Unit 1 Flashcards
Geography
The study of where things are found on Earth’s surface and the reasons for the locations
Place
A specific point on Earth, distinguished by a 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
The physical gap or interval between two objects
Connection
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
cartoraphy
the science of map making
Global Positioning System (GPS)
a system that determines the precise position of something on Earth
geotagging
identification and storage of a piece of info 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)
captures, store, queries, and displays the geographic data
remote sensing
the acquisition of data about Earth’s surface and transmit images in digital form to a receiving station on Earth’s surface
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
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 numbering system used to indicate the location of meridians drawn on a globe and measuring distances east and 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
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
the time at the prime meridian and the master reference time for all points on Earth
International Date Line
an arc that for the most part follows 180 degrees longitude, although it deviates in several places to avoid dividing land areas. When the International Date Line is crossed heading east, the clock moves back 24 hours, or one entire day. When it is crossed going west, the calendar moves ahead one day.top
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 agriculture and industry, and physical features such as climate and vegetation
formal region/uniform 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/perceptual region
an area that people believe exists as a 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
spatial 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
density
the frequency with which something occurs in space
concentration
the extent of a feature’s spread over space
pattern
the geometric arrangement of objects in space
potstructural geography
examines how the powerful in a society dominate, or seek to control
humanistic geography
a branch of human geography that emphasizes the different ways that individuals form ideas about place and give those places symbolic meanings
Behavorial geography
emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychological basis for individual human actions in space
uneven development
the increasing gap in economic condition between regions in the core and periphery that results from the globalization of the economy
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
relocation diffusion
the process by which a feature spreads across space from one place to another another over time
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
a 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 diminished importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin
space-time compression
the reduction in time it takes for something to reach another place
resource
a substance in the environment that is useful to people, is economically and technologically feasible to access, and is socially acceptable to use
sustainability
the use of Earth’s resources in ways that ensure their availability in the future
climate
the long-term average weather condition at a particular location
cultural ecology
the geographic study of human-environment relationships
Environmental Determinism
a doctrine that claims that cultural traits are formed and controlled by physical environment
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
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
Distribution
the arrangement of a feature in space
density
the frequency with which something occurs in space
concentration
the extent of a feature’s spread over space
pattern
the geometric arrangement of objects in space
