Studied by 1 person
long-lot settlement pattern
A linear settlement pattern in which each farmstead is situated at one end of a long, narrow rectangular lot; each lot has access to a major linear resource, usually a river or a major road
material culture
The physical, visible objects made and used by members of a cultural group; includes buildings, furniture, clothing, food, artwork, and musical instruments
nonmaterial culture
Intangible elements of culture including a wide range of beliefs, values, myths, and symbolic meanings passed from generation to generation within a given society
cultural trait
A single aspect of a given culture or society
local culture
Rural, ethnically homogenous culture that is deeply connected to the local land; the opposite of a popular culture
indigenous culture
A local culture that is no longer the dominant ethnic group within its traditional homeland because of migration, colonization, or political marginalization
popular culture
Heterogeneous culture that is more influenced by key urban areas and quick to adopt new technologies; the opposite of a local culture
cultural attitudes
Concepts and ideas in a society that are shaped by cultural opinions, beliefs, and perspectives
language
A mutually agreed-upon system of symbolic communication
polyglot
A person who is fluent in more than two languages
religion
A structured set of beliefs and practices through which people seek mental and physical harmony with the powers of the universe
ethnic group
A people of common ancestry and cultural tradition; characterized by a strong feeling of group identity
race
Historically defined by the physical characteristics of a group, especially skin color
ethnic geography
The study of the spatial aspects of ethnicity
multiculturalism
A set of policies that promote the active participation and inclusion of minority groups in national histories, national politics, and cultural institutions with the goal of embracing difference within society
ethnocentric approach
An approach to understanding other cultures that evaluates them from the perspective of the observer's culture
cultural relativism
An approach to understanding other cultures that seeks to understand individuals and cultures from a wider perspective of cultural logic
physical landscape
All the natural physical surroundings that create and shape the places we are living in or examining
placelessness
The feeling resulting from the standardization of the built environment; occurs where local distinctiveness is erased and many places end up with similar cultural landscapes
modernist architecture
A functional, rational, and orderly style for building designs
postmodern architecture
A design style that is a reaction against modernist architecture; it has a flair for the dramatic, creating a spectacle while serving a variety of functions
sequent occupance
Refers to the fact that many places have been controlled or affected by a variety of groups over a period of time; those groups have reshaped the functions or meanings of those places and left behind layers of meaning
sacred spaces
Natural or human-made sites that possess religious meaning and are recognized as worthy of devotion, loyalty, fear, or esteem
secular
Less influenced or controlled by religion
subculture
A group of people with distinct norms, values, and material practices that differentiate them from the dominant culture surrounding them
sense of place
The distinctive feeling of a place, or a person's perception of place
placemaking
Efforts to use and design public places to better serve the needs of residents and to foster a stronger community
centripetal force
A force that brings people together and unifies a neighborhood, society, or country
centrifugal force
A force that threatens the cohesion of a neighborhood, society, or country
secularization
The process whereby religion become a less dominant force in everyday life than it was in the past
absorbing barriers
Barriers that completely halt diffusion
permeable barriers
Barriers that slow diffusion, but still allow some partial or weakened diffusion
pidgin
A trade language, characterized by a very small vocabulary derived from the languages of at least two or more grou ps in contact
creole
A combined language that has a fuller vocabulary than a pidgin language and becomes a native language
creolization
The linguistic process where languages converge and create new languages and forms of communication
lingua franca
A language of communication and commerce spoken across a wide area where it is not a mother tongue
bilingualism
The ability to speak two languages fluently
empire
A sovereign political entity that seek to expand beyond their origin land to control more territory politically and/or economically
imperialism
The motivating impulse to control greater amounts of territory
colonialism
The act of forcefully controlling a foreign territory, which becomes known as a colony
genocide
The systematic killing of members of a racial, ethnic, or linguistic group
time-space convergence
The phenomenon whereby the introduction of new transportation technologies progressively reduces the time it takes to travel between places
endangered language
A language that is not taught to children by their parents and is not used actively in everyday matters
extinct language
A language that has only a few elderly speakers still living or no living speakers
convergence hypothesis
The idea that cultures are converging, or becoming more alike
glocalization
Adapting global practices to fit local cultural practices and preferences
culture hearth
A focused geographic area where important innovations are born and from which they spread
language family
A group of related languages that share a common ancestry
dialect
A regional variation of a language that is understood by people who speak other variations of that language
accent
A way of pronouncing words
monotheistic
Relating to the belief in only one god
universalizing religion
A religion that actively seeks new members and believes its message has universal importance and application
