Geography PPT Lecture Notes - 5 Themes of Geography & Regions, Population, Culture, and Development

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms and concepts from the Geography lecture notes (themes of geography, regions, population, culture, and development).

Location

Where something is found on the earth.

Place

The combination of physical and human-made characteristics that make a location unique.

Regions

Areas that share common characteristics.

Movement

How and why people move and are connected.

Human-Environment Interaction

The relationship between people and their environment, including adaptation, dependence, and modification.

Realm

The largest units the inhabited world can be divided into using physical and human measurements; there are 12 major realms.

Region (definition)

An area defined by a characteristic or set of characteristics.

Absolute Location

Latitude and longitude; a specific place.

Relative Location

Describes the general area of a place (e.g., Eastern Europe).

Hinterland

The surrounding area that interacts with the center of a region.

Functional Region

A region characterized by a city-centered system of interaction.

Formal Region

Uniform or homogeneous areas where everyone shares common attributes (language, climate, political system) used to outline political, cultural, and economic regions.

Political Region

A type of region defined by political boundaries (e.g., country).

Cultural Region

An area where many shared cultural traits exist, usually divided by political boundaries (e.g., African tribes or Native Americans).

National Region

A region defined by the identity or boundaries of a nation (e.g., Jewish nation).

Natural Region

A region dominated by physical landscapes such as mountains and valleys.

Population

Distribution of people on Earth; people tend to live near fertile soil or move to usable soil.

Population Growth

Change in population over time; historical patterns show rapid growth in recent centuries with large numbers added in shorter intervals.

Population Agglomerations

Large clusters of people in major regions (East Asia, South Asia, Europe, North America; Southeast Asia is also a major cluster).

Megalopolis

A region made up of several large cities and their surrounding areas, close enough to form a single urban complex.

Conflict

Major tensions in the world, including religious, nationalist, political, economic, and ethnic/regional conflicts.

Modern Development Political

Political conflicts arising from global changes, such as dam projects and strategic withdrawals influencing countries.

Modern Development Social

Social aspects of development, including changes in music, clothing, and food.

Modern Development Economic

Economic conflicts and issues such as international relations and wealth disparities.

Culture

Shared patterns of behaviors and interactions learned through socialization; includes beliefs, institutions, and technology.

Innovation

A new way of doing things; key innovations include farming, urban living, and machines.

Diffusion

The spread of an innovation through society by relocation or adoption.

Acculturation

When one culture changes through contact with another culture.

Urbanization

The process of more people moving to cities.

Industrialization

The development and use of machines to manufacture goods.

Rural Life

Agriculture-focused living, including traditional and commercial farming.

Traditional Agriculture

Farming primarily for personal or family use rather than for profit.

Commercial Agriculture

Farming primarily for profit and market sale.