Unit 1 Vocabulary

3 Types of Distribution

density, concentration, and pattern

Absolute distance

describing how far a distance is quantitative units of distance (miles, kilometers, etc.)

Absolute location

describing where something is using the exact site on an objective coordinate system

Capitalism

an economic system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled mainly by private owners for profit, rather than by the state - limited government control of the economy

Cartography

the science and art of drawing maps

Case study

detailed observations that provide insight into a group of people in a specific area

Census

an official count of individuals in a population (in the USA, it happens every 10 years)

cold war [lower case]

a state of political hostility between countries characterized by threats short of open warfare

Cold War [upper case]

the state of political hostility that existed between the Soviet Union and the US and their allies from 1945 to 1990

Communism

an economic system in which all (or nearly all) trade and industry are collectively owned by the state and not by individual citizens - near total control of the economy by the government

Concentration

how closely packed together objects are

Contagious diffusion

when a cultural trend is transmitted from person to person from an original source to numerous others, similar to a virus or viral video

Cultural Landscape

the title of our textbook and more importantly, the visible changes that humans make to the enviroment including buildings, crops, and signs

Culture

the social heritage of a group or their way of life - major components are language, religion, ethnicity, food, and roles

Density

the number of things divided by the measurement of area

Diffusion

a feature or idea that is spread from its originating place, outward - the 3 types are contagious, hierarchical, and stimulus diffusion

Distance decay

the idea that the interaction between two places declines as the distance between them increases

Environmental determinism

the belief that a physical environment is THE reason that some societies are strong while others are weaker

Environmental possibilism

the belief that a physical environment plays a role in the development of a society, but is NOT the ONLY factor at work

Expansion diffusion

a trend is spread from its originating place, outward

Formal region

a region that is based entirely on something that can be identified and documented or measured - all government areas are this because they share a government

Friction of distance

a metaphor that explains that effort must be used to overcome distance

Functional region

a region based around a node or focal point - terrestrial radio broadcasts are an example of this

Geospatial

relating to data that is specific to one location

GIS (Geographic Information Systems)

software that captures, manages, analyzes, and displays data that is collected geographically

Globalization

worldwide integration and development which results in the expansion of international cultural, economic, and political activities

GPS (Global Positioning System)

a system that measures distance from a series of satellites to determine location on the planet

Gravity Model of Spatial Interaction

the most important model in geography - (population1 x population2)/distance squared - the interconnectedness of 2 places depends on their distance and population

Hearth

a source of culture (where a culture began)

Hierarchical diffusion

the spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places

Infrastructure

the basic facilities and installations that help a government or community run, including roads, schools, phone lines, sewage treatment plants and power generation

Natural resource

a physical material constituting part of Earth that people need and value

Projection

a method of taking a 3D object and putting in on a 2D plane

Qualitative data

subjective information that is opinion based, is usually descriptive, and often expressed as text

Quantitative data

objective data that is fact based, usually measurable and usually expressed in numbers

Reference map

maps that emphasizes the location of places (without data attached)

Region

a place larger than a point and smaller than a planet that is grouped together because of a measurable or perceived common feature

Relative distance

describing the distance between locations using qualitative terms or non-traditional measurements of distance (one hour north of)

Relative location

describing the position of a place as compared to (or relative to!) another landmark

Relocation diffusion

the physical spread of a feature or trait by people migrating

Remote sensing

the science of making measurements of the earth using sensors on airplanes or satellites

Scale

the relationship between the distance on the ground and the corresponding distance on a specific map

Scale of analysis

how zoomed in or out you are when looking at geographic data

Socialism

an economic system in which trade and industry are partially collectively owned by the state and partially privately owned by individual citizens - partial control of the economy by the government

Spatial

it's not as complicated as it sounds - a fancy word for describing how things are organized in space

Spatial distribution

arrangement of a phenomenon across the Earth's surface

Spatial Interaction

the flow of goods, people, or information among places, in response to localized supply and demand

Stimulus diffusion

when a feature or idea spreads, but is changed by those adopting the idea

Sustainability

the goal of the human race reaching equilibrium with the environment; meeting the needs of the present without while also leaving resources for future generations

Temporal

relating to time

Thematic maps

a map that displays not only locations but maps a topic or theme of information with the location

Time-space compression

the idea that the world feels smaller than it used to because of increased technology in transportation and communication

Toponym

a place name

Uneven development

unequal distribution of people, resources, and wealth within a region

Vernacular/perceptual region

an area that shares a common qualitative characteristic, it's only a region because people believe it's a region