Agricultural density
the ratio of the number of farmers to the total amount of land suitable for agriculture
Arithmetic density
total number of people divided by the total land area
Contagious diffusion
widespread diffusion of a feature or trend throughout a population
Culture
the body of customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits that together constitute a group of people's distinct tradition
Density
frequency with which something exists within a given unit of area
Diffusion
process of spread of a feature or trend from one place to another over time
Distance decay
diminishing in importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin
Distribution
arrangement of something across Earth's surface
Environmental determinism
approach to the study of geography that argued that the general laws sought by human geographers could be found in physical sciences
Expansion diffusion
the spread of a feature or trend among people from one area to another in a snowballing process
Formal region
an areas in which everyone shares in one or more distinctive characteristics
Functional region
an area organized around a node or focal point
Geographic information system
(GIS) a computer system that stores, organizes and analyzes and displays geographic data
Global Positioning System
(GPS) system that determines the precise position of something on earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations and receivers
Hearth
region from which innovative ideas originate
Hierarchical diffusion
spread of a feature from one key person to another
International Date Line
an arc that follows 180 degrees longitude, when you cross it heading east the clock moves back 24
Latitude
numbering system used to indicate the location of parallels drawn on a globe measuring distance north and south of the equator
Location
position of anything of earth's surface
Longitude
numbering system used to indicate the location of meridians drawn on a globe measuring distance east and west of the prime meridian
Pattern
geometric or regular arrangement do something in a study area
Physiological density
the number of people per unit of area of land suitable for agriculture
Place
a specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular character
Possibilism
theory that physical environment mat set limits on human actions but that can be adjusted
Region
area distinguished by a unique combination of trends or features
Relocation diffusion
spread of a trend through bodily movement of people from one place to another
Remote sensing
acquisition about a data in earth's surface from a satellite orbiting the planet or the other long-distance methods
Resource
substance in the environment that is useful to people
Scale
relationship between the portion of earth being studied as a whole
Sections
a square normally 1 mile on a side
Site
physical character of a place
Stimulus diffusion
spread of a basic principle even though a specific characteristic is rejected
Toponym
the name given to a portion of the earth's surface
Uneven development
increasing gap in economic conditions between core and peripheral regions as a result of the globalization of the economy
Vernacular region
an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity
Agricultural Density
ratios of the number of farmers to the total amount of land suitable for agriculture
Arithmetic density
total number of people divided by the total land area
Crude birth rate
total number of live births in a year for every 1,000 people alive in the society
Crude death rate
total number of deaths in a year for every 1,00 people alive in the society
Demographic transition
process of change in a society's population from a condition of high crude birth and death rates and low rate of natural increase to a condition of low crude birth and death rates, low rate of natural increase, and a higher total population
Dependency ratio
number of people under the age of 15 and over age 64, compared to the number of people active in the labor force
Doubling time
number of years needed to double a population, assuming a constant rate of natural increase
Industrial Revolution
series of improvements in industrial technology that transformed the process of manufacturing goods
Infant Mortality Rate
total number of deaths in a year among infants under 1 year old for every 1,000 live births in a society
Life expectancy
average number of years an individual can be expected to live, given current social, economic, and medical conditions. Life expectancy at birth is the average number of years a newborn infant can expect to live
Natural Increase Rate
percentage growth of a population in a year computed as the crude birth rate minus the crude death rate
Overpopulation
number of people in an area exceeds the capacity of the environment to support life at a decent standard of living
Pandemic
disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects a very high proportion of the population
Physiological density
number of people per unit of area of arable land, which is land suitable for agriculture
Population pyramid
a bar graph representing the distribution of population by age and sex
Total Fertility Rate
average number of children a woman will have throughout her childbearing years
Zero Population Growth
a decline of the total fertility rate to the point where the natural increase rate equals zero
Brain Drain
large scale immigration by talented people
Circulation
short-term, repetitive, or cyclical movements that recur on a regular basis
Counterurbanization
net migration from urban to rural areas in more developed countries
Emigration
migration "from" a location
Forced migration
permanent movement compelled usually by cultural factors
Immigration
migration "to" a new location
Internal migration
permanent movement within a particular country
International migration
permanent movement within a particular country
Interregional migration
permanent region from one country to another
Intervening obstacle
environmental or cultural feature of the landscape that hinders migration
Intraregional migration
permanent movement within one region of a country
Migration
form of relocation diffusion involving a permanent move to a new location
Migration transition
change in the migration pattern in a society that results from industrialization, population growth and others
Mobility
all types of movement from one location to another
Net migration
difference between the level of immigration and the level of emigration
Pull factor
