A region with a good economy and high population density with prosperity.
Density
The amount of people in a specific area.
Distance Decay
When two people are far away from each other, they interact lesser and lesser.
Distribute
Spread out over a region.
Ecological Perspective
The behavior between living things is based on your environment.
Environmental Determinism
Locations with different climates have different patterns of human development.
Flow
Movement towards a place with goods and information.
Formal Region
Areas that share one thing or more in common with each other.
Friction of Distance
Going to a faraway place takes a lot of time and effort, so two cities that are far away don't communicate much.
Functional Region
Like a central place that is common with everything that is around it.
Globalization
Interdependence of people and countries.
Human Geography
All the events of Earth that have made people who they are
Location
A specific place
Mental Map
Places that you are very familiar with that you can pinpoint their destination from a close range without using directions
Model
Frameworks that can let us make an accurate representation in spatial representation
Node
One point that is focused on
Pattern
How the Earth is similarly spaced out
Perceptual Region
A region that has similar cultural beliefs
Periphery
Countries that developed weakly.
Physical Geography
Geographic features are natural features that are on Earth’s surface
Place
A specific point in the world
Posibilism
Humans can adapt to environmental problems that are natural and modify using tech.
Region
A place in the world that has similar characteristics all over a selected place.
Relative Location
Another position that is relative to you.
Scale
The area of the world being studied.
Semi-periphery
In between Core and Peripheral.
Site
An absolute location’s physical characteristics.
Situation
A place’s location that is relative to other surrounding places.
Space
General location not specific.
Spatial Perspective
How and why Physical characteristics have been placed in a space.
Sustainability
Focusing on Renewable energy while consuming it
Sustainable Developments
Developing humans and growing them in a sustainable way so that it doesn’t have any backlash that will affect the future generations.
Theory
An explanation used to explain events that people witnessed and make a possible answer.
Time-space Compression
Shrinking in relative distance due to improvement and advancements in technology.
Vernacular
A language that is spoken by the common people in a certain area.
World System Theory
Hierarchies split into 3 groups based on their power, economics, technology, and social standing.
Absolute Distance
The measurement of the actual physical space between two places.
Absolute Direction
Directions that always point the same way even if you go to a different country. An example is like North, East, West, South.
Cartographer
A map maker
Census
An official count of the number of people in a certain country or space.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
A mapping system that captures, stores, and then displays geographic information that can form simple and complex maps.
Global Positioning Systems
A network of 31 U.S. satellites that orbits Earth and conveys data on your location to all kinds of devices that we use today car.
Map Scale
The relationship between a distance on a map and the same distance on the ground
Quantitative
Information that can measured by numbers
Qualitative
Quality of quantity.
Reference Map
A type of map that shows a specific feature of Earth's surface
Relative Map
People’s perception of how 2 places are interacting based on time, cost, effort, and distance
Relative Direction
Direction based on a person’s perspective
Remote Sensing
Collecting information about Earth by satellites, or other devices rather than going there
Thematic Map
Focusing on a specific theme or subject and can show different attributes such as distribution, flow, connections, and ETC.
Topography
The study of the features of Earth’s Surface and its shape.
Agricultural Density
The number of farmers per unit of arable land to show the amount of land worked by farmers in a region.
Arable
Land that is good for farming to grow crops
Arithmetic Density
The total number of people divided by the total land area to show how much crowd is in a place.
Carrying Capacity
The limit to how many people and animals can live in an environment and can be supported and not be damaged
Climate
The weather conditions over a region. Usually over a long period of time
Crude Birth Rate
The amount of births for every 1,000 people in a year
Crude Death Rate
The amount of deaths for every 1,000 people in a year.
Demographics
Data that can tell something about the characteristics of the people like age, race, and average income.
Dependency Ratio
The number of people who can’t work compared to the number of people that can work. People depend on these workers for support.
Dispersed
People and things can be spread out over a region
Fertility
The ability to produce children
Human Migration
The movement of people from different places to another usually for refuge or work.