ethnic religion
A religion identified with a particular ethnic or tribal group that does not seek converts
proselytic
Describing a religion that spreads its message to others through missionary work
toponyms
The names given to places
generic toponym
The generic part of a place-name, often a suffix or prefix, such as -ville in Louisville
polytheistic
Relating to the belief in many gods
animistic religion
A faith that subscribes to the idea that souls or spirits exist not only in humans, but also in animals, plants, rocks, natural phenomena such as thunder, geographic features such as mountains or rivers, and other entities of the natural environment
acculturation
Occurs when an ethnic or immigrant group adopts enough of the ways of the host society to be able to function economically and socially
assimilation
Occurs when an ethnic or immigrant group blends in with the host culture and loses many culturally distinctive traits
transculturation
The notion that people adopt elements of other cultures as well as contribute elements of their own culture, thereby transforming both cultures
syncretism
The blending of beliefs, ideas, practices, and traits, especially in a religious context
syncretic religion
Religion that combines elements of two or more different belief systems
orthodox religion
Religion that emphasizes purity of faith and is generally not open to blending with elements of other belief systems
political geography
A branch of human geography concerned with the spatial analysis of political systems
political map
A map that shows the spatial organization of the countries and territories on the entire globe at a given point in time
state or country
An independent political unit with a centralized authority that makes claim to sole legal, political, and economic jurisdiction over a region with defined boundaries
independent state
A state that rules itself and is not subject to the authority of another state
sovereign state
A state that possesses the sole authority over the land and people within its boundaries
nation
A community of people bound to a homeland and possessing a common identity based on shared cultural traits such as language, ethnicity, and religion
nation-state
The ideal political geographical unit; one in which the nation's geographic boundaries (a people and its culture) exactly match the state's territorial boundaries (governance and authority)
nation-state ideal
The idea that political authorities govern in the name of all a country's citizens, modern mass communications link all residents, and statebased citizenship rights reinforce the idea of a national identity
nationalism
Sense of belonging to and selfidentifying with a national culture; people with a strong sense of nationalism derive a significant part of their social identity from a sense of belonging to a nation
stateless nation
An ethnic group or nation that does not possess its own state and is not the majority population in any nation-state
multinational state
A country containing multiple national, ethnic, and religious groups within its boundaries
multistate nations
Ethnic groups territorially divided by one or more international boundaries
autonomous region
A subdivision or dependent territory of a country that has a degree of self-government, or autonomy, in its decision making
semiautonomous region
A subdivision or dependent territory of a country that has some degree of, but not complete, self-government
self-determination
A nation's ability to determine its own statehood and form its own allegiances and government; the freedom of culturally distinct groups to govern themselves in their own territories and form their own states
core area
A small territorial nucleus from which a country grows in area and over time
escarpments
Abrupt slopes that break up the general continuity of the terrain
effective sovereignty
The idea that a state's power to enforce its sovereignty may extend beyond its territory and varies over time and from country to country
devolution
The movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state
ethnonationalism
A form of nationalism in which the nation is defined in terms of ethnic identity
neocolonialism
The set of economic and political strategies by which wealthy and powerful countries indirectly maintain or extend their influence over less wealthy areas
peripheral states
States that have relatively little industrial development, simple production systems focused mostly on agriculture and raw materials, and low levels of consumption of manufactured goods
core states
States that have the most advanced industrial and military technologies, complex manufacturing systems, external political power, and the highest levels of wealth and mass consumption
shatterbelt
Region of continuing and persistent fragmentation due to devolution and centrifugal forces
choke point
A narrow passage that restricts traffic to another region
strait
A narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water
boundary
A clearly demarcated line that marks both the limits of a territory and divisions between territories; often called a border at the global scale
median line principle
An approach to dividing and creating boundaries at the midpoint between two places
borderland
A region straddling both sides of an international boundary where national cultures overlap and blend to varying degrees
frontier
A region at the margins of state control and settlement
enclave
A territory surrounded by a country but not ruled by it
exclave
Part of a national territory separated from the main body of the country to which it belongs
delimited
Describing how boundaries are fixed or defined to identify their limits
demarcated
Describing how boundaries are set apart to distinguish their limits
relic boundary
A boundary that no longer functions as an international border
superimposed boundary
A boundary that is placed on an area without regard to existing boundaries
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