world geo - midterm

location

theme of geography that describes where places are on earth

absolute location

the exact location on earth - longitude/latitude, address

ex. 5027 Milne Boulevard, New Orleans, La, 70124

relative location

describes a place in comparison to others - around it, miles

ex. my house is left of Mount Carmel with the blue fence

place

theme of geography that describes location

physical characteristics

naturally/earthly made - mountains, lakes, climate

ex. the rockies are a mountain range in the USA

human characteristics

man made/invented - languages, buildings, religious practices

ex. St. Louis Cathedral is a church in New Orleans

movement

theme of geography that describes patterns in people, products, etc.

ex. immigration, ideology, imports/exports

region

theme of geography that describes places that have similar characteristics

ex. latin america, europe

human environment interaction

theme of geography that describes how people and the environment are connected

ex. how we depend on the environment, how we adapt to the environment

depend

because of human environment interaction we ____________ on the environment by using river for transportation and trees for wood and building

adapt

because of human environment interaction we ____________ to the environment by wearing different clothes depending on the season and building higher houses because of flooding

modify

because of human environment interaction we ____________ the environment by building bridges and tunnels

latitude lines

imaginary lines that run parallel to the equator aka parallels

\- measures north to south of the equator \n - run east to west and lays flat

\- measures 0˚-90˚ N/0˚-90˚ S

longitude lines

imaginary lines that run parallel to the prime meridian aka meridians

\- measures east to west of the prime meridian

\- runs north to south and goes upwards

\- measures 0˚-180˚ E/0˚-180˚ W

equator

0˚ latitude, divides the earth into 1/2 making the northern and southern hemisphere

northern hemisphere

anywhere north of the equator up to 90˚

southern hemisphere

anywhere south of the equator up to 90˚

prime meridian

0˚ longitude, divides the earth into 1/2 making the eastern and western hemisphere

eastern hemisphere

anywhere east of the prime meridian

western hemisphere

anywhere west of the prime meridian

cardinal directions

north, south, east, west

Intermediate directions

northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest

physical map

map that shows the tipocracy of the land

ex. water features, land forms, elevation

political map

map that shows boundaries

ex. human-made features, countries, states, capitals

thematic/qualitative map

map that shows a theme

ex. population density, language, symbols, colors

mental maps

shows an individual's viewpoint

map projections

a way of taking a round globe and making it flat

\- causes distortion, stretches and shrinks areas

polar/high

60˚-90˚ N/S, polar easterlies wind

mid temp

30˚-60˚ N/S, westerlies wind

low/tropical

0˚-30˚ N/S, trade winds

arctic circle

66.5 degrees North

tropic of cancer

23.5 degrees North

equator

0 degrees latitude

tropic of capricorn

23.5 degrees south

antarctic circle

66.5 degrees South

atmosphere

a thin layer of gases that surrounds earth

\- reason we can breathe

\- protects us from debris and rocks

hydrosphere

contains all water elements on earth

\- holds humidity, ice caps, rain, and dew

lithosphere

the land/rock portion of earth

\- contains crust, ocean floor, mountains, and anything else rocky

biosphere

the atmosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere

\- all living things - supports life

continental drift

theory that says the continents were once joined and slowly drifted apart

Pangaea

a super continent that was believed to have most of our land masses forming our present-day continents

plate techtonics

refers to all of the physical processes that create many of the earth's physical features

divergent boundaries

boundary where plates move away, new crust forms, and forms in the empty space

convergent boundaries

boundary where crust is destroyed by continental collision and subduction

continental collision

when 2 plates come together and form mountains by pushing together

subduction

when 2 plates collide and one slips under the other and gets destroyed in the mantle. Magma goes in between the 2 plates creating a volcano

transform boundaries

boundary where nothing new is created, but things are destroyed by earthquakes

ring of fire

one of the most earthquake prone areas on the planet

\- meeting point of the boundaries

erosion

the process of wearing away the earth's surface by wind, glaciers, and moving water

wind erosion

carries small particles of dust, sand, and soil from one place to another

glacial erosion

large bodies of ice move across earth's surface picking ip rock and soil causing the landscape to change

\- can remove forests, carve out valleys, alter river courses

water erosion

spring and rain water flow downhill in streams, cutting into land and wearing away the soil and rock