Infant Mortality Rate
The number of babies who die before the age of 1 for every 1,000 births
Landform
The natural features on Earth’s surface like mountains and valleys
Life Expectancy
The average number that a person is expected to live based on 2 factors: where they live and when they are born.
Mortality
The number of deaths in a population
Physiological Density
The number of people per unit of arable land to show how much demand/pressure there is on arable land.
Population Density
The number of people living in a region per unit of that area.
Population Distribution
How people are distributed over an area, and we can see the more crowded places and the less populated places.
Population Pyramid
A pyramid-looking graph that can show the age or gender of a population to understand the structure of that population.
Sex Ratio
The number of males for every 100 females in a population.
Subsistence Agriculture
Growing enough food to feed themselves and their families, with maybe a little to sell
Temperate Climate
A not too cold or hot temperature.
Total Fertility Rate
The average number of children that women are expected to have in their life based on today’s birth rates.
Antinatalist
The belief that it is morally wrong to have children
Demographic Transition Model (DTM)
A theory of the history of the population’s deaths from a high to a low. It basically explains population changes as a country develops
Doubling Time
The time it takes for a population to grow double the amount it was
Epidemiological Transition Model (ETM)
A model that can describe a population’s wellbeing and its patterns as it develops
Land Degradation
Land that becomes useless and unable partly because of human disasters and really extreme weather conditions
Neo-Malthusian
People who think that overpopulation is a problem that will lead to humanity’s demise, and they are based off of Malthus but include modern technology as a factor.
Overpopulation
Where a population exceeds the carrying capacity
Pronatalist
The practice of encouraging people to have children
Rate of Natural Increase (RNI)
The measure of how much a population is changing based off of mortality and growth of a population
Urbanization
The growth and increase of people moving to urban places like cities and towns from rural areas.
Asylum
Protection from persecution and other problems that one’s country is facing
Brain Drain
Skilled workers leaving for opportunities
Chain Migration
Family members migrating together one by one in order
Circular Migration
Temporary back-and-forth movement between countries
Circulation
Regular movement within specific areas
Demographics
Statistical study of population characteristics
Distance Decay
Decreased interaction with increased distance
Emigration
Leaving one's country for another
Forced Migration
Involuntary relocation due to circumstances
Friction of Distance
Distance increases movement costs and effort
Gravity Model
Predicts migration based on population
Guest Worker
Temporary foreign laborers
Human Migration
Movement of people between locations
Human Trafficking
Illegal trade for exploitation purposes
Immigration
Permanent settlement in foreign countries
Internal Migration
Movement within a country’s borders
Internally Displaced Persons
Forced to leave home but remain within the country
Interregional Migration
Movement between different regions within countries
Intervening Obstacle
Obstacles that block migration processes
Intervening Opportunity
Chance to settle before destination
Intraregional Migration
Movement within the same region
Kinship Links
Family connections facilitating migration patterns
Mobility
Ability to move across spaces
Net Migration
Difference between immigration and emigration
Pull Factor
Attracts migrants to new locations
Push Factor
Drives people away from homes
Quotas
Limits on the number of immigrants
Refugees
Individuals fleeing persecution or danger in their home country
Relocation Diffusion
Movement of people and cultural traits to one place
Remittances
Money sent back home by migrants that are working in different countries
Repatriate
Return to one’s home country
Skills Gap
Discrepancy between available skills and needs
Step Migration
Steps to relocate to one place
Transnational Migration
Maintaining ties across multiple countries
Adherent
Someone who believes and supports a religion
Artifact
Ancient Items that are unique to a culture and have vital information about a culture or their people.
Centrifugal Force
Forces that split political and ethnic groups
Centripetal Force
Forces that bind things like groups together
Culture
The beliefs, values, practices, behaviors, and technologies shared by a society and passed down from generation to generation.
Cultural Landscape
A natural landscape that was modified and changed based on the cultural beliefs and practices of values.
Cultural Norm
Shared beliefs and values that were practiced and supported from a given society.
