Unit 1 Human Geography Vocab

Environmental perspective

A perspective focused on the interaction between physical and human systems or between natural landscapes and societies.

Environmental determinism

The belief that the environment determined how societies developed in a particular area.

Possibilism

The belief that humans have a range of possible choices in adapting to their physical environment.

Desertification

The process by which land becomes a desert.

Space-time compression

The idea that with increased technology the actual distance between two places is shrinking because it takes less time to travel between them.

Map scale

The ratio of a distance on the map to the corresponding distance on the ground.

Relative scale/Scales of analysis

The amount of detail included in the map and the size of the units.

Absolute location

Position on Earth's surface defined by latitude and longitude.

Meridians

Arcs that are formed around the globe between the North and South poles - top to bottom.

Parallels

Arcs drawn parallel to the equator around the globe.

Longitude

The system of numbers used to indicate the location of meridians drawn on a globe.

Relative location

Position on Earth's surface in relationship to physical or man-made features.

Distance decay

The farther away different places are from an original site, the less likely the interaction with the original place will be.

Time-space compression

Any phenomenon that alters the qualities of and relationship between space and time.

Region

An area of land that is defined by geographers as sharing common characteristics.

Place

The combination of physical and human characteristics of a specific location.

Site

The spatial location as it relates to the environment, including geographical features, climate and landforms.

Cultural landscape

The tangible products resulting from the complex interaction between people and their environments.

Ecumene

The height of an area relative to sea level; rate that is a percentage of a given number.

Arable land

Land suitable for cultivation.

Topography

A detailed description or representation on a map of the natural and artificial features of an area.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in a particular area or region.

Slash-and-burn

The process of clearing an area of land of all vegetation by cutting and then burning the vegetation.

Subsistence farming

Farming that provides only enough food for the personal consumption of the farmer and their family.

Cultural region

An area in which people share the same culture, which usually means the same history, beliefs, and languages.

Formal region

An area whose defining characteristic, such as the nationality, is found throughout the region.