Topic_1_Prelim_Geo_2024

Geography

The study of people and their surrounding environments.

Natural Geography

The study of the biophysical environment, including rocks, mountains, animals, and water.

Human Geography

The study of people, populations, culture, and complex societies.

Place

The location of an area from local to global and how it differs from other locations.

Space

The location and activities that occur there, such as business, tourism, and mining.

Environment

The living and non-living things in a specific location.

Scale

The size of geographic phenomena and problems, ranging from local to global.

Sustainability

The capacity of the environment to last for future generations.

Change

When the environment has been altered, not all change is necessarily bad.

Interconnections

The way people and their environments are linked locally and globally.

Biodiversity hotspots

Regions rich in biodiversity, covering only 3% of the Earth's surface yet holding approximately 40% of the world's plants and animals.

Anthropocentric views

Worldviews that prioritize humans as the most important beings and see the Earth as a resource for use.

Ecocentric worldviews

Perspectives that value the Earth and advocate for humans as custodians who preserve nature.

Global commons

Resources that belong to everyone, such as the atmosphere and the high seas.

Atmosphere

The layer of gases surrounding the Earth, crucial for weather and climate.

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms interacting with their physical environment.

Water cycle

The continuous movement of water within the hydrosphere, including processes like evaporation and precipitation.

Floodplain

Flat land adjacent to a river that is subject to flooding.

Deforestation

The intentional clearing of forests for human activities such as agriculture and settlement.

Glacier

A large body of ice that moves under its own weight, often found in mountainous regions.

Urban heat island

A metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities.

Microclimates

Specific areas that have climates different from the surrounding areas, often due to local environmental conditions.

Tectonic forces

Natural forces caused by the Earth's internal energy that shape the geological landscape through plate tectonics.

Erosion

The process by which the surface of the Earth is worn away by natural forces such as water, wind, and ice.

Biomass

The total mass of living matter within a given area, influencing ecological productivity.