geography mid-term exam (gr.9)

chapter 1:

·      Population density -the average amount of people living in an area (people/km2)

o   Calculated by dividing the population of a country the area

·      A continuous ecumene is a part of a country with permanent (continuous) settlement along a river, road or boarder (ex. The golden horseshoe)

·      A discontinuous ecumene is a part of a country with significant parts/patches of settlement usually in sparse areas (ex. Iqaluit, Nunavut)

·      Population distribution- how a population is spread out in an area

o   Dispersed – spread out evenly across land (ex. Agricultural areas)

o   Concentrated- densely populated clustered area (patches with specific resources)

o   Linear – a population settled along a line (a road or river)

·      CMAs – stand for census metropolitan areas and are areas with a population over 100 000 (usually centered around a city)

Chapter 2:

·      Plate tectonics – the theory that earths outer shell is made of separate plates that create landforms and cause natural disasters

·      Canada is on the north American plate and the closest plate is the Juan de Fuca plate

o   Divergent plate boundaries – when two plates move away from each other, usually along the mid-ocean ridge

o   Convergent plate boundaries – when two plates move toward each other (crash together), there is continental meets oceanic and continental meets continental. Convergence is how earthquakes are formed and mountains

o   Subduction is part of convergences and happens when the denser oceanic plate slides underneath the continental plate

o   Transform plate boundaries – when plates slip past each other in opposite directs but parallel to each other (sometimes the plates get locked creating a smaller version of subduction zone)

·      The rock cycle: igneous rock is created from the cooling of magma, then weathering (the breaking down rocks and minerals) and erosion (the moving of materials) occurs which creates sediment, then the sediment is compacted together and cementation happens creating sedimentary rocks. then when heat and pressure is added it creates metamorphic rocks. The metamorphic rocks melts becoming magma and the process starts over again

·      Glaciation – moves landscapes and creates landforms (known as natures bulldozer)

o   The Wisconsin glacier has impacted Canadian landforms the most as it wiped out evidence from other glaciers

o   Erosional effects- glaciers scraping away rocks below as it recedes (two effects including removal of materials and changes in drainage patterns)

o   Depositional effects- depositing debris as it recedes [there is deposition by ice (glacial till and moraines) and by water (moving and still water)]

·       (landform region) Western cordillera – includes British Columbia and the Yukon, was made by subduction creating volcanic activity and the faulting/folding of the north American plate, has plateaus, valleys, jagged mountains (Rockies), glaciers, rivers and is heavy in the lumber industry. (is a mix of pacific maritime and cordillera climate regions)

·      The rest of the landform regions include Appalachians, great lakes St. Lawerence lowlands, innuitian highlands, interior planes Canadian shield and the Hudson’s bay arctic lowlands

Chapter 3:

·      LATITTUDE- the suns energy hits all parts of the earth with the same heat but the farther away from the equator you are the colder it gets due to the curvature of the earth ( farther north or south the suns rays are spread out over a larger area and closer to the equator, the more concentrated the rays of heat that hits the earth will be)

·      OCEAN CURRENT – have a moderating effect on land because the water heats up and cools down slower than land (that is why places on the coast are warmer in the winter and cooler in the summers) there are three currents that effect Canada including: the labrador current (cold), the gulf stream (warm) and the north pacific (warm)

·      WIND AND AIR MASSES – when air moves from a higher to lower pressure area then wind is created (air masses have the same conditions as their place of origin) called prevailing winds (westerlies).

·      ELAVATION – the higher up you get the colder it will be because as air rises it expands and loses heat. (rate of cooling is less than 1*C/100m)

·       RELIEF - There is a windward slope which has cooler air and precipitation (ex. Vancouver) and leeward slopes (or rain shadows) with dry and warm air (ex. Calgary)

·      NEARNESS TO WATER – water has a modifying effect on land, which is why coastal areas are often warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. There are maritime climates (near oceans), continental climates (in land), and modified continental (in land but near a body of water like a lake)

·      The mixed forest (vegetation region in the south of Ontario) has a moderate temperature throughout the year and has medium-high precipitation, there is rich, fertile soil and is home to deciduous and coniferous trees.

·      Transition zones – a mix of vegetation regions that are in between two or more regions and have a mix of plants and soil varying (ex. Parkland is a transition zone between grassland and boreal/taiga forests)

·      The vegetation regions include, tundra, boreal/taiga, grassland, parkland, mixed forest, broad-leaf forest, west coast forest and cordilleran forest

·      The climate regions include, boreal, arctic, taiga, pacific maritime, prairie, southeastern (where Toronto is located) and Atlantic maritime

Chapter 4:

·      A total stock is anything in the natural environment, but as soon as this product becomes useful to humans it becomes a resource. (vise versa)

·      A natural resource is any resource that comes from the natural environment

·      3R’s – recycling, reusing and reducing are all types of waste diversion.

o   Recycling – items are destroyed when you no longer want it, and materials are recovered and used to make other products

o   Reusing – when an item is no longer needed, and another person uses it instead of throwing it out

o   Reducing – using less resources in general (fewer items are produced)

·      If none of the 3R’s are being used, then waste will go straight to landfills

Chapter 12:

Transportation – the largest land use and includes vehicles, travel paths and terminal facilities (Hamilton – organized traffic helps flow and reduces gas use; more sustainable)

Residential – residential density is the number of housing units per hectare, cost of the land and the areas age effect density (urban intensification creates denser buildings)

Commercial – there are lower order goods (frequently purchased items, generally inexpensive) ex. Toilet paper and there are higher order goods (infrequently needed, usually expensive) ex. Cars

Institutional and public buildings- they help meet our basic needs to improve quality of life (ex. Schools or hospitals)

Industrial – mainly distribution and is largely affected by transportation

Open space and recreational – includes parks or gold courses

·      Land- use conflict – when two land uses don’t get along causing conflict and reducing liveability

·      Official plan - is a document that shows general to achieve long-term planning goals

·      Zoning – shows where land uses are allowed to be placed in a city/area

Chapter 13:

·      Urban growth – the number of people who live in a city/town

·      Urbanization – the growth in the percentage of a country’s population living in cities/towns

·      In developing countries urban growth is happening way faster than in developed countries, this is due to informal settlements (which usually lack clean water, sanitation and garbage disposal; leading to poor levels of liveability)

·      Urban sprawl is when cities expand outward into rural areas, taking away agricultural land and animal habitats.

·      urban intensification is when cities build up buildings instead of outward

·      greenbelts are built around cities to prevent urban sprawl and are protected pieces of agricultural land that cannot be built on (promotes sustainability)

·      20-minute neighbourhoods are areas that can easily be walked across and promote sustainability and liveability at the same time

Chapter 14:

·      Human development – measures economy, education, and health (HEALTHY, WEALTHY, WISE)

·      Ecological footprint – measures the demands an individual makes on the environment

·      Gross domestic product per capita – the value of goods/services produced in a country divided by its population

·      Gross national happiness – measures conservation of environment, good government and promotion of culture (sustainable and equitable socio-economic development.

·      Environmental performance index – an overview of a countries success at solving environmental issues

·      Happy planet index –identifies how a country provides long life expectancy, high quality of life and sustainability to its residents