophication
process where water bodies become oxygen deficient – nutrients from agricultural runoff cause algae blooms – decay of algae consumes oxygen
- creates dead zones (hypoxia) with death of oxygen prevalent
- e.g. Baltic Sea
fossil fuels
non-renewable energy sources (petroleum, coal, oil, and natural gas)
* fossil fuel burning created carbon dioxide and air pollution
greenhouse effect
trapping of long wave radiation (heat) by greenhouse gasses in lower atmosphere – gasses absorb and reradiate long wave radiation
* linked to climate change
landfill
solid waste is burned to reduce odors, pest proliferation, and hide unsightly trash
sustainable cities
the ability of a city or urban area to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
renewable energy sources
an infinite supply
* solar wind, hydroelectric, biofuels, and geothermal
* US is top geothermal country
nonrenewable energy sources
a finite supply that is geographically concentrated
* proven reserves of fossil fuels – deposits that can be recovered with some uncertainty
- Coal reserves: US, Russia, China, India, Australia
- Oil reserves: Middle East (Saudi Arabia), Canada
- Natural gas reserves: US, Russia, Iran
political ecology
the relationship between political, economic, and social factors with environmental issues and changes
