Midterm 1

Physical geography

Physical geography

study of patterns and processes of the physical world (land forms, climate, hydrology, geology, ecology)

Human geography

study of patterns and processes of the human world (ie. economy, culture, politics, behaviour)

Space

areal extent

Absolute space

an area that is objective, physically real, with measurable extent and definable boundaries

Relative space

an area that is subjective/perceptual, and carries over time (example: topological maps where scale, distance and positioning are guesstimates)

Location

refers to a particular position in space

Absolute location

location that refers to latitude & longitude co-ordinates using an arbitrary mathematical grid

Relative location

refers to location that is subject to change & interpretation

Nominal location

a location of significance that is given a name and provides a degree of locational understanding

Place

a location with a particular identity or meaning/significance attached to it by an individual or a collective group

Placeless

somewhere that evokes little or no meaning, & is linked to homogeneity & standardization

Sense of place

the personally significant attachments we associate with certain places

Sacred place

places that have a strong meaning to individuals and groups & are often religious

Distance

amount of space between 2 or more locations

Absolute/physical distance

the amount of space between points A & B 'as the crow flies'

Time/travel distance

distance that takes into account the realities of travel

Economic distance

the costs that can be introduced in order to overcome the problems of distance (ie. the cost of a stamp)

Psychological distance

distance that relates to one's state of mind, which may be influenced by knowledge, experience, & emotions

Distribution

refers to the distance and spatial organization of geographical phenomena

Density

the frequency with which something exists in a measured area

Concentration/dispersion

refers to how something is spread over an area

Agglomerated

objects that are close together

Scattered

objects that are far apart

Patterns

the spatial arrangement of objects (linear, rectilinear, random, uniform/ordered, etc)

Region

a part of the world the world that displays internal homogeneity and is relatively distinct from surrounding areas according to some criteria

Regionalization

the process where we simplify our complex world and its human and physical geographic patterns and processes into regions

Scale

a way to think about society as different levels or layers

Landscape

a visible feature of the land/area

Cultural landscape

the outcome of interactions between people and their environments

Relocation diffusion

the spread of ideas, cultural characteristics, from one area to another via the physical movement of people

Diffusion

the movement/spread of geographic phenomena across space and over time

Expansion diffusion

the spread of innovations within a single area via snowballing process (has 2 subtypes)

Hierarchal (subtype of expansion diffusion)

ideas or innovations that leapfrog from one important person to another, or from one city to another, temporarily bypassing other people or real areas in between

Contagious (subtype of expansion diffusion)

the rapid and widespread diffusion of a characteristic through the population

Mental maps

maps that are a unique representation of reality, it is unique to individuals and based in perception

Map

a 2-dimensional graphical representation of the world; used to communicate information and analyze spatial problems

Scale (map)

indicated the spatial relationship between real-world locations, distances, and areas, and their representation of the map

Perspective

the way in which maps are oriented

Culture

the way of life of the members of society

Cultural attributes

religious beliefs, language spoken, ancestral origin, class, age, gender, and individual personality

Cultural region

an area with a large degree of homogeneity in cultural characteristics

Sub-culture

the values, beliefs, lifestyle of a minority group within society

Type of sub-culture: Deviance

those who deviate from the norm, seen as bad by traditionalists (swinging and BDSM)

Type of sub-culture: Resistance

those who deliberately change their looks and the way they behave in order to fight against mundane norms (punk & goth)

Type of sub-culture; Distinction

groups who celebrate something about themselves that makes them better than the rest of society (artists & foodies)

Cultural geography

studies the cultural dimensions of the environment, landscape, space, and place

Hearth area

the area from which a cultural activity emerges or is most concentrated

Cultural adaptation

the adaptation (adjustment), by people and cultures, to the challenges posed by the physical environment

Language

a fundamental way that we distinguish between culture groups

Language family

a group of closely related languages that likely share a common (and ancient) origin

Language branch

a sub-set of language family, and with a more recent origin (ie. past several thousand years)

European colonization

the spread of Indo-European languages