gc164 - exam 1

abiotic

composed of nonliving or inorganic matter

acculturation

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

assimilation

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

atmosphere

the thin layer of gases surrounding earth

biosphere

all living organisms on earth, including plants and animals, as well as microorganisms

biotic

composed of living organisms

cartography

the science of making maps

citizen science

scientific research by amateur scientists

concentration

the spread of something over a given area

connection

the relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space

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

coordinated universal time

the time in the zone encompassing the prime meridian, or 0 degrees longitude

cultural ecology

a geographic approach that emphasizes human-environment relationships

cultural landscape

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

density

the frequency with which something exists within a given unit of area

diffusion

the process of spread of a feature or trend from one place to another over time

distance decay

the diminished importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin

distribution

the arrangement of something across earth’s surface

ecology

the scientific study of ecosystems

ecosystem

a group of living organisms and the abiotic spheres with which they interact

environmental determinism

a nineteenth and early twentieth century approach to the study of geography which argued that the general laws sought by human geographers could be found in the physical sciences. geography was therefore the study of how the physical environment caused human activities

expansion diffusion

the spread of a feature or trend among people from one area to another in an additive process

formal region

an area in which most people share in one or more distinctive characteristics

functional region

an area organized around a node or a focal point

geographic information science

analysis of data about earth acquired through satellite and other electronic information technologies

geographic information system

a computer system that captures, stores, queries, and displays geographic data

geotagging

identification and storage of a piece of information by its precise latitude and longitude coordinates

global positioning system

a system that determines the precise position of something on earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers

globalization

actions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope

hierarchical diffusion

the spread of a feature or trend from one key person or node of authority or power to other persons or places

hydrosphere

all of the water on and near earth’s surface

international date line

an arc that for the most part follows 180 degrees longitude. when this is crossed heading east (toward america), the clock moves back 24 hours, or one entire day. when it is crossed heading west (toward asia), the calendar moves ahead one day

latitude

the numbering system used to indicate the location of parallels drawn on a globe and measuring distance north and south of the equator

lithosphere

earth’s crust and a portion of upper mantle directly below the crust

location

the position of anything on earth’s surface

longitude

the numbering system used to indicate the location of meridians drawn on a globe and measuring distance east and west of the prime meridian

map

a two-dimensional, or flat, representation of earth’s surface or a portion of it

map scale

the relationship between the size of an object on a map and the size of the actual feature on earth’s surface

mashup

a map that overlays data from one source on top of a map provided by a mapping service

mental map

a representation of a portion of earth’s surface based on what an individual knows about a place that contains personal impressions of what is in the place and where the place is located

meridian

an arc drawn on a map between the north and south poles

network

a chain of communication that connects places

parallel

a circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at right angles to the meridians

participatory gis

community-based mapping, representing local knowledge and information

pattern

the geometric or regular arrangement of something in a particular area

photogrammetry

the science of taking measurements of earth’s surface from photographs

place

a specific point on earth, distinguished by a particular characteristic

polder

land that the dutch have created by draining the water from an area

possibilism

the theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives

prime meridian

the meridian, designated as 0 degrees longitude, that passes through the royal observatory at greenwich, england

projection

a system used to transfer locations from earth’s surface to a flat map

region

an area distinguished by one or more distinctive characteristics

relocation diffusion

the spread of a feature or trend through bodily movement of people from one place to another

remote sensing

the acquisition of data about earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting the planet or from other long-distance methods

resource

a substance in the environment that is useful to people, is economically and technologically feasible to access, and is socially acceptable to use

scale

the relationship between the portion of earth being studied and earth as a whole

site

the physical character of a place

situation

the location of a place relative to another place

space

the physical gap or interval between two objects

space-time compression

the reduction in time it takes to diffuse something to a distant place as a result of improved communications and transportation systems

spatial association

the relationship between the distribution of one feature and the distribution of another feature

stimulus diffusion

the spread of an underlying principle

sustainability

the use of earth’s renewable and nonrenewable natural resources in ways that do not constrain resource use in the future

syncretism

the combining of elements of two groups into a new cultural feature

toponym

the name given to a portion of earth’s surface

transnational corporation

a company that conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters or shareholders are located

uneven development

the increasing gap in economic conditions between core and peripheral regions as a result of the globalization of the economy

vernacular region

an area that people believe exists as a part of their cultural identity

volunteered geographic information

creation and dissemination of geographic data contributed voluntarily and for free by individuals

agricultural density

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

arable land

land suited for agriculture

arithmetic density

the total number of people divided by the total land area

census

a complete enumeration of a population

crude birth rate

the total number of live births in a year for every 1,000 people alive in the society

crude death rate

the total number of deaths in a year for every 1,000 people alive in the society

demographic transition

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

dependency ratio

the number of people under age 15 and over age 64 compared to the number of people active in the labor force

doubling time

the number of years needed to double a population, assuming a constant rate of natural increase

ecumene

the portion of earth’s surface occupied by permanent human settlement

epidemiologic transition

the process of change in the distinctive causes of death in each stage of the demographic transition

epidemiology

the branch of medical science concerned with the incidence, distribution, and control of diseases that are prevalent among a population at a special time and are produced by some special causes not generally present in the affected locality

industrial revlution

a series of improvements in industrial technology that transformed the process of manufacturing goods

infant mortality rate

the total number of deaths in a year among infants under 1 year of age for every 1,000 live births in a society

life expectancy

the average number of years an individual can be expected to live, given current social, economic, and medical conditions. life expectancy at birth is the average number of years a newborn infant can expect to live

maternal mortality rate

the annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidents or incidental causes)

medical revolution

medical technology invented in europe and north america that has diffused to the poorer countries in latin america, asia, and africa. improved medical practices have eliminated many of the traditional causes of death in poorer countries and enabled more people to live longer and healthier lives

natural increase rate

the percentage growth of a population in a year, computed as the crude birth rate minus the crude death rate

overpopulation

a situation in which the number of people in an area exceeds the capacity of the environment to support life at a decent standard of living

pandemic

disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects a very high proportion of the population

physiological density

the number of people per unit area of arable land

population pyramid

a bar graph that represents the distribution of population by age and sex

potential support ratio

the number of working-age people (ages 15-64) divided by the number of people 65 and older

sex ratio

the number of males per 100 females in the population

total fertility rate

the average number of children a woman will have throughout her childbearing years

zero population growth

a decline of the total fertility rate to the point where the natural increase rate equals zero

asylum seeker

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

brain drain

large-scale emigration by talented people

chain migration

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

counterurbanization

net migration from urban to rural areas in developed countries