Cultural Relativism
The evaluation of a culture solely by its unique standards
Cultural Trait
Customs that are a part of everyday life for a specific culture
Denomination
Subdivision of a branch and usually unites a number of local congregations
Dialect
A variation of a standard language specific to a general area
Ethnicity
People who identify themselves by their physical attributes
Ethnic Neighborhood
Cultural landscapes within communities of people outside of their areas of origin
Ethnocentrism
Evaluation according to standards and customs of their own cultures
Gender Identity
A personal feeling of one's gender and how they identify themselves
Gendered Space
Spaces designed and incorporated into the landscape to accommodate gender roles.
Gentrification
Renovations and improvements conforming to middle-class preferences
Identity
How humans make sense of themselves and how they wish to be viewed by other humans
Language
The carrier of human thoughts and cultural identities
Mentifact
The central, enduring elements of a culture that reflect its shared ideas, values, knowledge, and beliefs
Pilgrimage
A journey to form cultural perceptions, beliefs, and values
Placemaking
A community-driven process in which people work together to create a place where they can live, work, play, and learn
Popular Culture
The widespread beliefs of ordinary people in society at a point in time
Postmodern Architecture
A reaction to modern designs of architecture
Religion
A system of spiritual beliefs that helps form cultural perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, and values
Safe Space
Spaces where people from a community are accepted like the LGBTQIA+ community
Sect
A relatively small group that has separated from an established denomination
Sense of Place
The subjective feelings and memories people associate with a location
Sequent Occupance
Successive societies leave behind their cultural imprint, which shapes the cultural landscape
Sociofact
Organization and structures that influence social behavior
Third Place
A space that is separate from home or work
Toponym
Something that can help define what is unique about a place
Traditional Architecture
Established building styles of different cultures
Traditional Culture
Established behaviors, beliefs, and practices that are passed down generation to generation
Acculturation
The process in which people within one culture adopt some of the traits of another while still retaining their own distinct culture
Assimilation
A category of acculturation in which one culture adopts almost all the customs, traditions, language, and other cultural traits of the other
Collectivist Culture
The expectation that members have a collective responsibility within a family
Contagious Diffusion
An idea or cultural trait that spreads adjacently
Creolization
An occurrence when people incorporate elements from an incoming or conquering culture and endow them with new meanings
Cultural Appropriation
The act of adopting elements of another culture
Cultural Convergence
Cultures that interact and then become more similar to then adopt one another’s ideas, innovations, and other cultural traits
Cultural Divergence
Conflicting beliefs or other barriers cause 2 cultures to become less similar
Cultural Hearth
Where a cultural trait originates
Diffusion
The process by which a cultural trait spreads from one place to another over time
Expansion Diffusion
The spread of cultural traits or ideas by means other than people moving
Hierarchical Diffusion
The spread of a trait from a person or place of power or authority to other people or places
Lingua Franca
A common language used among speakers of different languages, often as conquered people adopt the language of the conqueror
Multiculturalism
Diverse cultures coexist within a shared space
Relocation Diffusion
The spread of cultural traits or ideas through the movement or relocation of people
Stimulus Diffusion
The fundamental idea behind a cultural trait stimulates an innovation or cultural trait
Syncretism
A type of acculturation in which traits from 2 or more cultures blend to form a new custom, idea, value, or practice
Buddhism
An Indian religion based off Buddha or Siddhartha
Christianity
The number 1 followed religion that believes in one god and Jesus
Ethnic Religion
Closely tied with a particular ethnic group generally in a particular region.
Hinduism
A major religion usually followed by the people of India. They believe in multiple gods
Islam
A major religion developed in the Middle East. They believe in one god whose name is Allah.
Isolate
Disconnection with the rest of the religion in the world.
Judaism
A religion developed among the Hebrew people of Southwest Asia in present-day Israel and Lebanon about 4,000 years ago
Language Family
A group of languages that came from a common ancestor
Language Branch
Many languages that are related through a common ancestor within a language family
Language Group
A group of languages that are found within a branch that share a common origin
Secularized
Religious beliefs do not dictate public policy
Sikhism
Founded by Guru Nanak, who lived from 1469 to 1539, in the Punjab region of northwestern India
Universalizing Religion
These religions attempt to appeal to a wide variety of people and are open to membership by all, regardless of a person’s location, language, or ethnicity.
