genv exam 1 txtbook key terms

What is accessibility?

relative ease of access between locations

what are areal units

spatial units of measurement, such as a city block or province, used for recording statistics

What is cartography?

The art and science of map-making

what is cognitive distance

the distance that people perceive to exist in a given situation. based on people's personal judgements abt the degree of spatial separation between points. ex. mental maps

what is a cognitive image (mental maps)

places and regions compiled from a persons own knowledge, experiences, and impressions. they are psychological representations of locations that come from peoples individual ideas and impressions of these locations

what is cognitive space

defined and measured in terms of peoples values, feelings, beliefs, and perceptions abt places and regions

what is conformal projection

projections that render compass directions accurately

what is distance-decay function

the rate at which a particular activity or process diminishes with increasing distance. ex. the farther ppl have to travel, the less they are likely to do so.

what are economies of scale

Cost advantages from producing in large quantities. As output increases, the average cost per unit decreases.

what are equal-area/equivalent projections

map projections that protray areas on earth's surface in their true proportions

what is equidistant projections

map projections that represent distance accurately in only one direction (usually north-south), although they usually provide accurate scale in the perpendicular direction (which in most cases is the equator)

what is friction of distance

a deterrent or inhibiting effect of distance on human activity

what are functional regions

Areas connected by a central function, like economic, political, or social activity, even if parts of the region are different.

geodemographic research use for what

uses census data and commercial data about the populations of small districts to creating profiles of those populations for market research

geographical imagination allows us to understand what

allows us to understand changing patterns, processes, and relationships among people, places, and regions.

geographical information systems (GIS)

A computer system that stores, manages, and shows information tied to locations on Earth.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

a system of satellites that orbit earth on precisely predictable paths, broadcasting highly accurate time and locational information

human geography

the study of spatial organization of human activity and of peoples relationships with their environments

what is identity

the sense a person makes of themself thru their subjective feelings based on their everyday experiences and social relations

what is infrastructure (fixed social capital)

The basic physical systems (roads, bridges, canals, railways, ports) that support economic activity.

intersubjectivity

shared meanings that are derived from everyday practice

irredentism

When a government claims that a minority living outside its borders belongs to the nation because of shared history and culture.

what is landscape

An area shaped by humans that reflects the history and culture of society.

latitude

the angualar distance of a point on earths surface, measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds north or south of the equator, which is assigned a value of 0°

lifeworld

The everyday routines and surroundings people take for granted in daily life.

longitude

Distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds

map projection

a systematic rendering on a flat surface of the geographic coordinates of the features found on earth's surface

ordinary landscape

the everyday landscapes that people create in the course of their lives

physical geography

a branch of geography dealing with earths natural processes and their outcomes

place

a specific geographic setting with distinctive physical, social, and cultural attributes

region

a territory that encompasses many places, all or most of which share similar attributes that are distinct from the attributrs of places elsewhere

regional geography

the study of how unique combinations of environmental and human factors create terriories with distinct landscapes and cultures

regionalism

Different religious or ethnic groups living within the same state, often clustered in one region and sharing a strong group identity.

regionalization

Dividing places into regions based on shared characteristics, like a way of classifying areas.

remote sensing

Collecting information about Earth’s surface using satellites or aerial photos.

sectionalism

an extreme devotion to regional interests and customs

sense of place

feelings evoked among people as a result of the experiences and memories that they associate with a place and the symbolism they attach to it

site

the physical attributes of a location - its terrain, soil, vegetation, and water sources, for example.

situation

the location of a place relative to other places and human activities

spatial analysis

the study of geographic phenomena through their arrangement as points, lines, areas, or surfaces on a map

spatial diffusion

the way in which things spread thru space and over time

spatial interaction

a collective term for all kinds of movements and flows involving human activity

symbolic landscape

A place built to show certain values or ideas to the public.

time-space convergence

The speed at which distant places feel closer together because travel or communication takes less time or costs less.

topological space

the connecton between, or connectivity of, particular points in space

utility

the usefulness of a specific place or location to a particular person or group

capitalism

a form of economic and social organization characterized by the profit motive and the control of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of goods by private ownership

climate change

Long-term changes in the climate, including temperature or weather patterns, caused by natural factors or human activity.

