Key Concepts in Geography: Agriculture, Politics, and Cultural Terms

Agriculture

the intentional planting of crops and raising of domesticated animals

Apartheid

a system and period of South African history where a racial and ethnic minority of White Afrikaners (Dutch descendants) created oppressive race-based rule against a Black African majority group.

Buffer States

Located between two larger conflicting countries

Cash Crops

agricultural products grown specifically to be sold for profit in markets or exported, rather than for consumption by the farmer or their livestock

Centripetal Force

forces/things that unify a state

Centrifugal Force

forces / things that fragment or tear a state apart

Colonialism

The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically

Columbian Exchange

the massive, post-1492 transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and diseases between the New World (Americas) and the Old World (Europe, Africa, Asia) following Christopher Columbus's voyage

Commercial Agriculture

the production of food primarily for sale off the farm

Crop

any plant cultivated by people

Dictatorship

one person or a small group of people and not inherited by family or relative

Direct Democracy

the people vote for laws and decisions

Indirect Democracy

people vote for a representative to make the laws and decisions

Ethnicity

an identity within a group of people who share cultural traditions of a particular homeland or hearth

Genetically Modified crops

crops that carry new traits that have been inserted through advanced genetic engineering methods

Livestock

farm animals for market or trade (not just for your family or consumption)

Monarchy

one leader; the ruler inherits the power

Multinational State

a state that includes more than one nation in its borders

Nation

A group of people with shared cultural heritage or belief, loyalty towards one another and to the nation as a whole, self-Determination or the ability or desire to form their own sovereign state, and a distinct homeland (even if everyone is not living there)

Nation State

a state with primarily one nation within its borders

Pastoral Nomadism

herding of domesticated animals, common in arid, dry areas where growing crops is often impossible, usually animal by-product (milk, cheese, etc.)

Plantation Farming

large properties, often owned by outside companies from developed countries, grows luxury crops (sugar, rubber, tobacco, cotton, coffee, pineapple, banana, coconut, tea, etc.), success of plantations depends on exploitation of cheap labor (slavery)

Race

a social construct that hierarchically categorizes people based on skin type and other physical charecteristics

Republic

without a king/queen, people choose representatives to make decisions on their behalf

Shatterbelts

state or group of states that are influenced by other larger competing states, often culturally, politically, and economically fragmented

Sovereignty

the power that a government has

State

a political unit with a permanent population, sovereign territory, an effective government, a working economy, and legitimacy by other states

Stateless Nations

an ethnic group that doesnt occur within a specific state

Subsistence Agricultural

the production of food primarily for consumption by the farmers family

Territoriality

the effort to control pieces of the earth's surface for personal, political, or social ends. personal space, owned space, political space

Theocracy

run by religious leaders, no separation between church and state

Agriculture

the intentional planting of crops and raising of domesticated animals

Apartheid

a system and period of South African history where a racial and ethnic minority of White Afrikaners (Dutch descendants) created oppressive race-based rule against a Black African majority group.

Buffer States

Located between two larger conflicting countries

Cash Crops

agricultural products grown specifically to be sold for profit in markets or exported, rather than for consumption by the farmer or their livestock

Centripetal Force

forces/things that unify a state

Centrifugal Force

forces / things that fragment or tear a state apart

Colonialism

The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically

Columbian Exchange

the massive, post-1492 transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and diseases between the New World (Americas) and the Old World (Europe, Africa, Asia) following Christopher Columbus's voyage

Commercial Agriculture

the production of food primarily for sale off the farm

Crop

any plant cultivated by people

Dictatorship

one person or a small group of people and not inherited by family or relative

Direct Democracy

the people vote for laws and decisions

Indirect Democracy

people vote for a representative to make the laws and decisions

Ethnicity

an identity within a group of people who share cultural traditions of a particular homeland or hearth

Genetically Modified crops

crops that carry new traits that have been inserted through advanced genetic engineering methods

Livestock

farm animals for market or trade (not just for your family or consumption)

Monarchy

one leader; the ruler inherits the power

Multinational State

a state that includes more than one nation in its borders

Nation State

a state with primarily one nation within its borders

Pastoral Nomadism

herding of domesticated animals, common in arid, dry areas where growing crops is often impossible, usually animal by-product (milk, cheese, etc.)

Plantation Farming

large properties, often owned by outside companies from developed countries, grows luxury crops (sugar, rubber, tobacco, cotton, coffee, pineapple, banana, coconut, tea, etc.), success of plantations depends on exploitation of cheap labor (slavery)

Race

a social construct that hierarchically categorizes people based on skin type and other physical charecteristics

Republic

without a king/queen, people choose representatives to make decisions on their behalf

Shatterbelts

state or group of states that are influenced by other larger competing states, often culturally, politically, and economically fragmented

Sovereignty

the power that a government has

State

a political unit with a permanent population, sovereign territory, an effective government, a working economy, and legitimacy by other states

Stateless Nations

an ethnic group that doesnt occur within a specific state

Subsistence Agricultural

the production of food primarily for consumption by the farmers family

Territoriality

the effort to control pieces of the earth's surface for personal, political, or social ends. personal space, owned space, political space

Theocracy

run by religious leaders, no separation between church and state

Agricultural Revolution (First)

A period around 10,000 BC when humans transitioned from nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyles to settled agricultural communities, leading to the domestication of plants and animals.

Development

The process of economic growth, expansion, or realization of regional or national potential, often involving improvements in living standards, education, and health.

Fair Trade

A trading partnership that seeks greater equity in international trade, ensuring that producers in developing countries receive fair prices and working conditions.

Intensive Subsistence Agriculture

A type of farming that involves cultivating small plots of land with high levels of labor and inputs to maximize yield, often practiced in densely populated areas.

Organic Agriculture

A farming method that emphasizes the use of natural processes and materials, avoiding synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, to promote ecological balance and biodiversity.