Introduction to Physical and Human Geography - D199

immigrants

people moving into a geographical area

emigrants

people moving out of a geographical area

net migration

the difference between the number of immigrants and the number of emigrants for a given geographical area in any given year

return migration

permanent return of emigrants to their country of origin

travel visas

documents that give temporary permission to enter a country

brain drain

a wealthy country's recruiting the "best brains" from a poorer country by offering higher-paying opportunities

brain gain

benefits a receiving country experiences when highly skilled immigrants are lured away from their country of origin when they accept higher-paying opportunities

brain waste

situation that occurs when a receiving country fails to take advantage of all the skills of an immigrant population

push factors

conditions that encourage an individual to move from a location

pull factors

conditions that influence migrants to move to a particular location

reference maps

maps used to display important physical elements of a specific geographic area, such as countries, rivers, mountains, etc.

thematic maps

specialized maps used to understand one particular attribute or characteristic of a specific geographic area; examples are population maps, weather maps, and maps illustrating the spread of disease

literal maps

maps that strive to display the objective truth about a specific geographic area

figurative maps

maps that use symbols to represent a narrative or point of view; they are much less concerned with physical accuracy than are literal maps

analytical mapping

the use of cartography techniques to uncover and learn about patterns and trends in a specific geographic area

map scale

how the measurement of distance on a map corresponds to the distance on the ground in the real world

representative fraction (RF)

a way of describing the scale of a map by using a ratio

small-scale

a way of describing a map with a relatively small RF, where the various features of the geography appear relatively small

large-scale

a way of describing a map with a relatively large RF, where the various features of the geography appear relatively large

coordinates

the points on a specified reference system that define the location of a particular place

Cartesian coordinate system

a reference system for a plane (a flat surface) based on the work of mathematician Rene Descartes, using x- and y-axes.

geographic coordinate system

the reference system devised to locate particular places on the surface of the earth, using lines of latitude and longitude

longitude

one of a set of imaginary east-west lines that form part of the geographic coordinate system

prime meridian

the line of longitude that passes through Greenwich, UK, which is the starting point for counting the rest of the lines of longitude

latitude

one of a set of imaginary north-south lines that form part of the geographic coordinate system

graticule

the grid pattern in the geographic coordinate system

projection

a method of "flattening" a globe into a form that can be represented on a flat surface

conformal projections

maps that preserve, in the process of projection, angles, although not necessarily lengths

equal-area projections

maps that preserve, in the process of projection, the relative sizes of landmasses; they do not, however, preserve shape well

equidistant projections

maps that preserve, in the process of projection, accurate distances from a central point; they do not, however, preserve shape or size well

compromise, interrupted, and artistic projections

maps that blend characteristics to maintain as much accuracy as possible in distance, size, and shape, conceding other characteristics; also, maps that have beauty as their main objective

dot density map

a thematic map that uses points (dots) to represent the distribution (density) of a particular attribute across a geographic area

proportional symbol map

a thematic map that uses symbols in different sizes to represent the distribution (density) of a particular attribute across a geographic area; the larger the symbol, the greater the density

choropleth maps

a thematic map that uses color (varying hues or varying saturations of the same hue) to represent the distribution (density) of a particular attribute across a geographic area

standardization

in mapmaking, the process of defining the unit of measurement so that it can be represented equivalently across a geographic area, rather than be distorted by other characteristics, such as political boundaries

frequency table

a simple representation, in organized tabular form, of raw data

histogram

a type of graph that represents a data set visually, using continuous number ranges; it is similar but not identical to a bar chart (which may not use continuous ranges)

frequency polygon

a type of line graph derived from plotting the points of a histogram's "bins" and connecting them

shape

the visual contour of a frequency polygon or a smoothed-out form of it, using curves

center

the midpoint of a shape

spread

the extent to which the shape continues to either side of the center: symmetrically, skewed-left, or skewed-right

density curves

frequency polygons that have been rounded into a continuous curve or curves rather than being shown as a series of connected points

categorical variables

types of data organizations accomplished via qualitative labels rather than numerical values

bar graph

type of visual representation of data organized into vertical rectangles, or bars, shown on a plane defined by an x- axis and a y-axis

pie chart

type of visual representation of data organized by percentages of the whole, shown as "slices" of "pie"

univariate data

a set of data that concerns one variable

dot plot

type of visual representation of data organized into a series of dots shown on axes

