Geography – Nature & Perspectives, Population, Migration & Dispersion, Cultural Patterns & Processes, Political Organization of Space, Agricultural & Rural Land Use, Industrialization & Development, Cities & Urban Land Use

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to geography, population, culture, political organization, land use, and urbanization.

Sequent Occupance

The notion that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape.

Cultural Landscape

Fashioning of a natural landscape by a cultural group, showing how humans interact with nature.

Arithmetic Density

The total number of people divided by the total land area.

Physiological Density

The number of people per unit of area of arable land.

Hearth

The region from which innovative ideas originate.

Diffusion

The process of spread of a feature or trend from one place to another over time.

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another.

Expansion Diffusion

The spread of a feature from one place to another in a snowballing process.

Hierarchical Diffusion

The spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places.

Contagious Diffusion

The rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population.

Stimulus Diffusion

The spread of an underlying principle, even though a characteristic itself apparently fails to diffuse.

Absolute Distance

Exact measurement of the physical space between two places.

Relative Distance

Approximate measurement of the physical space between two places.

Distribution

The arrangement of something across Earth’s surface.

Environmental Determinism

An approach that argues the physical environment causes human activities.

Absolute Location

Position on Earth’s surface using the coordinate system of longitude and latitude.

Relative Location

Position on Earth’s surface relative to other features.

Site

The physical character of place; what is found at the location.

Situation

The location of a place relative to other places.

Space Time Compression

The reduction in the time it takes to diffuse something to a distant place.

Friction of Distance

The idea that distance usually requires effort, money, or energy to overcome.

Distance Decay

The diminishing importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin.

Networks

A set of interconnected nodes without a center.

Connectivity

The relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space.

Accessibility

The degree of ease with which it is possible to reach certain locations.

Space

The physical gap or interval between two objects.

Spatial Distribution

Physical location of geographic phenomena across space.

Size

Estimation or determination of extent.

Scale

Representation of a real-world phenomenon at a certain level of reduction or generalization.

Formal Region

An area within which everyone shares one or more distinctive characteristics.

Functional Region

Area organized around a node or focal point.

Vernacular Region

A place that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity.

Possibilism

The physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment.

Natural Landscape

The physical landscape that is unaffected by human activities.

Pattern

The geometric arrangement of objects in space.

Place Name

The name given to a place on Earth.

Age Distribution

Population pyramid showing the number of males and females in age groups.

Carrying Capacity

The population level that can be supported by the resources available.

Cohort

Population of various age categories in a population pyramid.

Demographic Equation

Formula that calculates population change: births minus deaths plus net migration.

Demographic Momentum

The tendency for a growing population to continue growing after a fertility decline.

Demographic Regions

Regions categorized by their stage in demographic transition.

Demographic Transition Model

Model including stages representing population growth and development.

Dependency Ratio

The number of people who are too young or too old to work compared to those in productive years.

Diffusion of Fertility Control

Patterns of fertility rates across different regions.

Disease Diffusion

The spread of diseases categorized into contagious and hierarchical.

Doubling Time

The number of years needed to double a population at a constant rate.

Ecumene

The proportion of Earth's surface occupied by permanent human settlement.

Epidemiological Transition Model

Model showing distinctive causes of death in each stage of demographic transition.

Infant Mortality Rate

Annual number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1000 live births.

J-Curve

Projection of population showing exponential growth.

Maladaptation

An adaptation that has become less helpful and more of a hindrance.

Malthus, Thomas

First to argue that population growth was outpacing food production.

Mortality

Ways to measure death rates, such as infant mortality rate and life expectancy.

Natality

Crude birth rate; ratio of live births to the population.

Neo-Malthusian

Theory that builds upon Malthus’ thoughts on overpopulation.

Overpopulation

Relationship where population exceeds the capacity of resources to support it.

Population Densities

Frequency of occurrence in space categorized as arithmetic, physiological, and agricultural density.

Population Distributions

Arrangement of a feature in space described by density, concentration, and pattern.

Population Explosion

A sudden increase in population due to demographic transition.

Population Projection

Estimation of future population growth trends.

Population Pyramid

Graphical representation of population by age and gender.

Rate of Natural Increase

The percentage by which a population grows in a year.

S-Curve

Graphical representation showing growth fluctuations.

Sex Ratio

The number of males per hundred females in a population.

Standard of Living

Quality and quantity of goods and services available to a population.

Sustainability

Providing optimal outcomes for current and future generations.

Underpopulation

A sharp drop or decrease in a region's population.

Zero Population Growth

When the crude birth rate equals the crude death rate.

Activity Space

Space allocated for a certain industry or activity.

Chain Migration

When family members migrate successively to a new location.

Cyclic Movement

Trends in migration showing a clear cycle.

Forced Migration

People removed from their countries due to conflict or disaster.

Gravity Model

Predicts optimal location of services relative to the population and distance.

Internal Migration

Permanent movement within a country.

Intervening Opportunity

An environmental or cultural feature that aids migration.

Immigration Patterns

Permanent movement categorized by intercontinental and interregional migrations.

Migratory Movement

Periodic movements within a population.

Place Utility

The usefulness of a location for a particular function.

Push-Pull Factors

Factors that induce migration by pushing from and pulling to another location.

Refugee

People forced to migrate due to persecution.

Space-Time Prism

Concept measuring mobility and constraints on migration.

Step Migration

Migration that occurs in stages rather than in one leap.

Transhumance

Seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and pastures.

Transmigration

Voluntary migration across geo-political boundaries.

Acculturation

Adoption of certain customs beneficial to a society.

Assimilation

Process of less dominant cultures losing their identity.

Cultural Adaptation

Adjustments societies make to environmental challenges.

Cultural Ecology

Study of human environmental relationships.

Cultural Identity

Belief in belonging to a cultural group.

Cultural Realm

Distinct areas where certain cultures dominate.

Cultural Region

Area defined by one or more common characteristics.

Core-Periphery Model

Concept categorizing regions into economic core and periphery zones.

Diffusion Types

Various mechanisms by which cultural phenomena spread.

Innovation Adoption

Study of how new technologies spread throughout cultures.

Maladaptive Diffusion

Spread of processes with negative side effects.

Sequence Occupancy

Cultural succession and its lasting imprint on landscapes.

Religion

Faithfulness to codified beliefs, often causing conflict.

Animism

Belief in the spiritual essence of inanimate objects.

Buddhism

Universalizing religion with major adherents mainly in Asia.