Unit 1 Flashcards
vocab master
place
a specific point on Earth, distinguished by particular characteristic
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
space
refers to the physical gap or interval between two objects
connection
refers to a relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space
map
two-dimensional or flat-scale model of Earth’s surface or a portion of it
cartography
the science of mapmaking
Global Positioning System (GPS)
a system that determines the precise positioning of something on Earth
Geographic Information Science (GIScience)
analysis of data about Earth acquired through satellite and other electronic information technologies
Geographic Information System (GIS)
captures, stores, queries, and displays the geographic data
remote sensing
the acquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting Earth or from other long-distance methods
Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI)
the creation and dissemination of geographic data contributed voluntarily and for free by individuals
citizen science
scientific research by amateur scientists
Patricipatory 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 it’s actual size on Earth
projection
transferring locations on Earth’s surface to a flat map
meridian
arc drawn between the north and south poles
longitude
the location of each meridian is identified on Earth’s surface according to a numbering system
parallel
a circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at right angles to the meridians
latitude
numbering system to indicate the location of a parallel
prime meridian
the meridian that passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwhich, England, is 0 degrees longitude
Greenwhich Mean Time (GTI)
the time at the prime meridian, is the master reference to time for all points on Earth
International Date Line
follows 180 degrees latitude, you move the clock back 24 hours
location
the position that something occupies on Earth’s surface
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
formal region/unified region
an area within which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics
functional region/nodal region
an area organized around a node or focal point
vernacular region/perceptional region
an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity
culture
the body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that together constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people
spacial association
occurs within a region if 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
conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters and principal shareholders are located
distribution
the arrangement of a feature in space
concentration
the extent of a feature’s spread over space
pattern
the geometric arrangement of objects in space
poststructuralist geography
examines how the powerful in a society dominate, or seek to control, less powerful groups, how the dominated groups occupy space, and confrontation that result from the domination
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
emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychological basis for individual human actions in space
uneven development
the increasing gap in economic conditions between regions in the core and periphery that results from the globalization of the economy
diffusion
the process by which a feature spreads across space from one place to another over time
hearth
a place from which an innovation originates
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 or power 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
network
a chain of communication that connects places
distance decay
the farther away someone is from another, the less likely the two are to interact. contact diminishes with increasing distance and eventually disappears
space-time compression
used to describe the reduction in the time it takes for something to reach another place
resource
a substance in the environment that is useful to people
sustainability
the use of Earth’s resource in ways that ensure their availability in the future
renewable resource
is produced in nature more rapidly than it is consumed by humans
nonrenewable resource
is produced in nature more slowly then it is consumed by humans
conservation
the sustainable use and management of Earth’s natural resources to meet human needs such as food, medicine and recreation
preservation
the maintenance of resources in their present condition, with as little human contact as possible
biotic
composed of living organisms
abiotic
composed of non-living or organic matter
atmosphere
a thin layer of gases surrounding Earth
hydrosphere
all of the water on and near Earth’s surface
lithosphere
Earth’s crust and a portion of upper mantle directly below the crust
biosphere
all living organisms on Earth, including plants, and animals as well as microorganisms
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
ecology
the scientific study of ecosystems
environmental determinism
the physical environment caused social development
possibilism
the physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment
polder
a piece of land that is created by draining water from an area
geotagging
identification and storage of a piece of information by its precise latitude and longitude coordinates
assimilation
the process by 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
