Geography and Cultural Studies Vocabulary

These flashcards cover key terms and definitions from geography and cultural studies, including concepts related to population, culture, agriculture, globalization, economics, and environmental issues.

absolute distance

a measure of the physical space between two locations

absolute location

description of the position of a place in a way that never changes, such as geographic coordinates of latitude and longitude

acculturation

the process of changes in culture that result from the meeting of two groups, each of which retains distinct cultural features

administered boundary

the enforcement and maintaining of a boundary by a government; individual governments decide how strict border crossings will be

affordability

ease of accessibility to services

African Union

an organization of African states aimed at encouraging economic development and political stability through increased cooperation between members

age structure

see: population pyramid

agglomeration

grouping of many firms from the same industry in a single area for cooperative use of infrastructure and sharing of labor

aging population

a population in which the percentage of people that are age 65 or older is increasing relative to other age groups, especially the working age population

agricultural population density

the ratio of the number of farmers to the total amount of arable land (land suitable for agriculture)

agricultural practices

the ways in which crops and livestock are grown and managed on a farm or ranch

agricultural revolution

the process that began when human beings first domesticated plants and animals and no longer relied entirely on hunting and gathering

agricultural sector

the portion of the economy which is concerned with growing food for human consumption

antecedent boundary

a boundary between two states that is created before the area is populated by humans

antinatalist

government policy that supports lower birth rates

aquaculture

the cultivation of seafood under controlled conditions

architecture

the building and design styles and techniques that are characteristic of a society or region in a certain time period

Arctic Council

intergovernmental organization promoting cooperation and interaction among the Arctic States

arithmetic population density

the total number of people divided by the total land area

assimilation

the process by which a group's cultural features are altered to resemble those of another group

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

organization which promotes cultural, economic, and political development in Southeast Asia

asylum seeker

someone who has migrated to another country in the hope of being recognized as a refugee

attitude

opinion toward a certain topic, largely maintained by an entire cultural group

autonomous region

an area of a country that has freedom from an external authority, including the government of that country

balance of power

a condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or alliances of countries

behavior

observable actions or responses of humans or animals

Berlin Conference

meeting of European powers in 1884 to regulate European colonization and trade in Africa; established political boundaries within Africa

bid-rent theory

refers to how the price and demand for real estate change as the distance from the central business district increases

biodiversity

the variety of organisms in a location

biotechnology

uses living organisms, usually genes, to modify products, to make/modify plants and animals, or to create other microorganisms

birth rate

the number of live births in a year per every 1,000 people in the population in a given year

blockbusting

a process by which real estate agents convince white property owners to sell their houses at low prices because of fear that persons of color will soon move into the neighborhood

boomburb

a large, rapidly growing city that is suburban in character but resembles population totals or large urban cores

break-of-bulk point

a location where transfer is possible from one mode of transportation to another

brownfields

real property which is difficult to redevelop or reuse due to the presence of a hazardous substance or pollutant

Buddhism

religion founded on the teachings of Buddha which says that life is full of suffering caused by desire, and enlightenment can be achieved by being released from desire

built landscape

an area of land represented by its features and patterns of human occupation and use of natural resources

Burgess concentric zone model

a model of the internal structure of cities in which social groups are spatially arranged in a series of rings

carrying capacity

the population size of a species that the environment can sustain indefinitely, given the available resources

causal factors

reason why something happens

census

population count of a nation, state, or other region; includes demographic information

census data

information collected from a census that is used by planners to understand the social, economic, and demographic conditions locally and nationally

Central America

land bridge connecting North and South America, not officially a continent on its own

centralized governance

the power in a country lies in one central body

centrifugal force

a cultural value that tends to pull people apart

centripetal force

a cultural value that tends to unify people

chain migration

migration to a specific location because relatives or members of the same nationality previously migrated there

changing diets

increased desire for meat in diets over the last fifty years

chemicals

substances used to increase crop yield by killing pests or increasing the growth of the plant

choke points

a place where physical geography creates obstacles to the easy passage of people and goods from one place to another

