Geography Final

Groaphy

5 Themes of Geography

Location, Place, Region, Human-Environment Interaction, Movement

Location Question

Where is it?

Absolute Location

Fixed position on Earth using latitude and longitude coordinates

Latitude

Horizontal lines measuring north/south

Longitude

Vertical lines measuring east/west

Coordinate format

(latitude, longitude)

Relative location

Position compared to the location of another landmark, object, or place

Place Question

What is it like there?

Place Characteristics

Human & Physical

Human Characteristics

Comes from humans and their actions

Examples of Human Characteristics

Land use, religion, language, politics, infrastructure

Physical Characteristics

The natural environment around a place

Examples of Physical Characteristics

Landforms, bodies of water, vegetation, climate, biodiversity

Region Question

How are areas similar/different from each other?

Types of Regions

Formal, Vernacular, Functional

Formal Regions

Regions with distinct and agreed upon boundaries, often guarded (ex/ USA)

Vernacular Regions

Regions with informal boundaries (ex/ New England)

Functional Regions

Regions with a geographic area centered around a specific social, economical, or political function (ex/ Pittsburgh metropolitan area)

Human-Environment Interaction Question

What is the relationship between humans and the environment?

Human-Environment Interaction Types

Depend, Modify, Adapt

Examples of depending on the environment

Food & shelter

Examples of modifying the environment

Building infrastructure, farming, digging

Examples of adapting to the environment

HVAC systems, wearing coats when it’s cold, flood defenses

Movement Question

Who, what, where, when, why, and how do people, goods, and ideas move?

What does movement tell us?

Where resources are located, who needs them, and how they are transported over the Earth’s surface

What does movement help us understand?

How we are connected with, and dependent, upon other regions, cultures, and people in the world

Ecumene

Permanently inhabited areas of the Earth by humans

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

The number of births per 1,000 people in a population, calculated annually. Typically higher in less developed countries and lower in more developed countries

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

The number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population, calculated annually. Not dependent on the development of a country

Natural Increase Rate (NIR) / Rate of Natural Increase (RNI)

(CBR - CDR)/10 ; expressed as a percentage

Democratic Transition Model

Theory that suggests a country’s increase rate changes as the country changes its level of development

List the stages of the Democratic Transition Model in order

1. Low Growth

2. High Growth

3. Moderate Growth

4. Declining Growth

5. Hypothetical Population Decline

Stage 1 (Low Growth) of the Democratic Transition Model

High CBR, High CDR - Very Low NIR

Slow results & population greatly fluctuates

Only hunter-gatherer societies are in this stage, no countries

Stage 2 (High Growth) of the Democratic Transition Model

High CBR, Low CDR - Very High NIR

Results in very significant population growth

Typically found in poor, developing countries that are young and expanding (Some Middle East countries and much of Sub-Saharan Africa)

Stage 3 (Moderate Growth) of the Democratic Transition Model

Low CBR, Moderate CDR - Moderate NIR

Results in moderate population growth

Found in countries such as India, Mexico, and South Africa

Stage 4 (Declining Growth) of the Democratic Transition Model

Very low CBR, Low CDR - Zero or negative NIR

No population growth

Caused by social customs (such as women entering workforce)

Found in countries such as China, Australia, and Canada

Stage 5 (Hypothetical Population Decline) of the Democratic Transition Model

CDR > CBR: Negative NIR

Found in no countries so far

Universal Healthcare

All residents of a country have access to quality healthcare without financial hardship

Only developed country without universal healthcare

United States of America

Overpopulation

Occurs when a population exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment

Population Pyramids

The breakdown of a population by gender and age

Expansive Population Pyramids

Graph is shaped like a triangle

Population is young and growing

Common among developing populations

Constrictive Population Pyramids

Graph is shaped like an inverted triangle

Population is old and shrinking

Common among developed countries with good healthcare and education

Stationary Population Pyramids

Graph is shaped like a rectangle

Population is stagnant

Common among newly or moderately developed countries

Push Factors

Factors that cause people to move out of a place. Most often conflict, economic hardships, or political instability

Pull Factors

Factors that cause people to move into a place. Most often employment, safety, or freedom

Emigration

Moving out of a country

Immigration

Moving into a country

Culture

Material traits, customary beliefs, and social norms that contribute to the distinct identity of a group of people

Habits vs. Customs

Habits are often practiced personally and unconsciously, while customs are socially accepted practices done within a group

