macmillan learning human geography vocabulary

absolute advantage

A nation's ability to produce a good or service more efficiently than another nation

absolute direction

Corresponds to the direction on a compass: north, south, east, west, and combinations such as northeast and southwest

absolute distance

The distance that can be measured with a standard unit of length, such as a foot, yard, mile, or kilometer

absolute location

A precise position on Earth's surface

absorbing barriers

Barriers that completely halt diffusion (ex. mountain range, ocean, political institution, legal code, or cultural taboo)

accent

A way of pronouncing words

acculturation

Occurs when an ethnic or immigrant group adopts enough of the ways of the host society to be able to function economically and socially

activity space

Where a person goes and what he or she does on a day-to-day basis

aerial photography

Remote-sensing photography that produces fine-grained, high-resolution, highly detailed images

African Union (AU)

A continental organization of African states that seeks to drive Africa's growth and economic development through cooperation and integration of member states

age structure

Refers to the breakdown of a population into different age groups or cohorts

agglomeration economies

Occur where firms cluster spatially in order to take advantage of geographic concentrations of skilled labor and industry suppliers, specialized infrastructure, and ease of face-to-face contact with industry participants

aging population

A population of a country or place that ages as the number or proportion of its elderly people increases

agribusiness

Large corporation that provides a vast array of goods and services to support the agricultural industry

agrichemicals

Chemical compounds obtained from petroleum and natural gas for use in agriculture; agrichemicals include fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides

agricultural cooperative

An organization where farmers pool their resources in certain areas of activity such as services or production; services or production resources are provided to individual farm members

agricultural density

The number of farmers per unit of arable land

agricultural landscape

The visible imprint of agricultural practices

agricultural surplus

Crop yields that are sufficient to feed more people than the farmer and his or her family

agriculture

The planting and harvesting of domesticated plants and the raising of domesticated animals for food

allegiance

Loyalty or commitment to a country

androcentrism

A phenomenon in which a culture demonstrates a marked preference for males

animistic religion

A faith that subscribes to the idea that souls or spirits exist not only in humans but also in animals, plants, rocks, natural phenomena such as thunder, geographic features such as mountains or rivers, and other entities of the natural environment

antecedent boundary

A boundary that was identified before an area was settled (ex. China & Vietnam's boundary, between the Republic or Ireland and Northern Ireland; the Green Line)

Anthropocene

The period in which human activities have had the dominant influence on the environment

anti-displacement tenant activists

Advocates for poor and working-class residents who are at risk of losing their affordable housing to new development

antinatalist policy

Designed to curtail population growth by reducing fertility rates

aquaculture

The cultivation and harvesting of aquatic organisms under controlled conditions

aquifer

Underground water deposited hundreds of thousands of years ago

arable land

Land suitable for cultivation

Arctic Circle

Area defined by the 66 degrees, 34 minutes north latitude line

Arctic Council

An international governmental forum that promotes interaction among the Arctic states and indigenous communities on common Arctic issues, particularly sustainable development and environmental protection

arid climate

A climate that receives less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain annually

arithmetic (crude) density

The average number of people per unit of land area (usually per square mile or kilometer)

assembly line

A system of manufacturing in which parts and procedures are added one step at a time through a series of workstations until a finished product is assembled

assimilation

Occurs when an ethnic or immigrant group blends in with the host culture and loses many culturally distinctive traits

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

A regional intergovernmental organization comprising 10 countries in Southeast Asia to promote intergovernmental cooperation and facilitate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region

automobile cities

Cities whose size and shape are dictated by and almost require individual automobile ownership

autonomous region

A subdivision or dependent territory of a country that has a degree of self-government, or autonomy, in its decision making (Ex. Native American reservations)

Baby Boomers

People born from 1946 to 1964 during the post-World War II uptick in birth rate (72 mil boomers, they reshaped lifestyles, social norms, and societal norms of U.S.)

base industry

An industry of disproportionate economic importance and on whose existence other industries and employment sectors depend

below market rate housing

Housing that costs much less than the going rate

bid-rent theory

Explains how the demand for and price of land decrease as its distance from the central business district increases

bilingualism

The ability to speak two languages fluently

biodiesel

Fuel made from vegetable oils

biodiversity

The variety and variability among species and ecosystems

biofuel

A fuel derived from organic wastes or plant materials

Black Belt

Ethnic homeland in the U.S. South

blockbusting

A practice in which realtors persuade white homeowners in a neighborhood to sell their homes by convincing them that the neighborhood is declining due to black families moving in

boomburb (also called boomburg)