Christaller's central place theory

a theory that explains the distribution of services based on the fact that settlements serve as centers of market areas for services; larger settlements are fewer and farther apart than smaller settlements and provide services for a larger number of people who are willing to travel farther

Christianity

religion based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as well as the Old Testament, emphasizing Jesus as savior

climate change

change in the earth's climate, especially due to the change in the atmospheric pressure

climatic condition

climate of an area

clustered settlement

a rural settlement in which the houses and farm buildings of each family are situated close to each other, with fields surrounding the settlement

clustering

a pattern in which objects in an area are close together

colonialism

an attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory

Columbian Exchange

the transfer of plants and animals, as well as people, culture, and technology, between the Western Hemisphere and Europe, as a result of European colonialization and trade

commercial farming

agriculture undertaken primarily to generate products for sale off the farm

commodity dependence

when peripheral economies rely too heavily on the export of raw materials, leaving them vulnerable to economic collapse

communication technologies

internet, phones

community-supported agriculture

a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so the farmland becomes the 'community's farm' rather than only taken care of by the farmer

comparative advantage

the ability of a country, firm, or individual to produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than other producers

complementarity

the actual or potential relationship between two places

complex commodity chain

interconnected networks of production, distribution, and consumption that are involved in bringing a product from its raw materials stage to the final consumer

consequent boundary

boundary between opposing ethnic groups that was established to settle disputes, end wars, and establish a clear separation between groups

conservation

the sustainable management of a natural resource to meet human needs

contagious diffusion

the rapid, widespread diffusion of a feature or trend throughout a population

contested boundary

a boundary which two countries cannot agree on the location or demarcation

contraception

the deliberate use of artificial methods or other techniques to prevent pregnancy

core

states where economic power is concentrated, often as a result of exploitation of periphery countries

creolization

the process in which two or more languages converge and form a new language

cultural cohesion

the capacity of different national and ethnic groups to make a mutual commitment to live together as citizens of the same state

cultural convergence

when cultures become more similar based on shared structures, values and technology

cultural divergence

the restriction of a culture from outside cultural influences

cultural factors

material characteristics, behavioral patterns, beliefs, social norms, attitudes

cultural hearth

a place from which a culture originated

cultural landscape

an approach to geography that emphasizes the relationships among social and physical phenomena in a particular study area

cultural relativism

understanding a culture on its own terms rather than judging it by the standards or customs of one's own culture

cultural trait

the specific customs that are part of the everyday life of a particular culture, such as language, religion, ethnicity

culture

the body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that together constitutes the distinct tradition of a group of people

de facto segregation

segregation by custom/culture rather than by law

death rate

the number of deaths yearly per 1,000 people in a given population

decentralization

the tendency of people or businesses and industry to locate outside the central city

defined boundary

established by a legal document

deforestation

destruction of forest or forested areas by humans or by natural means

deindustrialization

process in which the industrial activity in a country or region is removed because of a major economic or social change

delimited boundary

boundaries that are drawn on a map

demarcated boundary

identified by physical objects, like walls, signs, fences

demilitarized zones

area in which treaties or agreements between nations forbid military installations

democratization

the process of establishing representative and accountable forms of government led by popularly elected officials

demographic

population characteristic

demographic transition model

the process of change in a society's population from a condition of high crude birth and death rates and low rate of natural increase to a condition of low crude birth and death rates, low rate of natural increase, and higher total population

dependency theory

LDCs are highly dependent on foreign factories and technologies from MDCs to provide employment and infrastructure

desertification

degradation of land, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions such as excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting

developing world

a country that is still at a relatively early stage in the process of development

devolution

transfer of power from a central government to a lower level in order to avoid the separation of the state

dialect

a regional variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation

dietary shifts

see: changing diets

diffusion

the process by which a feature spreads from one place to another over time