Unit 1 Human Geography Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms related to Human Geography, including definitions and key concepts.

Human Geography

The study of the events and processes that shape how humans understand, use, and alter Earth.

Physical Geography

The study of natural processes and the distribution of features in the environment.

Spatial Perspective

Refers to where things are located and why they are located there.

Ecological Perspective

Focuses on the relationships between living things and their environments.

Absolute Location

The exact location of an object expressed in coordinates of latitude and longitude.

Relative Location

A description of where a place is in relation to other places or features.

Place

A location on Earth distinguished by its physical and human characteristics.

Site

A place's absolute location and physical characteristics such as landforms and climate.

Situation

A place’s connections to other places, including transportation routes and political associations.

Mental Map

An internalized representation of a place, reflecting personal knowledge and experiences.

Distribution

How things are arranged within a given space.

Density

The number of things in a specific area.

Pattern

How things are arranged in a particular space.

Flow

The movement of people, goods, and information from one place to another.

Distance Decay

The principle that the farther away one thing is from another, the less interaction the two will have.

Friction of Distance

The concept that distance requires time, effort, and cost to overcome.

Time-Space Compression

Describes the shrinking of relative distance between places due to advances in transportation and communication.

Environmental Determinism

A discredited theory that behavior is largely controlled by the physical environment.

Possibilism

A theory that argues humans are active agents in determining their behaviors.

Sustainability

The use of Earth’s land and natural resources in ways that ensure their future availability.

Scale

The area of the world being studied.

Region

An area of Earth's surface with certain characteristics that distinguish it from other areas.

Formal Region

An area with one or more shared traits, such as climate or language.

Functional Region

An area organized by its function around a node.

Vernacular Region

A region defined by people's feelings or attitudes about the area.

Globalization

The expansion of economic, cultural, and political processes on a worldwide scale.

Wallerstein's World System Theory

Describes the spatial and functional relationships among countries in the world economy.

Core

Economically and politically dominant countries in the world system.

Semi-Periphery

Countries that have both core and periphery processes occurring.

Periphery

Countries that often have unstable governments and lower levels of wealth and education.

Sustainable Development

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

A framework with 17 goals to increase peace, freedom, and prosperity around the world.