A place with more than 100,000 residents that is not a core city in a metropolitan area; a large suburb with its own government

border zone

A region where cultural markers overlap and blend into a recognizable border culture

borderland

A region straddling both sides of an international boundary where national cultures overlap and blend to varying degrees (ex. "Tex-Mex")

Boserup effect

Increase in food production resulting from the use of new farming methods

boundary

A clearly demarcated line that marks both the limits of a territory and divisions between territories; often called a border at the global scale

brain drain

A phenomenon where a country or a place loses young, more educated, and skilled people through migration

brain gain

A phenomenon where a country or a place gains young, more educated, and skilled people through migration

break-of-bulk point

A location where cargo is transferred from one mode of transportation to another

brownfield

A property whose use or development may be complicated by the potential presence of hazardous substances or pollutants

brownfield remediation

The process of removing or sealing off contaminants so that a site may be used again without any health concerns

buffer state

A politically and economically weak independent country that lies between the borders of two powers (ex. Thailand, formerly Siam)

built environment

The human-made space in which people live, work, and engage in leisure activities on a daily basis

cadastral survey

Systematic documentation of property ownership, shape, use, and boundaries

capital expenditures

Assets that cost money, such as land, machinery, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, seeds, and livestock feed

capitalism

An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit rather than owned and run by the state

capitalist class

People who own the means of production and pay the wages of workers

carbon neutrality

Achieving zero CO2 releases through a combination of emissions reduction and carbon removal

carbon offsets

Processes that remove or sequester (store) carbon from the atmosphere to make up for CO2 emissions elsewhere

carrying capacity

The number of people a particular environment or Earth as a whole can support on a sustainable basis

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

cartographer

A person who makes maps

cash crop

A crop raised to be sold for profit rather than to feed the farm family and the livestock; common cash crops are cotton, flax, hemp, coffee, and tobacco

cassava

A root vegetable native to South America

census

An official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details about individuals, such as age, sex, and race

central business district (CBD)

A dense cluster of offices and shops located at a city's most accessible point, usually its center

central place

A settlement that makes certain types of products and services available to consumers

central place theory

A model, developed by Walter Christaller, that attempts to understand why cities are located where they are

centrifugal force

A force that threatens the cohesion of a neighborhood, society, or country

centripetal force

A force that brings people together and unifies a neighborhood, society, or country

cereal grains

Seeds that come from a wide variety of grasses cultivated around the world, including wheat, barley, sorghum, millet, oats, and maize (corn)

chain migration

The process by which some people's migration to a new place leads their family members, friends, and others to move to the same place

child mortality

Deaths of children under five years of age

choke point

A narrow passage that restricts traffic to another region

choropleth map

A thematic map that shows data aggregated for a specific geographic area, often using different colors to represent different values

circulation

Short-term and cyclical movement that occurs repeatedly on a regular basis

city

A relatively large, densely populated settlement with a much larger population than rural towns and villages; cities serve as important commercial, governmental, and cultural hubs for their surrounding regions

climate

The average pattern of weather over a 30-year period for a particular region

climate change

A long-term shift in global or regional climate patterns

clustered settlement or farm village

A tightly bunched farm settlement that has anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred inhabitants

cogeneration

Producing two forms of energy from one fuel

colonialism

The act of forcefully controlling a foreign territory, which becomes known as a colony

Columbian Exchange

The interaction and widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, disease, and ideas between the Americas, West Africa, and the Old World in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries

commercial agriculture

Farming oriented exclusively toward the production of agricultural commodities for sale in the market

commercial farmers

Farmers who raise crops and livestock to sell in the market at a profit rather than raising them for their own consumption

commodity

A primary agricultural product or raw material that is bought, sold, and traded

commodity chain

A series of links connecting a commodity's many places of production and distribution

commodity dependence

Occurs when commodities account for more than 60 percent of the value of a country's total exports

communism

An economic and political system in which all property is publicly owned and managed

community-supported agriculture (CSA)

A direct-to-consumer marketing arrangement in which farmers are guaranteed buyers for their produce at guaranteed prices and consumers receive fresh food directly from the producers

compact design

Development that grows up (in the form of taller buildings) rather than out (in the form of urban sprawl)

comparative advantage

A country's ability to produce one product much more efficiently than it can produce other products within its economy