Thinking Geographically and Population/Migration Lecture Notes

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering geographic concepts, population, culture, political processes, agriculture, urban patterns, and economic development based on the lecture notes.

Census data

An official count of individuals in a population; in the USA, this occurs every $10$ years.

Space

The extent of an area, which can be viewed in both a relative and absolute sense.

Pattern

The geometric or regular arrangement of something within a specific area.

Reference maps

Maps designed for people to refer to for general information about places; the two main types are political and physical.

Thematic Maps

A communications tool used to show how human activities or characteristics are distributed.

Clustering

A spatial pattern where objects or data points are grouped or bunched together.

Dispersal

A spatial pattern where objects appear to be distributed over a wide area.

Elevation

The levels used to measure how high or low something is located on the land.

Mercator Map

A map projection where the shape and directions of countries are fairly accurate, but size is greatly distorted toward the poles.

Robinson Map

A map projection where everything (shape, size, distance, and direction) is distorted in small amounts.

Goode Map

A map projection where continent sizes are accurately portrayed, but directions and distances are not accurate.

Gall Peters Map

A map projection where the shape of countries is distorted, especially near the equator.

Geospatial Data

All information including physical features and human activities related to positions on Earth.

Geographic information system (GIS)

A computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth's surface.

GPS (Geographic Positioning System)

A system using data from satellites to pinpoint a location on Earth and assist in navigation.

Remote sensing

The process of taking pictures of the Earth's surface from satellites or airplanes to understand geography over large distances.

Absolute location

The precise spot where something is located on Earth.

Relative Location

Where something is located in relation to other things.

Place

The specific human and physical characteristics of a location.

Distance Decay

A term describing the effect of distance on cultural or spatial interactions; the further away, the less interaction occurs.

Time-Space Compression

The increasing sense of connectivity that brings people closer together even though physical distances remain the same.

Sustainability

The goal of reaching equilibrium with the environment, meeting present needs without compromising resources for future generations.

Natural Resources

Physical materials constituting part of Earth that people need and value.

Scale

The relationship between distance on the ground and corresponding distance on a map; also refers to how \"zoomed in\" or \"zoomed out\" a study is.

Scale of Analysis

How zoomed in or out a researcher is when looking at geographic data (Global, Regional, National, State, and Local).

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population size of a species that the environment can sustain.

Overpopulation

A condition where there are not enough resources in an area to support the existing population.

Age/sex ratio

A comparison of the numbers of males and females across different age groups in a population.

Environmental Determinism

The theory that the physical environment causes or determines social development.

Possibilism

The theory that the physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment.

Region

A place larger than a point and smaller than a planet, grouped together because of a measurable or perceived common feature.

Formal Region

A region based on quantitative data that can be documented or measured, such as government areas like Wisconsin.

Functional Region

A region based around a node or focal point, such as a radio station broadcast area or the DC metro.

Vernacular (Perceptual) Region

An area that shares a common qualitative characteristic and exists because people believe it is a region, such as the Midwest.

Ecumene

A term meaning areas of the Earth where people are permanently settled.

Arithmetic Density

The total number of objects in a specific area.

Physiological Density

The number of people supported by a unit area of arable land (land suited for agriculture).

Agricultural Density

The ratio of the number of farmers to the amount of arable land; reflects a country's level of development.

Population Pyramid

A graph showing the population of an area by age and sex; a pyramid shape indicates a growing population.

Demography

The study of population based on factors such as age, race, and sex.

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

The number of live births per one thousand people in a population.

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

The number of deaths per one thousand people in a population.

Doubling time

The time period required for a population to double in size.

Infant mortality rate (IMR)

The number of children per $1000$ live births who do not survive their first year of life.

Rate of Natural Increase (RNI)

Calculated as $\frac{CBR - CDR}{10}$; a positive value indicates growth.

Total fertility rate (TFR)

The average number of children a woman is predicted to have during her child-bearing (fecund) years.

Demographic Transition Model

A model showing how society develops and changes in population growth and decline over time.

Epidemiological Model

Explains the causes of death as a society progresses through different stages of development.

Malthus Theory

The theory that population increases geometrically while food supply increases arithmetically, leading to a surplus of people.

Neo-Malthusian theory

The belief that resources are finite and population pressure leads to famine and war; advocates for contraception.

