THE BIG LIST - UNIT 1 Flashcards
AKA the built environment. Any time people interact with the environment they shape it in
ways that reflect their culture
Cultural landscape
people per square mile
Arithmetic density
The number of people per unit of area of arable land
Physiological density
land suited for agriculture
arable land
how many people have to be supported by the amount of available farmland
Physiological density
High physiological density
food must be imported in a country
farmers per unit of arable land
Agricultural Density
what GIS stands for
Geographic Information System
Computer software/app that allows you to view geographic information in layers over a map
GIS
what GPS stands for
Global Positioning System
Navigation system made up of 24 satellites, tracking stations on the ground, and receivers,
Absolute location of receiver is triangulated and used to navigate
GPS
The place of origin of an idea, culture, or human activity.
Hearth
The process of spread of a feature or trend from one place to another over time
Diffusion
The spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another.
Relocation diffusion
The spread of a feature from one place to another in a snowballing process
Expansion diffusion
The spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places
Hierarchical diffusion
The rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population
Contagious diffusion
the spread of an underlying principle, even though a characteristic itself apparently fails to diffuse
Stimulus diffusion
The arrangement of something across Earth’s surface. (clustered or dispersed)
Distribution/ Spatial Distribution
A 19th- and early 20th-century approach to the study of geography that argued that the general laws sought by human geographers could be found in the physical sciences. Geography was therefore the study of how the physical environment caused human activities. (The fate of societies and their behavior is determined almost entirely by the physical environment)
Environmental determinism
The physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment or alter their environment to suit their needs.
Possibilism
Position on Earth’s surface using the coordinate system of longitude (runs from North to South Pole) and latitude ( runs parallel to the equator).
Absolute location
Position on Earth’s surface relative to other features, also situation
Relative location
Tendency for regional connections to form and sometimes take priority over global trends. For example, trade blocs, such as the European Union, that eliminate trade barriers for regional members while often creating trade barriers against “foreign” global competitors.
Regionalization
refers to a group’s perceived identification with a particular region at any scale. (eg. Quebec, many French speakers identify more as Quebecois than as Canadian
Regionalism
The physical character of place; what is found at the location and why it is significant. Can be physical (mountains) or human characteristics
Site
The location of a place relative to other places, also relative location
Situation
The reduction in the time it takes to diffuse something to a distant place, as a result of improved communications and transportation system
Space Time Compression
is based on the notion that distance usually requires some amount of effort, money, and/or energy to overcome. Because of this “friction,” spatial interactions will tend to take place more often over shorter distances; quantity of interaction will decline with distance
Friction of Distance
information about the earth, or a part of it
Geospatial data
Actions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope
Globalization
Concept is that contact diminishes with increasing distance
Gravity model (from Isaac Newton)
The diminishing in importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin.
Distance Decay
defined by Manuel Castells as a set of interconnected nodes without a center
Networks
The relationships or points of contact among people and objects across space. Geographers are concerned with the various means by which connections occur
Connections
Refers to the physical gap or interval between two objects. Spatial, or geospatial in this course always refers to a part of the earth
Space
refers to the size and complexity of the area being studied.
Scale
An area in which everyone shares one or
more distinctive characteristics.
Formal/Uniform/H
omogeneous Region
An area organized around a node or focal
point.
Functional/Nodal
Region
An area that people believe exists as part
of their cultural identity
Vernacular/Percep
tual Region
Physical landscape such as mountains, rivers, etc.
Natural Landscape
Describes when a phenomenon is distributed in an organized rather than irregular way.
Pattern
based primarily on exploratory research, information that can’t be measured. Some common methods include focus groups, individual interviews, and participation/observations. The sample size is typically small
Qualitative data
Geoid
The shape of the Earth (a bumpy sphere)
Depiction of Earth’s surface on a 2 dimensional surface. Each type creates a different type of distortion.
Projection
place name
Toponym
research that involves collecting information that can be turned into statistical data, such as attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and other defined variables, uses measurable data, usually with large sample sizes, to formulate facts and uncover patterns in research, very powerful tool in evaluating and forecasting human behavior. Its use has been increasing
Quantitative data
