Unit 1 Human Geography Vocab

Environmental perspective - A perspective focused on the interaction between physical and human systems or between natural landscapes and societies

Environmental determinism - the belief that the environment determined how societies developed in a particular area

Possibilism - the belief that humans have a range of possible choices in adapting to their physical environment 

Desertification - the process by which land becomes a desert

Space-time compression - The idea that with increased technology the actual distance between two places is shrinking because it takes less time to travel between them

Map scale- The ratio of a distance on the map to the corresponding distance on the ground

Relative scale/Scales of analysis - The amount of detail included in the map and the size of the units

Absolute location - Position on Earth's surface defined by latitude and longitude

Meridians - Arcs that are formed around the globe between the North and South poles - top to bottom-

Parallels - Arcs drawn parallel to the equator around the globe

Longitude - The system of numbers used to indicate the location of meridians drawn on a globe

Relative location - Position on Earth's surface in relationship to physical or man-made features

Distance decay - The farther away different places are from an original site, the less likely the interaction with the original place will be

Time-space compression - Any phenomenon that alters the qualities of and relationship between space and time

Region- an area of land that is defined by geographers as sharing common characteristics

Place- The combination of physical and human characteristics of a specific location

Site- The spatial location as it relates to the environment, including geographical features, climate and landforms

Cultural landscape - The tangible products resulting from the complex interaction between people and their environments

Ecumene - the height of an area relative to sea level; rate that is a percentage of a given number

Arable land - land suitable for cultivation

Topography - a detailed description or representation on a map of the natural and artificial features of an area

Biodiversity- the variety of life in a particular area or region

Slash-and-burn - the process of clearing an area of land of all vegetation by cutting and then burning the vegetation

Subsistence farming - farming that provides only enough food for the personal consumption of the farmer and their family

Cultural region - An area in which people share the same culture, which usually means the same history, beliefs, and languages

Formal region - is an area whose defining characteristic, such as the nationality, is found throughout the region