colonialism

the establishment and maintenance of political and legal domination by a state over a separate society

colonization

the physical settlement in a new territory of people from a colonizing state

commodity chain

networks of labour and production processes beginning with the extraction or production of raw materials and ending with the delivery of a finished commodity

comparative advantage

When a country specializes on producing goods or services that other countries aren’t already supplying.

core regions

regions that dominate trade, control the most advanced technologies, and have high levels of productivity within diversified economies

digital divide

inequality of access to telecommunications and information technology, particularly the Internet

division of labour

the specialization of different people, regions, or countries in particular kinds of economic activites.

environmental determinism

a doctrine holding that human activies are shaped and constrained by the environment

ethnocentricism

the attitude that a person's own race and culture are superior to those of others

external arena

regions of the world not yet absorbed into the modern world-system

fast world

people, places, and regions directly involved, as producers and consumers, in transnational industry, modern telecommunications, materialistic consumption, and international news and entertainment

globalization

The world becoming more connected through shared economic, political, cultural, and environmental changes.

hearth areas

geographic settings where new practices have developed and from which they have spread

hegemony

When one country dominates the world economy using its money, military, culture, and power.

hinterland

the sphere of economic influence of a town or city

hydraulic empire

A state where rulers control large irrigation and drainage systems to boost farming and food production.

imperialism

The use of military and economic power by strong states to expand and protect their interests.

import substitution

copying and making goods previously available only by trading

law of diminishing returns

When adding more labor or capital leads to smaller increases in productivity.

leadership cycles

period of interntional power established by individual states thru economic, political, and military competition.

one powerful country leads the world for a while, then loses influence, and another takes its place.

minisystem

a society with a single cultural base and a reciprocal social economy

neo-colonialism

When powerful countries use economic and political strategies to control or influence other regions without direct rule.

pandemic

an epidemic that spreads rapidly around the world with high rates of illness and death

peripheral regions

regions with dependent and disadvantageous trading relationships, obsolete technologies, and underdeveloped or narrowly specialized economies w low levels of productivity

plantation

large landholdings that usually specialize in the production of one particular crop for market

risk society

A society where managing and avoiding risks matters more than how wealth is distributed, shaping both domestic and international politics.

semiperipheral regions

regions that are able to exploit peripheal regions but r themselves exploited and dominated by core regions

slow world

People and places with limited access to global industry, technology, media, and consumer culture.

spatial justice

Fair sharing of society’s resources and burdens, considering where people live, their needs, and their contributions.

staples thesis

a propostition arguing that the export of canada's natural resources, or staples, locked this country into depency as a resource hinterland for more advanced economies and so delayed the maturing of its own economy

staples trap

an over-reliance on the export of staples, which makes an economy (national or regioal) vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices and without alternatives when resource depletion occurs

sustainability

the interdepence of the economy, the environment, and social well-being

technology systems

Groups of connected energy, transport, and production technologies that shape the economy for many years.

transnational corporations

(TNCs) companies with investments and activites that span international boundaries and with subsidiary companies, factories, offices, or facilities in several countries

world-empire

minisystems that have been absorbed into a common political system while retaining their fundmental cultural differences

world-systems

an interdependent system of countries linked by economic and political competition

age-sex pyramid

a representation of the population based on its composition according to age and sex

arithmetic density

the total number of people divided by the total land area

baby boom

the increased number of births in the two decades following WWII

biometric census

a census in which individuals are photographed and fingerprinted to create a national database

census

the count of the number of people in a country, region, or city

cohort

a group of people who share a common temporal demographic experience

crude birth rate

the ratio of the number of live births in a single year for every thousand people in the population

crude death rate

the number of deaths in a single year for every thousand people in the population

crude density

the total number of people divided by the total land area

demographic transition

a model of population change in which high birth and death rates are replaced by low birth and death rates

demographics

the characteristics of a human population including elements like gender, race, age, income, disabilities, educational attainment, and migration patterns among different groups and death rates among others

demography

the study of the characteristics of human populations

density

a numerical measure of the relationship between the number of poeple and some other unit of interest expressed as a ratio

dependency ratio

the measure of the economic impact of the young and old on the more economically productive members of the population

doubling time

the measure of how long it will take the population of an area to grow to twice its current size

eco-migration

a population movement caused by the degradation of land and essential natural resources