Human Geo-Unit 2

Site Factors

The internal physical characteristics of a location, including climate, landforms, soil quality, water sources, and natural resource availability.

Situation Factors

The external characteristics of a place relative to surrounding locations, such as proximity to trade routes, markets, and transportation networks.

Globalization

countries around the world become more connected through trade, technology, travel, and communication.

Coastal Advantage

The economic edge held by coastal regions due to direct access to maritime shipping routes, ports, and global commerce, driving rapid trade and urban growth.

Industrial Revolution

The 18th to 19th-century shift toward mechanized manufacturing in Europe and North America that reshaped global economic power and trade networks.

Primary Economic Sector

Economic activities focused on the extraction and harvesting of raw natural resources, such as agriculture, mining, forestry, and fishing.

Secondary Economic Sector

Economic activities centered on processing raw materials into finished consumer or industrial goods through manufacturing and construction.

Tertiary Economic Sector

The service-based portion of the economy that supplies commercial, personal, and professional services, including retail, education, and transportation.

Quaternary Economic Sector

Knowledge-based economic activities focused on research, information technology, specialized innovation, and data management.

Landlocked Countries

Nations completely surrounded by land without direct access to the sea, leading to higher transport costs and trade challenges.

Resource Curse

The phenomenon where countries with abundant natural resources experience slower economic growth, political instability, and lower living standards than resource-poor nations.

Case Study: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

A classic example of the resource curse, where vast deposits of high-value minerals like coltan and cobalt coincide with chronic poverty, conflict, and foreign exploitation.

Containerization

The widespread use of standardized shipping containers that dramatically reduced shipping expenses and transit times, enabling decentralized global supply chains.

Panama Canal

A strategic artificial waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, drastically shortening trade routes and lowering global maritime transport costs.

Monsoons

Seasonal wind shifts that deliver vital rainfall for agriculture in regions like South Asia, but also present severe economic hazards through droughts or devastating floods.

Great Green Wall

A major ecological restoration project in Africa intended to halt desertification, combat climate change, and support local farming livelihoods across the Sahel.

Resource-Dependent Economy

economy that relies heavily on natural resources, like oil, gas, or minerals, to make money.

Climate Change Adaptation

Strategic shifts in human and economic systems to withstand environmental alterations, such as adopting renewable energy, building sea walls, and planting drought-resistant crops.

Rust Belt

A region in the Midwestern and northeastern United States that suffered sharp economic decline and population loss due to deindustrialization and manufacturing relocation.

Sun Belt

A region across the southern and southwestern United States that experienced substantial economic expansion and population growth due to warmer climates, lower costs, and pro-business policies.