bivariate data

a set of data that concerns the relationships between two variables

scatterplot

type of visual representation of data where points are plotted on a plane defined by an x-axis and a y-axis

direction

the overall trend of the data, usually either positive (slanting up) or negative (slanting down)

positive linear association

as regards a bivariate data set, a description of the relationship of two data points sets in which an increase in one causes an increase in the other

negative linear association

as regards a bivariate data set, a description of the relationship of two data points sets in which an increase in one causes a decrease in the other

strength

as regards a bivariate data set, the relative intensity of the relationship between the two variables

line plot

type of visual representation of data where the points on a scatterplot are linked by line segments to more clearly show the trend

symbolization

the use of symbols on a map to convey information and meaning

cartograms

thematic maps that are deliberately distorted to emphasize a particular variable or attribute; most are abstract and figurative in appearance

standardized

a description used when data from different sources and sorted by different metrics have been converted into a uniform format

classification

the process of defining the classes to which data will be assigned

quantile scheme

a method of classifying data by dividing values into groups of equal (or approximately equal) sizes; examples are quartiles (four groups), quintiles (five groups), and percentiles (100 groups)

aggregated

when applied to data, this term means that data have been gathered from two or more sources and combined for analysis

ecological fallacy

a mistake that can be caused when a person using a map incorrectly assumes that a characteristic true of a group in aggregate is also true of any individual member of that group

zone

a unit defined by boundaries for a given aggregation; that is, the way in which a geographic area is divided up and the data assigned, in an effort to discern meaning

zonations

divisions by zone

modifiable areal unit problem

the potential to misinterpret the meaning of data if the geographical area to which the data are aggregated, or assigned, is too big or too small

gerrymandering

the practice of redrawing voting districts, particularly in the United States, to deliberately give one particular political party an advantage in upcoming elections

spatial data

data that can be linked to a specific place on Earth

non-spatial data

data that cannot be linked to a specific place on Earth

global positioning system (GPS)

a technology that collects information about Earth through the use of orbiting satellites

triangulation

a mathematical process for finding the exact location of an unknown point on Earth by measuring the distance to it from other, known points

geographic information system (GIS)

a technology that combines remote sensing, GPS data, and spatial and non-spatial data to perform powerful analyses of the earth

sovereignty

independence, when applied to a nation (state); the ability for a state to manage its own affairs without direction from any other state

unitary state

a nation that is governed by a strong central authority

federal state

a nation made up of smaller units with some degree of governing independence and authority

gross domestic product (GDP)

the calculation of the value of all goods and services produced in a country in a specific year

gross national income (GNI)

the calculation of the value of all goods and services produced in a country in a specific year, plus all income produced internationally for companies based in the home country

globalization

the interconnection of nations across the whole planet, which includes both economic and cultural aspects

location

the physical presence of a geographic place or feature on the surface of the earth

absolute location

location of a place or feature as plotted on the earth's latitude and longitude coordinate system

relative location

location of a place or feature compared with the location of another place or feature

place

a location where humans use and adapt to the environment to interact, build, and develop traditions

human-environment interaction

direct connection between one or more humans and the biological and physical world

movement

pattern of travel through geographic space by humans, animals, and physical systems

region

a part of the physical world designated by humans as a set of places separate from other sets (regions) with well-defined or loosely defined borders

formal region

a region with clearly defined boundaries that separate what is inside it from what is outside it

ecological regions

regions defined by measurable natural features and predominant land use patterns

functional regions

regions defined by particular human purposes

perceptual regions

regions defined by distinct identities different from those of other, nearby regions

vernacular regions

regions defined by the lifestyles, heritages, or other identifying characteristics of the humans residing there

ecosystem

all the biotic (living) organisms and abiotic (nonliving) components in a particular location

food chain

movement of energy and nutrients through an ecosystem, from solar energy to apex predators, the highest species in the network

trophic structure

scientific term for "food chain," including the idea of producers, two levels of consumers, and decomposers

producers

green plants that convert solar energy into food

consumers

herbivores that eat the green plants and are ultimately eaten by carnivores

decomposers

organisms that transform dead organisms and waste material into nutrients that can be used by producers

hydrosphere

a water-climate system

lithosphere

an earth-atmosphere interface

atmosphere

an energy-atmosphere system

urbanization

the process of migration to cities and the corresponding expansion of those cities

industrialization

the process of changing from an economy based on agriculture and artisan-level production of goods to one based on large-scale manufacturing

weight-losing industry

an industry whose products weigh less after processing than the raw materials making them up weighed