\- sediment grinds away the surface of rocks along the streams path

ex. grand canyon

physical weathering

large masses of rock are physically broken down into smaller pieces

ex. water seeps into cracks, freezes, expands, and causes the rock to split

chemical weathering

changes the chemical makeup of rocks

ex. rain containing carbon dioxide falls and dissolves certain rocks (limestone)

low/tropical

zone of latitude that is hot all year long and receives direct rays of sun

\- 0˚-30˚ N/S

mid/temperate

zone of latitude that has varied temperature - not too hot, not too cold, not too wet, not too dry

\- 30˚ -60˚ N/S

high/polar

zone of latitude that is cold all year long (summer at 50˚)

\- 60˚-90˚ N/S

higher, decreases

the ________________ you go in elevation, the more the temperature ______________

rain shadow effect

when an area is sheltered away from the wind causing dry land

\- area on backside of mountains \n ex. Hollywood hills

ocean nearby, wind blowing, and mountain blocking on side

3 things needed for a rain shadow effect to occur

weather

the condition of the atmosphere in one place over a short period of time (hours, days)

\- helps you decide what to wear for the day when you look out the window

climate

the average weather conditions as measured over time/many years

\- reason you buy certain clothes based on where you live

greenhouse effect

the warming of the earth that occurs when the sun's radiation passes through the atmosphere, is absorbed by the earth, and is radiated as heat energy back into the atmosphere where it cannot escape into space

\- w/o it, earth's temperature would be below 0˚ F and life as we know it wouldn't exist

climate change

a long term shift in temperature and weather patterns

global warming

the gradual increase in temperature of earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect

desalination

the process of taking salt and chemicals out of water and making it safe to use

\- occurs in Africa and middle east \n - not for human consumption

mount everest

highest point on earth

dead sea

lowest point on land

mariana trench

lowest point on earth

volcano

a mountain that is formed by lava or magma that breaks through earth's crust

culture

the way of life of a group of people who share similar ways of thinking, believing, and living. expressed in common elements or features

language, religion, history, economy

factors of culture

ethnic group

group of people who share a common language, history, or place of origin

culture regions

areas that have certain traits in common. may share similar economic systems, forms of government, or social groups

cultural diffusion

the spread of new knowledge from one culture to another

ex. people moving from place to place, migrating

christianity

* the belief in one God
* Jesus is the Savior
* The Bible is the holy book

jewism

* the belief in one God
* Jesus is the Savior
* Torah is the holy book

islam

* the belief in one god
* worship the prophet Muhammad
* Quran is the holy book

hinduism

the belief in multiple gods

budism

* the belief in no gods
* belief in a moral way of living

monothestic

believe in one God

ex. Christianity, Jewish, Islam

polytheistic

belief in multiple gods

ex. hinduism

traditional

being drawn to things, nature, and earth

ex. budist, native americans

birthrate

the amount of people who are born per thousand

deathrate

the amount of people who die per thousand

population density

the number of people in a measurable area

\- measures a city, state, or country

population distribution

where people live, settle, or go

\- looking at the different patterns \n - isn't evenly distributed

push factor

factors that draw you away from an area

ex. political issues, poor education/healthcare, poverty

pull factors

factors that attract people to an area

ex. job opportunities, better education systems, social services, higher wages

traditional economy

economy that is limited to smaller, more rural areas of the world

command economy

an economy that has the government command, own, or direct all means of production - land, capital, distribution or goods

goal: distribution of goods is equal among everyone \n - 2 types

communism

the government makes all political and economic decisions - extreme form of socialism

\- goal: classless society, everyone's equal \n - downfall: lack of motivation, decline in economic system: doctors paid the same as bus drivers

ex. North Korea, soviet union, china

socialism

planting, produced, and distributing controlled by government

\- allowed private ownership \n - blend of government and private

\- social security #, food stamps, housing \n ex. western europe

market economy

economy in which individual/private groups make decisions about what they produce

\- no government interference

mixed economy

economy with capitalism and free enterprise, government keeps things fair, blend of command and market

free enterprize

the idea that the private individuals or group has the right to own properties or businesses with limited government interference

capitalism

idea of no government interference, all private ownership

\- drawback: needs aren't always provided

primary

1st economic level: extracting/harvesting raw materials from earth for immediate use (developing)

ex. cutting down a tree, farmers, miners

secondary

2nd economic level: taking natural resources and making good out of it (developing)

ex. creating lumber pieces, assembly of vehicles

tertiary

3rd economic level: providing service to people (developed)

ex. Lowe's selling 2 x 4's, doctors, transportants