Geo 135 Test 1

Chapters 1, 2, and 4

areal differentiation

The geographic description and explanation of spatial differences on Earth’s surface, including both physical as well as human patterns.

areal integration

The geographic description and explanation of how places, landscapes, and regions are connected, interact, and are integrated with each other.

choropleth map

A thematic map in which areas are shaded or patterned in proportion to the measurement of the statistical variable being displayed on the map.

colonialism

The formal and established rule over local peoples by a larger imperialist government

culture

Learned and shared behavior by a group of people empowering them with a distinct “way of life”; it includes both material (technology, tools, etc.) and non-material (speech, religion, values, etc.) components.

decolonialization

The process of a former colony’s gaining (or regaining) independence over its territory and establishing (or reestablishing) an independent government.

diversity

The differences between cultures, ethnicities, economies, landscapes, and regions.

formal region

A geographic concept used to describe an area where a static and specific trait (such as a language or a climate) has been mapped and described. A geographic concept of areal or spatial similarity, large or small. A formal region contrasts with a functional region.

functional region

A geographic concept used to describe the spatial extent dominated by a specific activity. The circulation area of a newspaper is an example, as is the trade area of a large city.

geography

The spatial science that describes and explains physical and cultural phenomena on Earth’s surface.

geopolitics

The relationship between politics and space and territory.

globalization

The increasing interconnectedness of people and places throughout the world through converging processes of economic, political, and cultural change.

glocalization

(which combines globalization with locale) is the process of modifying an introduced globalized product or service to accommodate local tastes or cultural practices.

gross domestic product (GDP)/gross national product (GNP)

GDP is the total value of goods and services produced within a given country (or other geographical unit) in a single year. GNP is a somewhat broader measure that includes the inflow of money from other countries in the form of the repatriation of profits and other returns on investments, as well as the outflow to other countries for the same purposes.

gross national income (GNI)

The value of all final goods and services produced within a country’s borders (gross domestic product, or GDP), plus the net income from abroad (formerly referred to as gross national product, or GNP).

Human Development Index (HDI)

For the past three decades, the United Nations has tracked social development in the world’s countries through the Human Development Index (HDI), which combines data on life expectancy, literacy, educational attainment, gender equity, and income.

human geography

The form of geography that concentrates on the spatial analysis of economic, political, social, and cultural systems.

lingua franca

An agreed-upon common language to facilitate communication on specific topics such as inter- national business, politics, sports, or entertainment.

megacities

Urban conglomerations of more than 10 million people.

neocolonialism

Economic and political strategies by which powerful states indirectly (and sometimes directly) extend their influence over other, weaker states.

net migration rate

A statistic that depicts whether more people are entering or leaving a country through migration per year. It is usually expressed as a positive or negative number per 1,000 people in the population.

physical geography

The form of geography that examines climate, landforms, soils, vegetation, and hydrology.

population density

The number of people per areal unit, usually measured in people per square kilometer or per square mile.

population pyramid

A graph representing the structure of a population, including the percentage of young and old. The percentages of all different age groups are plotted along a vertical axis that divides the population into male and female. In a fast growing population with a large percentage of young people and a small percentage of elderly, the graph will have a wide base and a narrow tip, giving it a pyramidal shape.

rate of natural increase (RNI)

The standard statistic used to express natural population growth per year for a country, region, or the world based upon the difference between birth and death rates. RNI does not consider population change from migration. Though most often a positive figure (such as 1.7 percent), RNI can also be expressed either as zero or even as a negative number for no-growth countries.

region

A geographic concept of areal or spatial similarity, large or small.

regional geography

A basic division in geography which focuses on areal units or regions and the particular environmental and human characteristics that distinguish them.

thematic geography

A basic division in geography which focuses on a specific topic or theme as opposed to analyzing a specific place or a region.

total fertility rate (TFR)

The average number of children who will be borne by women of a hypothetical, yet statistically valid, population, such as that of a specific cultural group or within a particular country. Demographers consider TFR a more reliable indicator of population change than the crude birthrate.

anthropogenic

Caused by human activities.

biodiversity

The array of species, both flora and fauna, found in an ecosystem or bioregion.

bioregion

A spatial unit or region of local plants and animals adapted to a specific environment such as a tropical savanna.

climate

The average weather conditions for a place, usually based upon a minimum of 30 years of weather measurements.

climographs

Graphs of average annual temperature and precipitation data by month and season.

continental climate

The term describes inland climates with hot summers and cold winters. The interior portions of North America, Europe, and Asia have continental climates.

convergent plate boundaries

Boundaries outlining plates that move toward one another, as opposed to divergent plate boundaries that surround plates that move apart.

