jfv

GIS (Geographic Information System)

A computer system that captures, stores, analyzes, and displays geographic data.

GPS (Global Positioning System)

A system that uses a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers to determine exact absolute locations on Earth.

Globalization

The expansion of economic, political, and cultural processes to the point that they reach and have impact on many areas of the world.

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

The time in the zone encompassing the prime meridian, located at $0^\text{o}$ longitude.

Hearth

The region from which innovative ideas originate.

Latitude

The numbering system used to indicate the location of parallels drawn on a globe, measuring distance north and south of the equator.

Lithosphere

Earth's crust and a portion of upper mantle directly below the crust.

Absolute Location

The exact position of a place on Earth's surface, typically identified by precise coordinates.

Longitude

The numbering system used to indicate the location of meridians drawn on a globe, measuring distance east and west of the prime meridian.

Map

A two-dimensional, or flat, representation of Earth's surface or a portion of it.

Map Scale

The relationship between the size of an object on a map and the size of the actual feature on Earth's surface.

Meridians

Arcs drawn on a map between the north and south poles that measure longitude.

Parallels

Circles drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at right angles to meridians that measure latitude.

Pattern

The geometric or regular arrangement of objects on Earth's surface in relationship to one another.

Place

A specific point on Earth distinguished by human and physical characteristics.

Possibilism

The theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust and choose a course of action from many alternatives.

Prime Meridian

The meridian designated at $0^\text{o}$ longitude that passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England.

Map Projection

A system used to transfer locations from Earth's three-dimensional surface onto a flat map.

Region

An area distinguished by a unique combination of characteristics and measurable data.

Remote Sensing

The acquisition of data about Earth's surface from a satellite orbiting the planet or other long-distance methods.

Scale

The relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole, such as local, regional, or global perspectives.

Site

The physical characteristics and absolute location of a place.

Situation

The location of a place relative to another place (relative location).

Space

The physical gap or interval between two objects.

Space-Time Compression

The reduction in time it takes to diffuse something to a distant place as a result of improved technological communication and transportation systems.

Toponym

The name given to a portion of Earth's surface.

Multinational Corporation

A company that conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries rather than just where its headquarters are located.

Perceptual Region (Vernacular)

An area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity, shared history, or collective attitudes.

Atmosphere

The thin layer of gases surrounding Earth.

Biosphere

All living organisms on Earth, including plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Cartography

The science or art of making maps.

Climate

The long-term average weather condition at a particular location.

Concentration

The spread of something over a given area.

Cultural Landscape

The fashioning of a natural landscape by a cultural group.

Culture

The body of customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits that together constitute a group's distinct tradition.

Density

The frequency with which something exists within a given unit of area.

Diffusion

The process by which a feature or trend spreads from one place to another over time.

Distance Decay

The diminishing in importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin.

Distribution

The arrangement or pattern of something across Earth's surface.

Biome

A group of living organisms occupying a particular environment based on climate conditions.

Environmental Determinism

A 19th- and early 20th-century approach arguing that human activities are directly caused and controlled by the physical environment.

Formal Region

An area in which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics, such as political borders, climate, or language.

Functional Region (Nodal)

An area organized around a node or focal point, such as a transportation network, business hub, or metropolitan area.

Regionalization

The process of organizing Earth's surface into distinct areas that are viewed as different from other areas.

Landscapes

The overall appearance of an area that is shaped by both human and natural influences.

Immanuel Kant

German philosopher and geographer in the 1700s who defined geography as the study of interrelated spatial patterns.

Eratosthenes

Ancient Greek scholar who calculated the circumference of the Earth.

Ptolemy

Roman geographer-astronomer and author of 'Guide to Geography', which included maps containing the first grid system of latitude and longitude.

Idrisi

11th-century Arab geographer who directed an academy to gather maps and scientific expeditions, producing an accurate world map for the King of Sicily.

George Perkins Marsh

19th-century American geographer best known for 'Man and Nature', which focused on human destruction of the environment.

Carl Sauer

Geographer who defined the concept of the cultural landscape as the fundamental unit of geographical analysis.

Map Distortion

Inaccuracies in