Unit 1 Flashcards
place
A specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular character.
region
an area of Earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristics
scale
the relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole
connection
relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space.
map
a two-dimensional, or flat, representation of Earth’s surface or a portion of it.
cartography
the science of mapmaking
global positioning system (gps)
a system that determines the precise position of something on earth
mental map
a personal representation of a portion of earth’s surface
geotagging
identification and storage of a piece of information by its precise latitude and longitude coordinates
geographic information science (giscience)
analysis of data about earth acquired through satellite and other electronic information technologies
geographic information system (gis)
a computer system that can capture, store, query, analyze, and display geographic data to produce maps
remote sensing
the acquisition of data about earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting earth
volunteered geographic information (vgi)
the creation and dissemination of geographic data contributed voluntarily by individuals
citizen science
scientific research by amateur scientists
participatory gis (pgis)
community-based mapping
mashup
a map that overlays data from one source on top of a map provided by a mapping service
map scale
the relationship of a feature’s size on a map to its actual size on earth
projection
the scientific method of transferring locations on earth’s surface to a flat map
meridian
an arc drawn between the north and south poles
longitude
the distance in degrees east or west of the prime meridian
parallel
a circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at right angles to the meridians
latitude
The numbering system used to indicate the location of parallels drawn on a globe and measuring distance north and south of the equator.
prime meridian
the meridian that passes through 0 degrees longitude
greenwich mean time (gmt)
the time at the prime meridian, or 0 degrees longitude
international date line
the line of longitude that marks where each new day begins at 180 degrees longitude
toponym
the name given to a place on earth
site
the physical character of a place
situation
the location of a place relative to other places
cultural landscape
a combination of cultural features such as language and religion, economic features such as agriculture and industry, and physical features such as climate and vegetation
formal region (uniform region)
an area within which everyone shares a common one or more distinctive characteristics
functional region (nodal region)
an area organized around a node or focal point
vernacular region (perceptual region)
an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity
culture
the body of customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits that together constitute a group’s distinct tradition
spatial association
when the distribution of one feature is related to the distribution of another feature
globalization
a force or process that involves the entire world and results in making something worldwide in scope
transnational corporation
a company that conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters or shareholders are located
concentration
the extent of a feature’s spread over space
pattern
the geometric arrangement of objects in space
poststructuralist geography
how the powerful in a society dominate or seek to control less powerful groups
humanistic geography
a branch of human geography that emphasizes the different ways that individuals form ideas about place and give those places symbolic meanings
behavioral geography
the importance of understanding the phycological basis for individual human actions in a space
uneven development
the increasing gap in economic conditions between core and peripheral regions as a result of the globalization of the economy
assimilation
the process of which a group’s cultural features are altered to resemble those of another group
acculturation
the process of changes in culture that result from the meeting of two groups
syncretism
the combination of elements of two groups into a new cultural feature
multiculturalism
a condition in which ethnic groups exist separately and share equally in economic and political life
diffusion
the process by which a feature spreads across space from one place to another over time
hearth
the region from which innovative ideas originate
relocation diffusion
the spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another
expansion diffusion
the spread of a feature from one place to another in an additive process
hierarchical diffusion
the spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority to other persons or places
contagious diffusion
the rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population
stimulus diffusion
the spread of an underlying principle, even though a characteristic itself apparently fails to diffuse
distance decay
the effects of distance on interaction, generally the greater the distance the less interaction
space-time compression
the reduction in the time it takes for something to reach another place.
resource
a substance in the environment that is useful to people, economically and technologically feasible to access and socially acceptable to use
sustainability
the use of earth’s resources in ways that ensure their availability in the future
renewable resource
produced in nature more rapidly than it is consumed by humans
nonrenewable resource
produced in nature more slowly than it is consumed by humans
preservation
the maintenance of resources in their present condition
conservation
the sustainable use and management of earth’s natural resources to meet human needs such as food, medicine, and recreation
biotic
living things
abiotic
non-living things
atmosphere
the envelope of gases surrounding the earth
hydrosphere
all the water on or near the earth’s surface
lithosphere
the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
biosphere
all living organisms on Earth
climate
the long-term average weather condition at a particular location
ecosystem
a group of living organisms and the abiotic spheres with which they interact with
ecology
the scientific study of ecosystems
cultural ecology
the geographic study of human-environment relationships
environmental determinism
the view that the natural environment has a controlling influence over various aspects of human life including cultural development
possibilism
the theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment
polder
piece of land created by draining water from an area
space
the physical gap or interval between two objects
