midterm

  • Chapter 1 Introduction

    • Mental map- maps that individuals carry around in their minds that reflect their constantly evolving perception of how geographic space is organized.

    • GIS- a form of spatial analysis that itnegrates computer hardware, mapping, software, and such specialized tools as models and algorithms. A versatile technique that is constantly being expanded in its applications.

    • Map scale & various expressions

    • Geographic realms & criteria- the basic spatial unit in our world regionalization scheme. each realm is defined in terms of a synthesis of its total human geography- a composite of its leading cultural, economic, historical, political, and appropriate environmental features. / physical and human, funcaitonal, historical

    • Global neighborhoods

    • 12 Geographic realms- north america, middle america, south america, europe, russia/central asia, north africa/southwest asia, subsaharan africa, south asia, east asia, southeast asia, australia, pacific.

    • Boundaries & transition zones- oceans and seas. / where 2 geographic realms meet, no sharp boundaires

    • Regional concept & criteria- a commonly used term and a grographic concept of paramount improtance, an area on the earths surface marked by specific criteria which are discussed in the introduction. / area, boundariies, location, homogeneity, region as systems. an area on earth that is classified together by making spatial generalizations. area: space occupied on earths surface. boundaries: natures sharp divisions or other not-so-sharp criteria. location: regions name may give a clue.

    • Absolute vs relative location- latitudeinal and longitudinal coordinates. / location with reference to toehr regions

    • Functional vs formal regions- forged by a astructured system of interaction with a care and periphery. / displays measurable and visible homogeneity.

    • Continental drift, Pangaea, & plate tectonics- supercontinent that broke up and continues to drift apart. / ligjter rocks continents rest on slabs of heavier rock plates that move by magma circulation cells within earth-slpw collision of tectonic plates causes earthquakes and volcanic eruptions

    • Pacific Ring of Fire- zome of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters that encircle pacific ocean, now compare tectonic plate boundaries wiht volcanic activity

    • Global climate change, Greenhouse effect, & IPCC- natural anthropogenic causes of warming or cooling. / suns radiation becomes trapped in earths atmosphere, leading to climate changes… natural vs anthropogenic. / predicts a global tempature increase of several degrees.

    • Weather vs Climate- immediate state of the atmosphere in a certain place at a given time. / aggregate, long term record of weather in one area

    • Koppens Climate Classification system & map, 6 lettered regions- a: equatorial and tropical, b: dry, c: temperate, d: cold, e: frigid and polar, h: highlands

    • Major world population clusters- 3 clusters account for around 4 billion people. south asia: worlds largest sluster since 2010, india, pakistan, bangladesh. east asia: centered on china. europe: including western russia

    • Language families & Indo European- 15 language families shared but distant orgins. / most widely distributed language family-english, french, spanish, german, russian, persian, hindi

    • Lingua franca- common 2nd language used in government, commerve, and higher education englifh primacy is a result of colonialization and globalization

    • Language, Religion, & Landscape & influence on culture- crucial influence on world civilizations and history. strong connection between realms and relgion.

    • Religions of the world map

    • Political geography terms: state vs nation, nation-state- state=countries, nations=places and people. / would enclose an ethnically and culturally homogenous people within a national boundary

    • Approximately 200 sovereign states on Earth

    • Geography of development: core/periphery- crude measure of global and regional scale development. cose:places of domincance, exert power over other people and places. / periphery: sustains the cose with resource extraction, dependent upon core. / semi-periphery: middle ground between affluence and poverty, dominacne and dependece.

    • Global north & south: clustering of high, middle, & low income economies- focuses on spatial aspects of ways people make their lving and the patterns of prodution, distribution and consumption of goods and services. / development gauges a states economic, social, and institutional growth,

    • Globalization: winners & losers- geographical process in which spatial relations shift to ever broader scales. world is getting ever more interconnected. / win- international capitalism, open markets, free trade. globalization brekas down barriers to froeign trade, simulates commerce, brings jobs to remote places, and promotes social cultural, poltical and other exchanges. / lose- uneven deveopment and inequality between core and periphery.