divergent plate boundary

A place where two tectonic plates move away from each other. Here, magma often flows from Earth’s interior, producing volcanoes on the surface such as in Iceland. In other divergent zones large trenches or rift valleys are created.

greenhouse effect

The natural process of lower atmosphere heating that results from the trapping of incoming and reradiated solar energy by water moisture, clouds, and other atmospheric gases.

greenhouse gases (GHGs)

The gasses that create an envelope around the earth trapping the warmth from incoming and outgoing solar radiation. These include such natural constituents as water vapor, carbon dioxide CO2, methane CH4 and ozone O3. Although the composition of these natural GHGs has varied somewhat over long periods of geologic time, it has been relatively stable since the last ice age ended 20,000 years ago.

insolation

Incoming solar energy that enters the atmosphere adjacent to Earth.

lithosphere

Earth’s outer layer, consisting of large geologic platforms, or plates, that move very slowly across its surface. Driving the movement of these plates is a heat exchange deep within Earth.

maritime climate

Climate moderated by proximity to oceans or large seas. It is usually cool, cloudy, and wet, and lacks the temperature extremes of continental climates.

monsoon winds

Near Earth’s surface, these are continent-scale winds that flow from high to low pressure areas in places such as Asia and North America; summer monsoons bring rainfall to the dry areas of interior India and the Southwest United States.

nonrenewable energy

Those energy sources such as oil and coal with finite reserves.

orographic effect

The influence of mountains on weather and climate, usually referring to the increase of precipitation on the windward side of mountains, and a drier zone (or rain shadow) on the leeward or downwind side of the mountain.

plate tectonics

The theory that explains the gradual movement of large geological platforms (or plates) along Earth’s surface.

rain shadow

A drier area of precipitation, usually on the leeward or downwind side of a mountain range, that receives less rain and snowfall than the windward or upwind side. A rain shadow is caused by the warming of air as it descends down a mountain range; this warming increases the ability of an air mass to hold moisture.

renewable energy

Energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydro, that are replenished by nature at a faster rate than they are used or consumed and generally have a low environmental impact.

subduction zone

Areas where two tectonic plates are converging or colliding. In these areas, one plate usually sinks below another. They are characterized by earthquakes, volcanoes, and deep oceanic trenches.

transform fault

An earthquake fault where the ground on each side of the fault moves in opposite directions because of tectonic forces.

altitudinal zonation

The relationship between higher elevations, cooler temperatures, and changes in vegetation that result from the environmental lapse rate (averaging 3.5°F for every 1000 feet [6.5°C for every 1000 meters]). In Latin America, four general altitudinal zones exist: tierra caliente, tierra templada, tierra fria, and tierra helada.

Columbian exchange

An exchange of people, diseases, plants, and animals between the Americas (New World) and Europe/Africa (Old World) initiated by the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492.

dollarization

An economic strategy in which a country adopts the U.S. dollar as its official currency. A country can be partially dollarized, using U.S. dollars alongside its national currency, or fully dollarized, when the U.S. dollar becomes the only medium of exchange and a country gives up its own national currency. Panama fully dollarized in 1904; more recently, Ecuador became fully dollarized in 2000, followed by El Salvador in 2001.

El Niño

An abnormally warm current that appears periodically in the eastern Pacific Ocean and usually influences storminess along the western coasts of the Americas. During an El Niño event, which can last several years, torrential rains often bring devastating floods to the Pacific coasts of North, Central, and South America. El Niño events are often associated with droughts in Australia and Southeast Asia.

grassification

The conversion of tropical forest into pasture for cattle ranching. Typically, this process involves introducing species of grasses and cattle, mostly from Africa.

maquiladoras

Assembly plants on or near the Mexican border built and owned by foreign companies. Most of their products are exported to the United States.

neotropics

Tropical ecosystems of the Americas that evolved in relative isolation and support diverse and unique flora and fauna.

outsourcing

A business practice that transfers portions of a company’s production and service activities to lower-cost settings, often located overseas.

remittances

Monies sent by immigrants working abroad to family members and communities in countries of origin. For many countries in the developing world, remittances often amount to billions of dollars each year. For small countries, remittances can equal 5 to 10 percent of a country’s gross domestic product.

rural-to-urban migration

The flow of internal migrants from rural areas to cities.

syncretic religions

The blending of different belief systems. In Latin America, many animist practices were folded into Christian worship.

urban primacy

The situation found in a country in which a disproportionately large city, such as London, Seoul, or Bangkok, dominates the urban system and is the center of economic, political, and cultural life.