Administer
Defending boundaries by managing the way they are maintained and how goods and people will cross them
Antecedent Boundary
Established boundaries before many people settle in an area.
Autonomous
Given some authority to govern their own Territories.
Choke Point
A narrow, strategic passageway to another place through which it is difficult to pass.
Colonialism
The practice of claiming and dominating overseas territories
Consequent Boundary
A type of subsequent boundary that takes into account differences within an existing cultural landscape, separating groups that have distinct languages, religions, ethnicities, or other traits.
Define
Explicitly stating in legally binding documentation such as a treaty where borders are located
Demarcating
Marking a boundary with stones, pillars, walls, fences, or other physical objects
Delimit
Drawing boundaries on a map in accordance with a legal agreement
Devolution
When the central power in a state is broken up among regional authorities within its borders.
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
An area of ocean that extends up to 200 nautical miles beyond a nation’s territorial boundaries
Geometric Boundary
Mathematical and follows lines of latitude and longitude or are straight-line arcs between two points.
Imperialism
The push to create an empire by exercising force or influence to control other peoples or nations
Irredentism
Attempt to acquire territories in neighboring states inhabited by people of the same nation
Multinational State
A country with different ethnicities and cultures living inside its borders.
Multi-State Nation
Consists of a population that shares a cultural or ethnic background but lives in more than one country.
Nation
A cultural entity
Nation-State
A territory in which a group that views itself as a nation is the same as the politically recognized boundaries the state calls its own.
Neocolonialism
The use of economic, political, cultural, or other pressures to control or influence other countries, especially former dependencies.
Political Geography
The study of the ways in which the world is organized as a reflection of the power that different groups hold over territory.
Relic Boundary
A boundary that isn't a border but holds historical significance
Self-Determination
The right of all people to choose their own political status.
Semi-Autonomous
A subdivision that has a degree of autonomy or self-governance, but not complete sovereignty
Shatterbelt
A region with ongoing political instability
Sovereignty
The right to control and defend a territory and determine what happens within its borders.
State
A politically organized independent territory with a government, defined borders, and a permanent population.
Stateless Nation
A people united by culture, language, history, and tradition but not possessing a state
Subsequent Boundary
Drawn in areas that have been settled by people and where cultural landscapes already exist or are in the process of being created.
Superimposed Boundary
Boundary made by various superpowers
Territoriality
A concept with many dimensions
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
A law that made exclusive economic zones
Concurrent
Operating or occurring at the same time.
Electoral College
A set of people—called electors—who are chosen to elect the president.
Federal State
A state where power is more broadly shared between a federal government and its regional units.
Gerrymandering
The process in which a party controls a majority of seats in the state legislature and then draws legislative maps that favor the party
Majority-Minority District
Districts where minorities make up the majority of voters
Reapportionment
Seats in the House of Representatives are reallocated to different states.
Redistricting
The process of redrawing a state’s internal political boundaries that determine voting districts for the U.S. House of Representatives and the state’s legislature to accurately reflect changes in population numbers.
Unitary State
The majority of U.S. states are unitary, and in unitary states, more power is held by a central government that maintains authority over all the state’s territory, its regional units, and its people
Economies of Scale
More goods and services can be produced for less money on average
Ethnic Cleansing
Attempts by the state to eliminate an ethnic group through expulsion, imprisonment, or killing
Ethnic Nationalism
Is when the people in a country identify as having one common ethnicity, religion, and language.
Ethnic Separatism
When people of a particular ethnicity identify more strongly as members of their ethnic group than as citizens of the state
Ethnonationalism
Is when the people in a country identify as having one common ethnicity, religion, and language.
Supranational Organization
An alliance of three or more states that work together in pursuit of common goals or to address an issue or challenge that the countries share.