Studied by 17 people
NOTE!!!!! NONE OF THESE TERMS OR DEFINITIONS ARE MINE | All modules
Human Geography
The branch of geography that studies how human activity affects or is influenced by Earth’s surface.
Globalization
The process by which businesses and other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale
Sustainability
The group of practices that meet the needs of the present without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their needs
Gender
A general term for the ways in which a society defines the differences between males and females
Global citizen
A person who is aware of and understands the wider world and his or her place in it.
Infrastructure
The basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (such as buildings, roads, and public utilities) needed for the operation of a society
Map
A two-dimensional (flat) representation of a geographic area or place
Cartographer
A person who makes maps
Data aggregation
The process of collecting and organizing large amounts of information
Spatial perspective
A geographic perspective that seeks to identify and explain the uses of space. Ex. A (term) reveals that many major world cities are located on bodies of water.
Spatial patterns
The placement or arrangement of objects on Earth’s surface; also includes the space between those objects. It explains when events happened, and why they happened when they did.
Time-distance decay
Also known as the “first law of geography”; the idea that near things are more related than distant things, and interaction between two places decreases the farther apart they are.
Map symbols
Graphic elements that help organize the information in a map, such as (but not limited to) dots, stars, arrows, squares, and dotted lines
Legend
A key to the meaning of the symbols and colors on a map
Compass rose
A drawing, usually found on the edge of a map, showing the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west) and the map’s orientation
Absolute direction
Corresponds to the direction on a compass: north, south, east, west, and combinations such as northeast and southwest.
Map scale
The distance on a map in relation to distance in actual space; for example, 1 inch on a map might indicate a distance of 100 miles.
Scale
The territorial extent of an idea or object
Absolute distance
The distance that can be measured with a standard unit of length, such as a foot, yard, mile, or kilometer
Relative distance
A measurement of the level of social, cultural, or economic similarity between places despite their absolute distance from each other
Relative direction
A direction that can be described as position, such as in front of or behind, to the left or to the right
Elevation
Distance above sea level
Isoline
Connects or links different places that share a common or equal value
Topographic map
A graphic representation of the three-dimensional configuration of Earth’s surface. Show natural or physical features of a landscape, including its elevation.
Reference map
Maps that emphasize geographic locations on Earth’s surface. They often display the boundaries, names, and unique identifiers of geographic areas, such as states, provinces, or countries.
Thematic map
Maps that emphasize spacial patterns of geographic statistics of attributes. They show the distribution of a single attribute or characteristic or the relationship among several attributes.
Choropleth map
A type of thematic map which shows data aggregated for a specific geographic area, typically a political unit such as a country, province, or state.
Cartogram
A map that distorts the geographic shape of an area in order to show the size of a specific variable; the larger the area on a cartogram, the larger the value of the underlying variable
Proportional or Graduated circle map
A map that uses symbols (such as circles or dots) of different sizes to represent numerical values
Dot density or Dot distribution map
A map that uses dots to represent objects or counts; the dot can represent one object (a one-to-one dot density map) or it can represent a number of objects (a one-to-many dot density map)
Map projection
A method for representing the surface of Earth or a celestial sphere on a plane (two-dimensional) surface; all (TERM) distort some aspect of Earth’s surface
Mercator projection
A map projection that is useful for navigation because the line connecting points on the map represent the true compass direction; however, landmasses become increasingly distorted the farther away they are from the equator.
Peters projection
A map projection that shows all landmasses with their true areas but distorts their shapes
Goode homolosine projection
A map projection that avoids shape distortion and the restrictions of a rectangular map by creating “interruptions” in the map’s continuity; in each section, map projection regions are shown “equally,” like an orange peel being laid out in a flat surface
Polar projection
A map projection that looks down at Earth from the perspective of one of the poles (North Pole or South Pole)
Robinson projection
A map projection that attempts to create the most visually appealing representation of Earth by keeping all types of distortion relatively low over most of the map
Census
An official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details about individuals such as age, sex, and race
Fieldwork
Learning and doing research involving first-hand experience, which takes place outside the classroom setting
Absolute location
A precise position on Earth’s surface
Latitude (lines)
The (invisible) horizontal lines circling Earth parallel to the equator; (TERM) is the degree of distance north or south from the equator, which is at 0 degrees, as far as the poles, which are at 90 degrees.
Longitude (lines)
The (invisible) vertical lines on Earth’s surface that mark imaginary circles connecting the North Pole with the South Pole
Prime Meridian
The zero-degree longitude line that runs through Greenwich, England; also known as the Greenwich Meridian
Global Positioning System (GPS)
A system of 24 satellites that orbit Earth twice daily and transmit radio signals Earthward; the basis for many map-based apps that provide directions on how to get from one place to another
Geographic information system (GIS)
A software application for capturing, storing, and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface; allows the rapid manipulation of geospatial data for problem-solving and research.
