Midterm Exam Flashcards
region
geographical unit based on characteristics and functions of culture
formal region
a geographical area inhabited by people that have one or more traits in common such as language, religion, or a system of livelihood. ex states
functional (modal)
need not be culturally homogenous, instead it is a geographical area that has been organized to function politically, socially, culturally, or economically as one unit ex metropolitan area (not a hard defined line of what “LA” is)
nodes
for functional region, central points where functions are coordinated and directed
vernacular (perceptual)
a region that is perceived to exist by its inhabitants, as evidenced by the widespread acceptance and use of a special region name (the south)
diffusion
movement of people, ideas, or things from one location outward toward other location. AKA the pattern by which a phenomenon, people’s ideas, technologies, or preferences spreads from one particular location through space and time
relocation diffusion
when individuals or groups with a particular idea or practice migrate from one location to another, thereby bringing the idea or practice to their new homeland (ex, spread of language)
expansion diffusion
ideas or practices spread throughout a population from area to are in a snowballing process so that the total number of knowers or users and the areas of occurrence increase
hierarchical
type of expansion diffusion, ideas leapfrog from one important person to another from one urban center to another, temporarily bypassing other persons or rural territories (spread of fashion from LA and NYC inward)
contagious:
type of expansion diffusion, involves the wavelike spread of ideas in the manner of contagious disease, moving throughout space without regard to hierarchies (disease)
stimulus
type of expansion diffusion, a specific trait that is rejected but the underlying idea is accepted (different football codes)
absorbing barriers
barrier to diffusion, completely halt diffusion allowing no further progress (north korea)
permeable barriers
barrier to diffusion, allowing innovations to diffuse but oftentimes partially and in a weakened way
globalization
processes of economic, political, and social integration that have collectively created ties that make a difference to lives around the planet
interdependence
the reciprocal ties established between regions and countries that over time collectively create a global economic system (import/export)
time-space compression
process by which the world is made smaller through multiple developments including technological change
environmental determinism
the belief that the physical environment is the dominant force shaping cultures and the humankind is essentially a passive product of its physical surroundings
possibilism
the view that any physical environment offers a number of ways for a culture to develop. local environment helps shape its resident culture, the way of life ultimately depends on the choices people make among the possibilities offered by the environment
environment perceptionist
declares that the choices people make will depend more on what they perceive the environment to be rather than on the actual character of the environment
humans as modifiers of the earth
geographers who emphasize the human impact on the land assert that humans mold the environment
geography
writing about the earth, the study of spatial patterns and of differences and similarities from one place to another in environment and culture
mental maps
when subjects produce a personal graphical representation of spatial information, individual
cartography
conception, creation, production, dissemination and study of maps
projection
how the map is distorted to fit a round globe on a flat surface (the stretching or compressing of sizes of countries which skews off the proportions).
mercator projection map
original, Eurocentric, inflates size of global north countries
galls peters projection
better represents countries relative size, more equitable
orientation
north doesn’t always have to be pointed up, some maps actually look at everything “flipped”
scale
relationships between distances shown on map vs actual distances on earth’s surface.
small scale
show a larger area but not in such great detail
large scale
show a smaller area but its shown in great detail
Peter jackons four key concepts
space and place, scale and connection, proximity and distance, relational thinking
place vs space
place is a meaningful location vs space is transformed into place once meaning is attached
Agnew’s approach
location, locale, sense of place
Agnew’s location
relationship to other places, the answer to the question “where”, fixed objective coordinates
Agnew’s locale
material setting for social relations, actual “shape” of the space, city streets and buildings (walls, doors, etc.)
placelessness
when a space has become so standardized that there is no difference between regions, environment w/out significant places and the attitude that does not give that space significance (ex. strip malls)