induces people to move to a new location
Push factor
induces people to move to leave old residences
Creole or Creolized Language
language that results from the mixing of a colonizer's language with the indigenous language of the people being donimated
Dialect
regional variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation
Isogloss
boundary that seperates regions in which different language useages predominate. Isolated Language- language that is unrelated to any other languages and therefore not attached to any language family
Language Branch
collection of languages related through a common ancestor that existed several thousand years ago
Language Group
collection of languages within a Branch that share a common orgin in the relatively recent past and display relatively few differences in grammer and vocabulary
Language Family
collection of languages related to each other through a common ancestor long before recorded history
Lingua Franca
language mutually understood and commonly used be people form different languages
Literary Tradition
language that is written as well as spoken
Standard Language
form of a language used for official government business, education and mass communications
Universalizing Religions
religion that attempts to appeal to all people
Ethnic Religion
religion with a relatively concentrated spatial distribution whose principles are likely to be based on the physical characteristics of the particular location
Branch
large and fundamental division within a religion
Denomination
division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations in a single legal and administrative body
Sect
relatively small group that has broken away from an established denomination Monotheism- doctrine or belief of the existence of only one god
Animism
belief that objects, or natural events, have a discrete spirit and conscious life
Pagan
follower of a polytheistic religion in ancient times
Cosmogony
set of religious beliefs concerning the origin of the universe
Solstice
time when the sun is farthest from the equator
Diocese
basic unit of geographic organizaton in the roman catholic church
Autonomus Religions
religion that does not have a central authority but shares ideas and cooperates informally
Fundamentalism
literal interpretation and strict adherence to basic principles of a religion
Caste
class or distinct heriditary order into which a hindu is assigned according to religious law Hierarchical Religion- spread of a feature or trend from one key person to other persons or powers
Centripetal force
attitude that tends to unify people and enhance support for a state.
Ethnicity
identity with a group of people that share distinct physical and mental traits as a product of common heredity and cultural traditions.
Multi-ethnic state
state that contains more than one ethnicity.
Multinational state
state that contains two or more ethnic groups with traditions of self-determination that agree to coexist peacefully by recognizing each other as distinct nationalities.
Nationalism
loyalty and devotion to a particular nationality.
Nationality
identity with a group of people that share legal attachment and personal allegiance to a particular place as a result of being born there.
Nation-state
state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity that has been transformed into a nationality.
Self-determination
concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves.
Balance of Power
Condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or alliances of counties.
Boundary
Invisible line that marks the extent of a state's territory.
City-State
A sovereign state comprising a city and its immediate hinterland.
Colonialism
Attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory.
Colony
A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independent.
Compact State
A state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly.
Elongated State
A state with a long, narrow shape.
Federal State
An internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government.
Fragmented State
A state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory.
Frontier
A zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control.
Gerrymandering
Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.
Imperialism
Control of territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society.
Landlocked State
A state that does not have a direct outlet to the sea.
Microstate
A state that encompasses a very small land area.
Perforated State
A state that completely surrounds another one.
Prorupted State
An otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension.
Sovereignty
Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs from other states.
State
An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs.
Unitary State
An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials.
Custom
The frequent repetition of an act, to the extent that it becomes characteristic of the group of people performing the act.
Folk Culture
Culture traditionally practiced by a small, homogeneous, rural group living in relative isolation from other groups.
Habit
A repetitive act performed by a particular individual
Popular Culture
Culture found in a large, heterogeneous society that shares certain habits despite differences in other personal characteristics.
Taboo
restriction on behavior imposed by social customs.
Material artifacts
Visible objects that a group possesses and leaves behind for the future including survival activities (food, shelter, clothing) and leisure activities (arts and recreation). Relocation diffusion- The spread of a feature or trend through bodily movement of
Environmental determinism
19th and early 20th century approach to the study of geography that argued that the physical environment caused human activities.
MDC
More Developed Country
LDC
Less Developed Country
Chador
Combination head covering and veil worn by many women in Islamic countries.
Dowry
A "gift" (money, cattle, property, etc) given to a groom's family by the bride's family in traditional cultures.
Cultural imperialism
people may lose their folk culture because of the influence of material elements of popular culture from MDCs.
Hearths
Regions from which innovative ideas originate
Terroir
describes the effect environmental conditions (soil, climate, water) on a specific food item such as wine.
Non-material aspects of folk culture
songs, dance, stories, customs, belief systems
5 most populous regions
E Asia, S Asia, SE Asia, N America, Europe