Folk Culture

The traditional culture of small, homogeneous groups in isolated rural areas, often pass down through spoken traditions

Popular Culture

Widespread culture of large, heterogeneous societies, often influenced by mass media and rapidly diffused through technology

Diffusion

The spread of ideas, practices, or technology from a particular place to other locations

Hearth

The region from which the new “thing” first emerges

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another (ex/ missionaries, migration)

Expansion Diffusion

The spread of a feature from one place to another in an additive process. Results from hierarchical diffusion or contagious diffusion

Hierarchical Diffusion

Spread through the influence of authority or social elites (ex/ Presidential speeches)

Contagious Diffusion

Spread rapidly through a population, regardless of hierarchy/permanent relocation (ex/ memes)

Refugee

Someone who has fled their country on past or feared persecution due to race, ethnicity, or political opinion

Internally Displaced Person (IDR)

Someone who has fled their home for the same reasons as a refugee, but hasn’t left the country’s political boundary

Types of Religions

Universalizing and Ethnic

Universalizing Religions

Seeks appeal to everyone, regardless of culture or location

Ethnic Religions

Closely tied to a specific ethnic group or location

4 Largest World Religions, in order

1. Christianity - 2.3 billion

2. Islam - 1.8 billion

3. Hinduism - 1.1 billion

4. Buddhism - 0.5 billion

Religious Hierarchical Levels

Branches ← Denominations ← Congregations

Branches of a Religion

A large and fundamental division within a religion (ex/ Protestants)

Denominations of a Religion

A division within a branch of a religion (ex/ Baptists)

Congregations of a Religion

A local group of people that are within the same denominations (ex/ local churches)

Christianity Origin

Founded by Jesus Christ around 30 AD in Judea

Christianity Beliefs

Monotheistic - believes Jesus is the Son of God who saved humans by dying on a cross

Christianity Religion Type

Universalizing

Major Branches of Christianity

Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox

Christianity Sacred Items/Locations

Worships at a Church, sacred sites include Jerusalem, Vatican City, and Bethlehem. Sacred text is the Bible

Islam Origin

Founded by Muhammed around 610 AD in Mecca

Islam Beliefs

Monotheistic - believes in Allah and practices the 5 pillars: faith, prayer, charity, fasting during Ramadan, and pilgrimage

Islam Religion Type

Universalizing

Major Branches of Islam

Sunni, Shia

Islam Sacred Items/Locations

Worships at a mosque, sacred sites include Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. Sacred text is the Quran

Hinduism Origin

No single founder, began around 1500 BC in the Indus River Valley

Hinduism Beliefs

Polytheistic - believes in reincarnation, karma, dharma, etc. practices meditation, yoga, and puja

Hinduism Religion Type

Ethnic Religion - tied to Indian culture

Major Branches of Hinduism

Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism

Hinduism Sacred Items/Locations

Worships at a temple, sacred sites include the Ganges River. Sacred text is the Vedas

Buddhism Origin

Founded by Siddhartha Gautama around 500 BC in Northern India/Nepal

Buddhism Beliefs

Nontheistic - focus on achieving nirvana through the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path

Buddhism Religion Type

Universalizing

Major Branches of Buddhism

Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana

Buddhism Sacred Items/Locations

Worships at a temple, sacred sites include the Bodh Gaya and Lumbini. Sacred text is the Tripitaka

Judaism Origin

Founded by Abraham around 2000 BC in Canaan (modern day Israel/Palestine)

Judaism Beliefs

Monotheistic - believes in Yahweh, observes the Sabbath, kosher eating lawing, and other festivals

Judaism Religion Type

Ethnic - tied to Jewish culture

Major Branches of Judaism

Orthodox, Conservative, Reform

Judaism Sacred Items/Locations

Worships at a Synagogue, sacred sites include Jerusalem and the Western Wall. Sacred text is the Torah/Talmud

Israel/Palestine Conflict

Ongoing set of conflicts stemming from the 1948 UN decision to split territory into Israeli and Palestinian regions

Ethnicity

Cultural identity based on shared heritage, language, ancestry, customs, and sometimes religions

Nationality

Legal identity as a member of a nation or country, typically through citizenship

Race

Socially constructed category to classify humans based on physical characteristics

Ethnic Cleansing

Forcible removal of an ethnic or religious group from a certain area to make ethnically homogeneous

Genocide

A type of ethnic cleansing where said ethnic group is mass killed

Nation-States

An attempt to combine the concepts of a nation into a state with a defined territory (ex/ Poland, Japan)