AP Human Geography ALL TERMS

Human geography

a branch of geography that focuses on the study of patterns and processes that shape human interaction with the built environment, with particular reference to the causes and consequences of the spatial distribution of human activity on the Earth's surface

Physical geography

the study of physical features of the earth's surface

Absolute location

The exact position of a place on the earth's surface.

Relative location

the location of something in relation to something else

Spatial perspective

they way geographers look at everything-- in relation to space

Map

a 2D model of the earth or a portion of its surface

Mental map

A map which represents the perceptions and knowledge a person has of an area

Distribution

the frequency or occurrence of something

Pattern

a consistent or characteristic arrangement

Formal region

a region marked by uniformity

Functional (nodal) region

a group of places linked together by some function's influence on them

Perceptual (vernacular) region

a region defined by people's beliefs

Remote sensing

technique of obtaining information about objects through the study of data collected by special instruments that are not in physical contact with the objects being analyzed

Geographic Information Systems

a computer program that stores geographic data and produces maps to show those data

Diffusion

the spread of a culture element or some other phenomena

Expansion diffusion

a form of diffusion in which the cultural component spreads outward to new places while remaining strong in its original hearth

Relocation diffusion

a form of diffusion that involves the actual movement of the original adopters from their point of origin to a new place

Acculturation

occurs when the "weaker" of two cultures adopts traits from the more dominant culture

Assimilation

in cultural convergence, this occurs when the original traits of the weaker culuter are completely erased and replaced by the traits of the more dominant culture

Transculturation

occurs when two cultures of just about equal power or influence meet and exchange ideas or traits without the domination seen in acculturation and assimilation

Contagious diffusion

a form of expansion diffusion in which numerous places or people near the point of origin become adopters

Hierarchical diffusion

occurs when the diffusion innovation or concept spreads from a place or person of power or high susceptibility to another ina leveled pattern

Independent invention

in which many hearths invent similar innovations without knowing about each other

Environmental determinism

the idea that human behavior is controlled by the physical environment

Possibilism

the idea that the natural environment places limits on the set of choices available to people

Culture

the sum total of the knowledge, attitudes, and habitual behavior patterns shared and transmitted by the members of society

Cultural diffusion

the spread of culture

Cultural landscape

tangible result of a human group's interaction with its environment

Culture hearth

area where innovations in culture began and from which such cultural elements spread

Culture trait

a single piece of a culture's traditions and practices

Culture complex

a unique combination of culture traits for a particular culture group

Culture realm

A cluster of regions in which related culture systems prevail.

Culture region

A region within which common culture charecteristics prevail

Culture system

collection of culture complexes that shaper a group's common identity

Sequent occupance

theory that a place is occupied by different groups of people, each group leaving an imprint on the place from which the next group learns

Folk culture

isolated group that has had long-lasting culture traits that have not changed substantially over time

Popular culture

mass culture that diffuses rapidly

Commodification

the process though which something is given monetary value

Stimulus diffusion

expansion diffusion in which the innovative idea diffuses from its hearth outward, but the original idea is changed by the new adopters

adaptive strategies

the unique way in which each culture uses its particular physical environment

architectural form

the look of housing, effected by the available materials, the environment the house is in, and the popular culture of the time

authenticity

the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions; the quality of being authentic

cultural appropriation

the process by which cultures adopt customs and knowledge from other cultures and use them for their own benefit

folk culture

cultural traits such as dress modes, dwellings, traditions, and institutions of usually small, traditional communities

folk ways

any informal norms, virtues, or values characterized by being followed through imitation and mild social pressure but not strictly enforced or put into law

folklore

consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, and customs that are the traditions of that culture, subculture, or group

maladapted diffusion

diffusion in which image takes precedence over practicality

material culture

the art, housing, clothing, sports, dances, foods, and other similar items constructed or created by a group of people

non material culture

the beliefs, practices, aesthetics, and values , of a group of people

placelessness

the loss of uniqueness of place in the cultural landscape so that one place looks like the next

popular culture

cultural traits such as dress, diet, and music that identify and are part of today's changeable, urban-based, media-influenced, western societies

survey systems

systems that are used to collect data

traditional architecture

traditional building styles of different cultures, religions, and places

vernacular

the commonly spoken language or dialect of a particular people or place

acculturation

the exchange of cultural features that results when groups come into continuous first-hand contact

adaptation

adjusting to a translation based on the cultural environment of the target language

assimilation

the process through which people lose originally differentiating traits, such as dress, speech, particularities, or mannerisms when they come into contact with another society or culture

cultural convergence

contact and interaction of one culture and another

cultural divergence

the separation of cultures through less and less contact and interaction between them; restriction of a culture from outside influences

cultural integration

the process of combining cultures together into one

core / periphery / semi-periphery

the core-periphery idea that the core houses the main economic power of the region and the outlying region and that the periphery houses the lesser economic ties with the semi-periphery in-between the two

cultural identity

the way people categorize their culture, sometimes by the way they dress and what they eat

cultural realm

the entire region that displays the characteristics of a culture

cultural regions

a portion of earth's surface occupied by a population sharing recognizable and distinctive cultural characteristics

global-local continuum

the notion that what happens at the global scale has a direct effect on what happens at the local scale, and vice-versa

glocalization

the process by which people in a local place mediate and alter regional, national, and global processes

innovation adoption

the diffusion of new ideas

bario / favala

a shantytown in or near a city; slum area

cultural adaptation

adjusting to a translation based on the cultural environment of the target language

cultural shatter belt

an area of instability between regions with opposing political and cultural values

ethnic cleansing

the systematic killing or extermination of an entire people or nation

ethnic conflict

a struggle that happened because of ethnicities interacting

ethnic conclave

a gathering of an ethnic group

ethnic group

people of the same race or nationality who share a distinctive culture

ethnic homeland

a sizable area inhabited by an ethnic majority that exhibits a strong sense of attachment to the region

ethnic neighborhood

a neighborhood, typically situated in a larger metropolitan city and constructed by or comprised of a local culture, in which a local culture can practice its customs

ethnicity

affiliation or identity within a group of people bound by common ancestry and culture

ethnocentrism

conviction of the evident superiority of one's own ethnic group

ghetto

a forced or voluntarily segregated residential area housing a racial, ethnic, or religious minority

plural society

a society that contains various cultural groups

race

a categorization of humans based on skin color and other physical characteristics

segregation

a measure of the degree to which members of a minority group are non-uniformly distributed among the total population

creole

a language that began as a pidgin language but was later adopted as the mother tongue by a people in a place of the mother tongue

dialect

local or regional characteristics of a language

indo-european language

a family of several hundred related languages and dialects

isogloss

a geographic boundary within which a particular linguistic feature occurs

language family

group of languages with a shared but fairly distant origin

language group

set of languages with a relatively recent common origin and many similar characteristics

lingua franca

a language used among speakers of different languages for the purposes of trade and commerce

linguistic diversity

the amount of variation of languages a place has

monolingual

only one language spoken

multilingual

more than one language spoken

official language

in multilingual countries the language selected to promote internal cohesion; usually the language of the courts and government

pidgin

when two or more languages are combined in a simplified structure and vocabulary

proto language

an assumed, reconstructed, or recorded ancestral language

toponymy

the study of place names of a region, or toponyms

dowry death

in the context of arranged marriages in India, disputes over the price to be paid by the family of the bride to the father of the groom (the dowry) have, in some cases, lead to the death of the bride

enfranchisement

to admit to citizenship; the rite of voting

gender

social differences between men and women, rather than the anatomical, biological differences between the sexes

gender gap

a measurable difference between the behaviors of men and women