Geography Exam Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards related to geography, climate change, and population studies.

Geography

The study of space and place.

Location

Position on Earth’s surface; answers the question, 'Where is it located?'

Place

Physical & human characteristics of a location; answers 'What’s it like there?'

Human/environment interaction

The shaping of the landscape; relationship between humans & their environment; answers 'What is the relationship between humans & their environment?'

Movement

Humans interacting on the Earth; 'How & why places are connected with one another?'

Regions

How they form & change; 'How & why is one area similar or different from another?'

Map

Representation of the earth’s surface drawn onto a flat surface.

General Purpose Map

Provide many types of information on one map, broad understanding of the location & features of an area.

Thematic Map

Shows information on one particular topic, easy to read & understand.

Map Projections

Created when the features of the globe are transferred onto a flat surface.

Cardinal points

Main points on a compass (ex. N).

Intermediate points

Points halfway in between cardinal points (ex. NE).

Minor Points

Points halfway in between cardinal and intermediate points (ex. NNW).

Alphanumeric grid

Using letters & numbers on a grid, this is used on road maps.

Lines of latitude

Imaginary lines that run across the globe left to right (horizontal).

Lines of longitude

Imaginary lines that run up & down (vertical).

Linear scale

Special kind of ruler used to measure distance.

Representative fraction

Scale is shown as a ratio Ex. 1:50 000 (this shows that 1cm on the map represents 50 000 cm on the earth’s surface.

Time zone

A region of the globe that observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes.

Physical Geography

Branch of geography about natural features and processes.

Plates

Large pieces that make up the earth’s crust, fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Continental Drift

Theory that 300 million years ago all land masses on the earth were joined together in a supercontinent called Pangaea (all lands).

Geophysicist

Scientist who studies the Earth's natural processes and how they interact with humans using gravity, magnetic, electrical, and seismic methods.

Cartographer

A person who makes maps.

Divergent

Two plates move apart. Most commonly happens along a mid-ocean ridge although it may occur on land too. Both plates will get larger.

Convergent

Two plates move toward each other. Ex: Continental and Oceanic Plates , Continental and Continental Plates, Oceanic and Oceanic Plates.

Transform

Plates move parallel to one another but in different directions. Most are found in the oceanic crust.

Volcano

Opening in the earth’s crust through which lava, volcanic ash and gases escape.

Seismometers

Instrument that measures the intensity of earthquakes.

Seismograph

Graph created by a seismometer.

Tsunamis

Giant waves that cause terrible devastation, produced by major tectonic events on the seafloor which may have been caused by volcanic eruptions, earthquakes or underwater landslides.

Landform Regions

Specific area with similar natural features on the Earth’s surface. Plate Tectonics and erosion have resulted in a variety of landforms.

Weather

Day-to-day characteristics of the atmospheric conditions Ex: temperature, precipitation, humidity, cloud cover.

Climate

Long-term pattern of weather Ex: average annual temperature, annual precipitation levels.

Maritime

Warmer monthly temperatures during the summer months. •Winter months tend to be cool, not cold. •Temperature Range is < (less than) 25°C. •Receives a lot of precipitation throughout the entire year. •Most of the precipitation falls during the winter months. •Annual Precipitation is >(greater than) 1000 mm

Continental

Summer months tend to be warm to hot. •Winter months tend to be cold to very cold. •Temperature Range is > (greater than) 25°C. •Receives significantly less precipitation throughout the year. •Most of the precipitation falls during the summer months •Annual Precipitation is < (less than) 1000 mm

Air Mass

Large volume of air that takes on the climatic conditions of the area where it is formed.

Tornado

Violent rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground.

Climate Change

Changes in the Earth’s climate system result in new weather patterns that last for at least a few decades, and maybe for millions of years.

Greenhouse Effect

Essential for life on Earth and is one of Earth’s NATURAL PROCESSES, keeps Earth 30℃ warmer than it would otherwise be and is essential to life as we know it

Paris Agreement

(2015) Countries committed to keeping the rise in global temperatures below two degrees, countries set a 1.5 degree rise as an aspirational goal

Demography

Study of populations

Population growth rate

The rate at which a country’s population grows (or declines) has an enormous influence on people’s lives

Doubling time

Length of time for a country’s population to double at a particular Population Growth Rate.

Dependency load

Part of the population that needs to be supported made up of two components: The 0-14 age group and the 65+ age group.

Settlement patterns

Arrangement of where people live on the earth or in a country & the factors that influence this arrangement

Prairie section system

Farm land was divided into square townships, each comprising 36 sections of 640 acres, with the homestead comprising one 160 - acre quarter section

Zoning Law

Government controls the kind and amount of development in an area. Urban Sprawl: The movement of random urban land uses into once used to be rural lands

Indigenous peoples

Referred to First Nations, Metis, & Inuit peoples (original inhabitants of Canada)

Push Factor

Factors that may force people to emigrate from the land of their birth. Such as war, famine, and religious persecution

Pull factor

Factors that draw people to a country, people are attracted by what they view as favourable conditions. Such as more job opportunities, taxes are lower, climate Change

Intervening Obstacles

Discourage (or even stop) people from following through on their decision to immigrate.

Continuous Journey regulation

Required prospective Immigrants to travel to Canada by continuous journey.

Natural resource

A material, substance, or organism found in nature that is useful to people.

Renewable resource

A natural resource that cannot be used up or it is one that can be replaced within a human life span. Ex: Air, water, soil, plants, and animals..

Nonrenewable resources

Natural resources that cannot be replaced after they are used. This means that they exist in a fixed amount on Earth. Ex: Rock, minerals, metals, uranium, and fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas

Flow resource

A resource is one which is not consumed when it is used Ex: solar radiation, running water, tides, geothermal, landfill gas, biomass and winds

Frontier View

View of resources as Frontier which is believed to be unlimited, there is no need to conserve, profit and freedom for businesses are the most important things to protect, and Environmental protectionism is inconvenient and reduces profit.

Spaceship View

View that the earth’s resources are limited, humans must conserve using the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse and recycle), Quality of life is the most important thing to protect and improve, and Environmental protection is essential to our survival.

Primary Industries

Industries that take raw materials from the natural environment such as mining, agriculture, forestry, and fishing.

Secondary Industries

Involve the processing of primary industry products into finished goods such as manufacturing, construction, utilities.

Tertiary Industries

Provide a wide range of services that support the primary and secondary industries and society in general. Ex: Services are spread across the country

Commercial Fishing

Activity of capturing fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries

Aquaculture

Farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, and crustaceans

Fossil fuels

Oil, natural gas and coal - Release energy when burned Fossil fuels are used for transportation & heating

Alberta oil sands

The Alberta has oil sands (also called Tar sands ) is murky areas of sand mixed with oil larger than Florida.

Renewable energy

Energy that is collected from renewable resources, which are naturally replenished on a human timescale Ex: sunlight, wind, tides, waves, and geothermal heat

Trade

The exchange of goods or services between countries

Imports

Goods or services brought into a country from another country.

Tariff

Tax charged on goods imported to Canada in order to protect Canadian industries.

Globalization

Trend towards greater interconnectedness in Financial, Economic, Technological, Political, Cultural, Sociological, Ecological, and Geographical systems.