Remote sensing
The scanning of Earth by satellite or high-flying aircraft in order to obtain information about it
Aerial photography
Remote-sensing photography that produces fine-grained, high resolution, highly detailed images
Satellite imagery
Images of Earth’s surface gathered from sensors mounted on orbiting satellites; these sensors record in both the visible and non-visible spectrum, allowing humans to view patterns and processes that are both visible and invisible to the naked eye
Relative location
The position of one place (or person) in relation to the position of another place (or person)
Space
The areas we occupy as humans; it has no value until the people who occupy it make it their own
Place
How we modify space based on who we are as a group of people
Cultural landscape
The built forms that cultural groups create in inhabiting Earth— farm fields, cities, houses, and so on— and the meaning, values, representations, and experiences associated with those forms
Time-space compression
The decreasing distance between places, as measured by travel time or cost; often summarized by the phrase “the world is shrinking”
Interdependence
The ties established between regions and countries that over time collectively create a global economic system that is not necessarily based on equality.
Geographic process
The physical and human forces that work together to form and transform the world
Diffusion
The pattern by which a phenomenon such as the movement of people, or their ideas, technologies, or preferences, spreads from a particular location through space and time
Independent invention
Occurs when the same or a very similar innovation is developed at the same time in different places by different people working independently
Expansion diffusion
Occurs when ideas or practices spread throughout a population, from area to area, in a snowballing process, so that the total number of knowers or users and the areas of occurence increase
Hierarchical diffusion
Occurs when ideas leapfrog from one important person, community, or city to another, bypassing other persons, communities, or rural areas.
Reverse hierarchical diffusion
Occurs when ideas leapfrog from a lower level of a hierarchy to a higher level
Contagious diffusion
The wavelike spread of ideas in the manner of a contagious disease or forest fire, moving throughout space without regard for hierarchy.
Stimulus diffusion
Occurs when a specific trait is rejected, but the underlying idea is accepted
Relocation diffusion
Occurs when individuals or groups with a particular idea or practice migrate from one location to another, thereby bringing the idea or practice to their new homeland
Friction of distance
The inhibiting effect of distance on the intensity and volume of most forms of human interaction; time-space compression diminishes (TERM)
Ecology
A biological science concerned with studying the complex relationships among living organisms and their physical environments
Cultural ecology
The study of the interactions between societies and their local environments
Ecosystem
A territorially bounded system consisting of the interaction between humans and the environment
Environmental perception
The mental images that comprise humans’ perception of nature; (TERM) may be accurate or inaccurate
Natural hazard
A physical danger present in the environment, such as a flood, hurricane, volcanic eruption, and earthquake
Tsunami
A huge ocean wave produced by the displacement of a large volume of water, often caused by an earthquake
Natural resources
Materials or substances that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain
Nonrenewable resources
Natural resources that are available on Earth in finite quantities and will eventually be used up
Renewable resource
Natural resources that Earth will naturally replenish over time
Greenhouse gases
Compounds in the atmosphere from fossil-fuel combustion, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), that absorb and trap heat energy close to Earth’s surface
Greenhouse effect
The global warming trend caused by rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2)
Environmental determinism
The belief that the physical environment is the dominant force shaping cultures and that humanity is a passive product of its physical surroundings.
Possibilism
The belief that any physical environment offers a number of possible ways for a society to develop and that humans can find ways to overcome environmental challenges
Geographic scale
The geographic extent of the area(s) under investigation
Global scale
Geographic scale that looks at geographic phenomena across the entire world
Regional scale analysis
Geographic scale that identifies and analyzes geographic phenomena within a particular region
National scale analysis
Geographic scale that identifies and analyzes geographic phenomena within a specific country
Local scale analysis
Geographic scale that identifies and analyzes geographic phenomena within a state or province, a city or town, or neighborhood
Global perspective
Geographic perspective that acknowledges the two-way relationship between local communities and global patterns, emphasizing that the forces of globalization need to take into account local-scale cultural, economic, and environmental conditions
Region
A geographical unit based on one or more common characteristics or functions
Formal region
A geographical area inhabited by people who have one more traits in common. Are often subjective based on which traits the geographer chooses.
Border zone
A region where cultural markers overlap and blend into a recognizable border culture. Ex. Tex-Mex
Functional region
A geographic area that has been organized to function politically, socially, culturally, or economically as one unit
Nodes
Central points where the functions of a functional region are coordinated and directed
Metropolitan area
An area composed of a heavily populated urban core and its less populated surrounding areas
Perceptual/vernacular region
A geographic area that is perceived to exist by its inhabitants, based on the widespread acceptance and use of a unique regional name
Mental map
A personal representation of a portion of Earth’s surface
Sense of place
How a person feels about a particular place and why it’s important to him or her
Activity space
Where a person goes and what he or she does on a day-to-day basis
Regional identity
The awareness of belonging to a group of people within a region
Contested boundaries
Boundaries that are disputed for religious, political, or cultural reasons
Regional analysis
The process of examining patterns and processes within and between regions at multiple geographic scales (local, national, regional, and global)
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