Antinatalist policies

Government policies providing incentives (or punishments) for people to have fewer children.

Pronatalist policies

Government policies providing incentives for people to have more children.

Dependency ratio

The ratio of people not in the workforce (dependents) to those in the workforce (producers).

Life expectancy

The average number of years a person born in a country can expect to live.

Push Factors

Forces that drive people away from a place, such as lack of jobs or political instability.

Pull Factors

Forces that draw people to immigrate to a place, such as jobs or family.

Intervening opportunity

The presence of a nearer opportunity that diminishes the attractiveness of sites farther away.

Intervening obstacle

A factor that limits human migration, such as a border, law, language, or natural feature.

Asylum seeker

A person seeking residence in a foreign country because they are fleeing persecution.

Chain migration

A series of migrations within a group starting with one person who pulls others to the same area.

Refugee

A person who flees their home country and is unable to return.

Transhumance

The seasonal movement of herds between highlands in summer and lowlands in winter.

Brain drain

When the majority of educated or skilled workers leave an area for better opportunities elsewhere.

Culture

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

Material Culture

The physical manifestations of culture, including tools, housing, clothing, and systems of land use.

Nonmaterial Culture

The beliefs, traditions, thoughts, and values of a group, such as religion and morals.

Cultural Relativism

The principle that a culture should be judged based on its own standards, not those of another culture.

Ethnocentrism

Judging other cultures based on the rules and standards of one's own culture.

Taboo

Something forbidden by a culture or religion, often not even discussed.

Cultural landscapes

The forms superimposed on the physical environment by human activities, such as rice fields or churches.

Indigenous people

The original inhabitants of a territory, distinct from dominant national cultures often derived from colonial occupation.

Sense of place

A strong feeling of identity deeply felt by inhabitants and visitors of a location.

Expansion Diffusion

The spread of an idea through a population where the number of influenced people grows continuously; includes contagious, hierarchical, and stimulus types.

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of ideas transmitted by people as they migrate to new areas.

Creole or creolized language

A language that began as a combination of two other languages and is spoken as a primary language.

Lingua Franca

A language mutually understood and commonly used by people who have different native languages.

Colonialism

An effort by one country to establish settlements and impose political and economic principles on a territory.

Imperialism

The policy of extending a country's influence through political or military force in areas already developed by indigenous people.

Globalization

World interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments driven by international trade and technology.

Cultural Convergence

When different cultures acquire common ideas or traits and become more similar.

Cultural Divergence

When parts of a cultural region are exposed to different influences and become dissimilar.

Ethnic religion

A religion focused on a single ethnic group that doesn't attempt to appeal to all people, such as Hinduism or Judaism.

Universalizing religion

A religion that attempts to appeal to all people worldwide, such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, or Sikhism.

Acculturation

The adoption of cultural traits, such as language, by one group under the influence of another.

Assimilation

The process of a person or group losing the cultural traits that made them distinct from those around them.

Syncretism

The blending of traits from two different cultures to form a new trait.

State

A political unit with a permanent population, recognized boundaries, and the power to administer laws and taxes.

Nation

A group of people who think of themselves as one based on shared culture and history and desire political autonomy.

Nation-state

A state containing a single nation, such as Japan or Iceland.

Stateless nation

A nation that does not have its own independent state, such as the Kurds or Palestinians.

Multistate nation

A nation living across multiple states, which may have its own state, be divided, or be stateless.

Autonomous region

An area that governs itself but is not an independent country, such as Greenland.

Sovereignty

Final authority over a territory and the right to defend it against incursion.

Devolution

The transfer of decision-making power from a central government to a lower level.

Choke point

A strategic narrow route providing passage through or to another region, such as the Panama Canal.

Neocolonialism

Gaining indirect control of another country through economic or cultural pressures.

Shatterbelt

A region caught between stronger colliding external forces and under persistent stress, such as Israel/Palestine.

Relic Boundary

A boundary that no longer exists as an international border but remnants remain, such as the Berlin Wall.

Superimposed Boundary

A boundary drawn by powerful outsiders that ignores existing cultural groups, such as those in Africa from the Berlin Conference.

Subsequent Boundary

A boundary that evolves as the cultural landscape of an area takes shape.