Human Geo Midterm

Midterm Study Guide: APHG

SCALE

the relationship of a feature’s size on a map 

to its actual size on Earth. 

Large scale

Less land area in more detail 

Local maps

Small Scale

More land area in less detail 

Global maps 

Scale of Analysis

Understanding the scale of analysis helps in determining the scope and level of detail necessary for a study or presentation.

Global, National, Subnational, Local

TYPES OF MAPS

Dot Distribution

Depicts data as points and shows how those points are clustered or spread out over an area.

Each dot represents a predetermined number of observations

Choropleth

Recognizable areas are shaded or patterned in proportion to the measurement of the variable.  

Graduated symbol

Displays symbols that change in size according to the value of the variable

Cartogram 

Size of a country or US state is proportional to the value of a particular variable 

PROJECTION

scientific way of transferring locations of Earth’s surface to a flat map 

Mercator

Preserves shape but distorts size, especially near the poles.

Robinson

Attempts to minimize distortion in size and shape.

Azimuthal

Shows the Earth from a specific point, often used for polar regions.

TERMS OF SPATIAL ANALYSIS

Distribution

arrangement of a feature in space 

Density

the frequency with which something occurs in space

Concentration

the extent of a feature’s spread over space (clustered or dispersed) 

Pattern

geometric arrangement of objects in space

REGIONS

Formal

• homogenous region, an area within which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics. 

Vernacular

• Perceptual region, place that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity - emerge from informal sense of place rather than scientific models

Functional

• nodal region, an area organized around a node or focal point. Characteristic chosen to define the region is dominant at a central focus or node and diminishes in importance outward.

DIFFUSION

process by which a feature spreads across space 

RELOCATION

spread of an idea through the physical movement of people from one place to another 

EXPANSION

Contagious:rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population. 

Hierarchical:pread of an idea from person or nodes of authority or power to other person or places 

Stimulus:spread of an underlying principle even though a 

POPULATION TERMS

Demography - the study of population

Crude Birth Rate (CBR) - the number of live births per one thousand people in the population

Crude Death Rate (CDR) - the number of deaths per one thousand people in the population 

Doubling time - the time period it takes for a population to double in size FORMULA: 70/RNI= Doubling Time

Fertility - the number of live births occuring in a population

Infant mortality rate (IMR) - the number of children who don't survive their first year of life per 1000 live births in a country 

Mortality - the number of deaths occuring in a population

Rate of Natural Increase (RNI) (also known as NIR)- (birth rate - death rate)/10 - a positive NIR means a population is growing and a negative NIR means a population is shrinking MIGRATION NOT INCLUDED Total fertility rate (TFR) - the average number of children a woman is predicted to have in her child bearing years

Additional Theories

Malthusian:While population increases geometrically, food supply increases arithmetically (population will increase more quickly than food supply)

Epidemiological Transition Model:Explains how society has developed and the change in how/why people are dying as we have progressed

Ravenstein:

1. The majority of migrants go only a short distance 

2. Migration proceeds step by step (Step Migration)

3. Migrants going long distances generally go to large economic centers

4. Each migration stream produces a compensating counter-stream 

5. Natives of towns are less migratory than those of rural areas - people who live in urban areas are less likely to migrate

6. Females are more migratory within their area of birth, but males migrate more frequently internationally 

7. Most migrants are young adults, families rarely migrate out of their country

8. Large towns (Urban areas) grow more as a result of migration than natural increases (Births)

9. As infrastructure improves (business, roads, industries) migration increases with it

10. The major directions of migration is from the rural (agricultural) to urban (centers of industry and commerce)

11. The major causes of migration are economic (seeking jobs and opportunity

Zelinsky: Relates Migration to DTM

Environmental Determinism:

Possibilism:

Migration Terms

Types of Migration

Push Factor:Conditions that drive people to leave their home.

Pull Factor:Conditions that attract people to a new area.

Intervening Obstacle:Factors that hinder migration.

Intervening Opportunity:Factors that present themselves during migration, leading to a change in the migration plan.

Asylum seeker: a person seeking residence in a country outside of their own because they fleeing persecution

Chain migration: a series of migrations within a group that begins with one person who through contact with the group, pulls people to migrate to the same area.

Step-migration: migration to a far away place that takes place in stages

Forced migration: when people migrate not because the want to but because they have no other choice

Guest worker: a legal immigrant who is allowed into the country to work, usually for a relatively short time period

Internally displaced persons: a person forced to flee their home who remains in their home country

Refugee: a person who flees their home country and is not able to return

Transhumance: moving herds of animals to the highlands in the summer and into the lowlands in the winter

Transnational migration: moving across a border into another country

Voluntary migration: people choosing to migrate (not being forced)

Cultural Landscape

“built landscape,” physical imprint a culture makes on the environment. Carl Sauer – culture leaves a unique fingerprint on their space 

Culture Terms

• Cultural Relativism: Understanding a culture on its own terms.

• Ethnocentrism: Judging another culture by the standards of one's own.

• Sequent Occupance: The layers of different cultures in the same space over time.

• Centrifugal Forces: Forces that divide people and create conflict.

• Centripetal Forces: Forces that unify people within a state or region.

Cultural Landscape

“built landscape,” physical imprint a culture makes on the environment. Carl Sauer – culture leaves a unique fingerprint on their space 

Culture Terms

Lingua Franca:
A lingua franca is a language that is used as a common means of communication between speakers of different native languages. It often emerges in trade, diplomacy, or multicultural regions. For example, English is widely considered a lingua franca in international business and tourism.

Toponym:
A toponym is the name given to a place or geographical feature. Toponyms can provide insights into the history, culture, and language of a region. For example, the name "New York" reflects the city's origins and its historical ties to York, England.

Cultural Relativism:
Cultural relativism is the principle of understanding and evaluating cultural practices and beliefs within their own context rather than judging them by the standards of another culture. This concept encourages appreciation of diversity and helps to avoid ethnocentric biases.

Ethnocentrism:
Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s own culture or ethnic group is superior to others. This perspective can lead to misunderstanding and conflict between different cultural groups. Recognizing and overcoming ethnocentrism is crucial for fostering intercultural dialogue.

Sequent Occupance:
Sequent occupance refers to the idea that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, contributing to its overall cultural landscape. This concept illustrates how places evolve over time, influenced by various groups that have inhabited them.

Centrifugal Forces:
Centrifugal forces are factors that tend to divide a state or society. These can include ethnic or cultural differences, economic disparities, and political discontent. Understanding these forces is essential for analyzing social cohesion and conflict within a region.

Centripetal Forces:
Centripetal forces are factors that unite and strengthen a state or society. These can include shared culture, national identity, and effective governance. Centripetal forces play a crucial role in promoting stability and cooperation within a community.

Acculturation: two cultures come into contact and weaker one adopts some of new more dominant traits

Assimilation: weaker culture’s traits replaced by more dominant culture

Convergence: Cultures become more similar

Divergence: Culture become more dissimilar

UNIVERSALIZING RELIGION

ETHNIC RELIGION

Definition

Attempt to be global, to appeal to all people wherever they may appear in the world 

Appeals primarily to one group of people living in one place

Origin

Precise places

Based on events in life of a man

Unknown or unclear origins

Not tied to historic individuals 

Diffusion

Diffused from their specific hearth to other regions of the world. Spread through expansion diffusion and relocation diffusion 

Typically remain clustered in one location. Found near the hearth, maybe spread through relocation diffusion 

Holy Places

Cities and other places associated with the founder’s life

Derive from distinctive physical environment, such as mountains, rivers or rock formations