    • GNI- gross national income- total income earned from all goods and services produce by citizens of a country per year

    • "The Unholy Trinity"- wto, imf, world bank

    • Human vs Physical geography, regional vs systematic geography- is both a social and physical science. / systematic- topical study with a spatial perspective. / regional- borrows information from many sources to create an overall image of the world

  • Chapter 2 North America

    • Population distribution

    • US minority ethnicities- hispanic 18.3%, black 13.4%

    • Hispanic & African American

    • Physiographic Regions- coastal plains gulf atlantis coastal, arctic coastal plain. interior plains interior lowlands, great plains, mountains and highlands

    • Great Lakes / Great Rivers- lake superior, lake huron, lake michigan, lake erie, lack ontario. / st. lawrence river, mississippi-missouri

    • Other key rivers & water bodies- potomac, ohio, colorado, columbia. / cheasapeake bay, gulf of mexico, hudson bay, bering sea

    • Dominant climate regions -moist: cfa, south, mid-atlantic, southern plains, pacific northwest. bs,bw rain. highlands rockies. fringes mediterranean coast, south flordia

    • Rain shadow effect- dry air on leeward side of mountains, inland of mountain ranges along west coast of n. america, moisture laden air moves in from pacific, mountain forces air upward air cools condenses and rain/snow occurs, air crosses countains descends and warms containing less moisture less rain

    • Native American & European Settlement

    • Languages: lingua franca & dominant minority languages- english is lingua franca in canada and us. spanish dominant minority language in us, french dominant minority language in canada

    • Religions: general distribution- south (baptist), lutherans (uppermidwest), mothodists(lower midwest), mormons (utah), roman catholics (southest northeast)

    • US & Canadian political divisions- canada ( 10 provinces, 3 territories).

    • Energy production- oil prooduction, natural gas, coal reserves

    • Industrialization & Urbanization- american manufacturing belt. spatial economy (primary, secondary, teritary, quaternary)

    • Deindustrialization & suburbanization- began in 1960s loss of manufacturing jobs due to automation. / outer cities become centers of teritary and quaternary sectors.

    • Melting pot or cultural mosaic- idea of assumed assimilation of multiple ethnicsites. lots of homogenours immigrant areas create durable societies. mosaic culture-ideas desies the melting pot idea. immigration ot us and canada complex ethnic and cultural mosaic.

    • Regions of the realm- north american core, maritime northeast, french canada, southwest, southeast, pacific hinge, western frontier, continental interior, northern fronteir

    • Canada’s spatial structure- 2nd largest state on earth. 13 subnational ethnicities, 10 proviences, 3 territories. atlantic provinces,23% of population french speaking, 80% is french canadian

    • Provinces & territories

    • Canadian population distribution

    • English-Speaking Canada: 60% of population

    • Head of State & British affiliation part of british commonwealth

    • French-Speaking Canada & the Quebecois

  • Chapter 3 Middle America

    • Physiographic Regions

    • Regions of the Realm

    • Leeward & Windward Islands

    • Mexico’s relative size & population

    • NAFTA

    • Maquiladoras

    • Land bridge, Isthmus, Archipelago

    • Hurricane Alley

    • Altitudinal Zonation & Environments

    • Mesoamerican Culture Hearth

    • Lowland Maya & characteristics

    • Highland Aztecs & characteristics

    • Teotihuacan & Tenochtitlan

    • Amerindian Caribs & Arawaks

    • Distribution of European influence

    • Independence: Mexico, Central America, & Caribbean

    • 7 Central American states & 33 Caribbean states

    • Barbados: highest HDI in Latin America

    • Mainland-Rimland concept

    • Regional Economic Integration

    • Mexico North vs. South, 77% urban

    • Guerrilla war in Chiapas (ZNLA)

    • Characteristics of 7 Central American Republics

    • West Indies, Antilles, Antillean Archipelago

    • Characteristics of 4 Greater Antilles

  • Chapter 4 South America

    • Physiographic Regions

    • Altiplanos

    • Atacama Desert & characteristics

    • Amazon basin & characteristics

    • Andes Mountains & characteristics

    • Inca Empire & characteristics

    • The Iberian Invaders, Conquistadores

    • 1494: Treaty of Tordesillas

    • Age of Colonization & Age of Revolution

    • Wars of Independence: 3 Major Centers

    • Simon Bolivar & Jose de San Martin

    • Pre-Colombian Amerindian societies

    • Inca legacy & Quechua culture & language

    • Ethnic Landscapes & mixing, Plural societies

    • Economic Integration / Supranationalism

    • The Geography of Cocaine

    • Urbanization & migration, Push/Pull factors

    • Mega-cities & Squatter settlements

    • Cartogram

    • Wealth inequality & disparity

    • US has 1/5 of all South American trade

    • Dependencia theory

    • Growing Chinese influence

    • Regions of the Realm

    • FARC in Colombia

    • Oil & Hugo Chavez in Venezuela

    • Peru’s 3 regions & characteristics

    • The Shining Path

    • Evo Morales & Bolivia