Unit 1 Flashcards
vocab master
place
a specific point on Earth, distinguished by a particular characteristic
region
an area of Earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristics or trends or features
scale
the relationship between the portion of the Earth being studied and Earth as a whole, from local to global
space
the physical gap or interval between two objects
connection
relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space. Geographers are concerned with the various means by which connections occur.
GPS
system that determines precise position of something on Earth
geotagging
identification and storage of a piece of info by its precise coordinates
GIScience (geo info)
analysis of data about earth acquired through satellite info
GIS (geo info system)
captures, stores, queries, and displays the geographic data
remote sensing
acquisition of data about earth’s surface via a satellite orbiting earth or other long-distance methods
VGI (volunteered geo info)
the creation and dissemination of geo data contributed voluntarily and for free by individuals
citizen science
scientific research by amateur scientists
Participatory GIS
community-based mapping.
mashup
a map that overlays data from one source on top of a map provided by a mapping service
meridian
an arc drawn between north and south poles
longitude
vertical lines running north to south
a parallel
a circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator
latitude
horizontal lines running east to west
prime meridian
Line that passes through Greenwich, England and is 0 degrees longitude
GMT (Greenwich mean time)
master reference for all time on Earth and located at prime meridian
Interntional Date line
a line marking 180 degrees longitude where you move back a whole day after crossing
location
position that something occupies on Earth’s surface
toponym
a 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 like
- language and religion
- economic features (agriculture/industry)
- physical features (climate and vegetation)
formal/uniform region
area within which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics
functional/ nodal region
an area organized around a node or a focal point
vernacular/ perceptual region
an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity
culture
the body of -customary beliefs -material traits -social forms that together form distinct tradition of a group of people
spatial association
the distribution of one feature being associated with the distribution of another feature
globalization
a force or process that involves that entire world and results in making something worldwide in scope
transnational corporation
a corporation that -conducts research -operates factories -sells products in many countries, not just where headquarters are
distribution
the arrangement of a feature in space
concentration
the extent of a feature’s spread over space
pattern
geometric arrangement of objects in space
poststructuralist geography
study of how
-the powerful in society dominate, or seek to control, the less powerful groups
-dominate groups occupy space
confrontations from the domination
humanistic geography
a branch of human geo that emphasizes the different ways that individuals form ideas about a place, and give those places symbolic meaning
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 globalization of the economy
assimilation
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
diffusion
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 node 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 principal even though a characteristic itself apparently fails to diffuse
network
a chain of communication that connects places
distance decay
phenomenon that the farther away someone is from another, the less likely the two are to interact
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
sustainability
the use of Earth’s resources in ways that ensure their availability in the future
renewable resources
is produced in nature more rapidly that it is consumed by humans
nonrenewable resources
is produced in nature more slowly that it is consumed by humans
preservation
the maintenance of resources in their present condition, with as little human impact as possible
biotic
describing living organisms
abiotic
describing non-living or inorganic matter
atmosphere
a thin layer of gases surrounding the Earth
hydrosphere
all of the water on and near the Earth’s surface
lithosphere
Earth’s crust and a portion of the upper mantle directly below the crust
biosphere
all living organisms on the 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
cultural ecology
the geographic study of human-environment relationships
environmental determinism
the belief that physical environment causes social development
possibilism
the physical environment may limit 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
