Test 1 Flashcards
What is a mental map and discuss.
Maps in our minds of our activity spaces.
Difference between a small and large scale map and provide an example of each.
A small scale map portrays a large area in generalized terms. (The country of Canada)
A large scale map portrays a small area with detail (the city of Boston)
Small- large picture, less detail
Large-small picture, more detail.
Discuss difference between relative and absolute location.
Relative: defines a place in relationship to other places.
Absolute: provides unique address
What was Pangaea ?
Supercontinent when all the continents were once joined together.
Discuss Wegener’s plate tectonics.
Lighter rock continents float atop heavier rock played that move by magma circulation cells within the earth.
What is the ring of fire?
Is a zone of crustal instability along plate boundaries ringing the Pacific Ocean Basin. Earthquakes and volcanoes.
What is the earths inclination? How do the tropics of cancer and Capricorn and the arctic and Antarctic circles relate to the inclination?
23.5.
Differences between conformal and equal-area projections. Examples?
Conformal preserves the shape over small areas but makes things look larger than what they are. essentially a flat map.
An equal area project is kind of true to life. Imagine a cut up orange peel. It minimizes distortion relating to how big an area looks.
What properties are always distorted when transferring a spherical shape like earth to a flat map?
Shape, area, and scale.
Define geography? What does it literally mean?
Geography studies the location and distribution of features on the Earths surface. It literally means “description of the earth”. Geography seeks to answer why and how of different earth phenomena.
What are the two key variables of weather and climate?
-TEMPERATURE
and
-PRECIPITATION
What are the CLIMACTIC CONTROLS that affect a locations climate and how do they affect climate?
-latitude Elevation Land water distribution Ocean currents Atmospheric circulation Topography
What are the TWO causes of our changing seasons?
The angle of inclination
And
The earths position in orbit.
What is the climactic zone of East Texas?
C-Temperate-Humid Subtropical
Why are there no D climates in the Southern Hemisphere?
Because it’s mostly water!
Why are the majority of the worlds major deserts 30 degrees north and south of the equator?
subtropical high pressure zone
Differences between cyclone and anti-cyclone?
Cyclone-low pressure-areas of clouds and percipitation
Anticylcone-high pressure no clouds or percipitation
Describe and discuss the three processes of precipitation.
Convectional-
Orographical-mountain association
Cyclonic Frontal-cold/warm front
How are the distribution of biomes determined?
Climates
What is xerophytic? Example?
It describes the type of plant that has adapted to survive in environments with little amounts of liquid water, such as in the desert and tundra climates. i.e. Catus
Some factors influencing relative wealth of a nation?
-dependency theory.
Location.
Natural resources.
Cultural and historical factors.
Why is Africa so rich in resources but has the worst poverty?
-
What is the traditional dividing line between the European and Asian continents?
The Ural Mountains.
Why is northwestern Europe largely dominated by temperate climates?
Two reasons:
Prevailing westerly winds
and
The North Atlantic Drift Current.
Single largest feature across Europe?
Northern European Lowland.
Many of Europes major cities are located along which physical feature of Europe.
The Northern European lowland.
Most of Europes precipitation is caused by_____
A
In regards to Europe, define “complimentarity”
One area producing a surplus of a commodity needed by another area.
In regards to Europe, define “transferability”
Ease with which a commodity can be transported by producer to consumer.
What are centripetal forces? Example in today’s Europe?
Forces that help and politically unify as a cohesive and stable entity.
Define centrifugal forces. Example in Europe?
Forces that contribute to social and political divergence which act to break apart a state. Think devolution.
Define and discuss post-industrial.
A society moving away from heavy industrial manufacturing jobs to more service related jobs.
Compare and contrast Germany and France.
France is physically bigger.
Lacks good harbors and navigable waters.
France is defined by centrality.
At its height, the British empire covered what percent of the earths land surface?
25%
Where is Italy’s manufacturing hub located?
The PO RIVER BASIN/North Italy.
Europes largest country by area?
UKRAINE.
Describe the “troubles” of Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland heavily dominated by Protestant loyalists to the UK, southern Irish dominantly catholic and wanting independence.
Where is the EU headquartered?
BRUSSELS, Belgium.
What Nordic nation voted against joining the EU
Norway. They like their whale meat.
What European country has benefitted most from oil and gas of the North Sea?
Norway.
What is irredentism and give an example.
A political or popular movement intended to reclaim a lost territory. “Population of people outside of a country.” Example:Hungarians in Serbia.
What is a primate city and give an example.
It is the leading city in its country or region and disproportionately larger than others. Paris, London, Brussels.
Why is Eastern Europe considered a shatter belt in geopolitical terms ?
A zone of splintering between cultural and political forces.
What is significant about Kaliningrad ?
Its a silver of Russia’s Lithuania that Russia kept for themselves.
Much of Europe can be described climactically as _____ and ______
Marine west coast
and
Mediterranean
Or C and D perhaps.
What does spatial mean and how does geographys interest in space differentiate it from other disciplines?
Spatial relates to the distribution of various phenomena on the earths surface. Geographys considers spatial patterns to be crucial to how we live and organize our societies.
Characterize Europe physically
Large Peninsula of Eurasian landmass
Characterize the size and population of Europe compared to the contiguous US.
Has 2 times the population of US.
