Geography: Sections 1-5 Vocabulary Flashcards

Geography

knowledge of understanding people interacting with others and
different natural environments

Interdependence

shapes environment and environment shapes us

Absolute Space (location)

coordinates, longitude and latitude

Relative Space (construction)

core (rich), semi-periphery (middle), & periphery (poor)

Place existing b/c people exist

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Scale

colonial maps, regional areas

Culture

complex and dynamic force humans learn in social groups; cultural
landscape: visible imprint of human activity; languages

Ethnogeographies

systems of geography undeveloped and unknown

Physical and Human Geography

roots and relationships with other disciplines in social and physical sciences

Landscape

collection of physical and human features on the surface

Culture

symbolic system of values , beliefs, and attitudes influencing on
behavior and preception

World Regional Approach

human and physical subfields of geography, synthesizing, simplifying,
and characterizing human experiences of earth

Region

a generalization of preparing detailed insight

Formal Regions (Uniform)

population shares a defining trait or set of traits

Functional (Nodal)

spatial unit characterized by a central focus on some activity

Vernacular (Perceptual)

exists in the mind of a large number of people and plays a role in
cultural identity

Map Projection

depicting curved surface of earth

Azimuthal Projection

plane, polar regions

Cylindrical Projection

areas around equator or entire world

Conic Projection

middle latitudes; Polyconic: larger areas

Reference Maps

locations of various features and spatial relationships

Thematic Maps

show numerical data

Choropleth Maps

political features are color coded

Isarithmic Maps

lines to join points of equal value

Graduated Symbol Map

simple symbols for data being mapped

Cartogram

a graduated symbol map that scales generalized outlines of political
units to data

Dot Maps

dots representing stated amount of phenomenon

Flow Maps

arrows detail movement of human activity

Mental Maps

personal information of images and facts about places in an
individual's mind

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

represent cutting edge of geography today; computerized system
helping analyze, manage, and visual geographic data

Equator

circles globe east & west

North Latitude

places north of equator

South Latitude

places south of equator

Low Latitudes

places near equator; Tropic of Cancer

High Latitudes

places near poles; Tropic of Capricorn

Arctic Circle

66.56 degrees N

Antarctic Circle

66.56 degrees S

Middle Latitudes

places occupying intermediate position with respect to poles and equator

Northern Hemisphere

northern half of Earth between equator and North Pole

Southern Hemisphere

southern half between equator and South Pole

Eastern Hemisphere

surface eastward from prime meridian to International Date Line

Western Hemisphere

surface westward from prime meridian to International Date Line

Longitude

horizontal

Latitude

vertical

Statute Mile

land mile, 5,280 ft (1,609 m)

Nautical Mile

sea mile, based on 1 mile of arc of great circle and is 6,076 ft
(1,852 m)

Prime Meridian

longitude of 0 degrees; runs through Greenwich, England

East Longitude

places east of prime meridian

West Longitude

places west of prime meridian

Topographic Maps

illustrate positions (relief) of land feature

Contour Lines

connect points of equal elevation to a specific reference

Coriolis Effect

pattern of opposite movements in hemispheres

Seasonality

angle of earth's polar axis plays a role

Biomes

terrestrial ecosystems categorized by dominant types of natural vegetation

Biodiversity

number of plant and animal species present and variety of genetic
materials organisms contain

Generalized Reciprocity

goods and services given to another without any return

Hydraulic Civilizations

large-scale irrigation; early cities associated with river valleys

Population Pyramid

graphical illustration showing various age groups

Population Density

measurement of population per unit area

Total Fertility Rate

number of children average woman bears during reproductive lifetime

Crude Birth Rate

total number of live births in a year for every 1,000 people alive in
the society; parallels to natural increase rates

Mortality Rate

measure of number of deaths in population; expressed in units of
deaths per 1,000 individuals per year

Life Expectancy

average number of years a newborn infant can expect to live

Land Use

management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into
built environment

Land Cover

physical material at the surface of the earth

Globalization

binding together of lands and people of the world into an integrated
system by capitalist free markets

Transnational Corporations

companies that have international production, marketing, and
management facilities

Outsourcing

obtaining of goods or contracting of work from sources outside a
company or area

Convergence Hypothesis

reduction of cultural differences because of globalization

Placelessness

loss of unique feeling of a place

Sense of Place

state of mind derived through infusion of place with meaning and
emotion by remembering important events

Glacial Scouring

erosive action of ice masses in motion

Glacial Deposition

process of offloading rock and soil in glacial retreat or lateral movements

Devolution

dispersing political power to ethnic minority groups within a certain
geography areas

Buffer States

marchland invaded many times between centuries

Polder

turning swamps, lakes, and shallow seas into agricultural lands

Transhumance

moving from mountain pastures in summer to lowland pastures in winter

Russification

implantation of Russian culture in non-Russian regions

Command Economy

economic plans developed by central government that specify quotas
for protection

Collectivized Agriculture

increase efficiency and production in collective farming and
collective factory farming

Underground Economy

illegal transactions outside formal economy; black market

Barter System

exchanging goods and services without using currency

Kleptocracy

economic and political system based on crime (mafia)

Desalination Plants

complexes take in salt water and convert it to potable water

Drought Avoidance

avoid drought by completing life cycle whenever rain has fallen

Drought Endurance

endure via extensive root system, small leaves, and other adaptations

Ecological Trilogy

relationships among villagers, pastoralists, and urbanites
beneficial; however urbanites dominate relationship and both pastoral
nomads and urbanites prey on villagers (trilogy's cornerstone)

Fundamentalists

Desire to return to original texts and literal/hard line interpretation