What is a map projection? A map projection is when you put our 3d earth onto a 2d plane.
Human geography is the study of characteristics of humans themselves and their activities.
Physical geography studies the environment and the weather.
GIS - Geographical information system Computer system/software that stores, analyzes, and displays information from multiple digital maps or data sets.
Remote Sensing - The process of detecting and monitoring the characteristics of an area.
Time space convergence - It is also known as convergence. An example would be back in the 1800s it could take weeks or months to cross the ocean from North America to Europe while now it takes less than a day.
Toponym - The name of a location refers to the location's physical characteristics. “West Palm Beach”
Friction of distance is the idea that when things are further apart than the other they are less likely to be connected or related.
Human-Environment Interaction examines how societies use land and the impact of that use on the environment.
Environmental determinism is the idea that the physical environment, including landforms and climate, significantly shapes human behavior, while possibilism suggests that although the environment sets limits, human culture and creativity play key roles in overcoming these limits.
Cultural ecology incorporates both ideas by exploring how culture interacts with nature.
Political ecology, on the other hand, examines how economic structures and power dynamics drive environmental change.
Regionalization - a process or tendency of dividing regions into small parts and splitting large areas into regions or districts.
Formal regions are areas where people share similar economic, social, political, and environmental traits.
Functional regions, or nodal regions, are defined by a specific purpose, like a telephone market.
Vernacular regions are informal and based on personal feelings about a place.
Regional boundaries are transitional, contested, and overlapping because they change over time, people often argue about where one region ends and another begins, and regions can blend together.
Geographers use regional analysis on local, national, and global scales by looking at how an area looks, the language spoken, and the cultures and traditions that are present.
Arithmetic Density is defined as the total population divided by the total amount of land
Physiological Density is defined as the total population divided by the amount of arable land, meaning the land that is suitable for farming.
Agricultural Density is defined as the number of farmers divided by the amount of farmland, showing how many people work on the land for each unit of arable area.
Physical factors that affect population density include climate, landforms, water, and natural resources. Areas that are warm, wet, and flat tend to have more people because they are easier to live on and support farming, while cold, dry, or mountainous areas tend to be less populated.
Human factors influencing population density include the availability of jobs, safety, and access to schools and hospitals. People are drawn to places with good work opportunities, safe neighborhoods, and quality public services. Fun cultural activities and lively cities also attract more residents.
At the local scale, population density is affected by jobs, schools, and safety. Areas with more employment, better schools, and safer neighborhoods tend to attract more families and individuals. Local parks and recreational opportunities can also influence where people choose to live.
At the regional scale, factors such as weather, natural resources, and transportation play a role. Regions with pleasant climates, abundant water or fertile soil, and good transportation networks (like roads and railways) tend to have higher population densities. Industries, such as farming and manufacturing, also contribute to regional population patterns.
At the national scale, overall population density is influenced by the strength of the economy, government policies, and historical events. Countries with strong economies often have more job opportunities, which attract people, while immigration rules, wars, and large-scale migrations can also change where and how many people live.
At the global scale, factors like climate, technology, and international connections matter. Areas with favorable weather and abundant resources attract more people, while advancements in transportation and global trade allow people to move more freely, often leading to higher densities in urban centers.
Arithmetic density is calculated by dividing the total population by the total land area. It shows how many people share a given space and indicates the pressure on available resources.
Physiological density is determined by dividing the total population by the amount of arable (farmable) land. This measure reveals how much pressure is placed on the land that produces food, with a higher number meaning more people rely on a limited amount of farmland.
Agricultural density is the number of farmers relative to the amount of farmland. It shows how many people work the land, with a high number suggesting that many farmers are sharing the same area of arable land.
Economic impacts of population density include more jobs and business opportunities in crowded areas, though higher living costs and increased demand for resources like water and food can also be challenges.
Social impacts include increased interactions and cultural diversity, but high density can also lead to stress, housing shortages, and sometimes higher crime rates.
Politically, densely populated areas may have more representation and greater demands for public services, which can lead to different political priorities compared to rural areas.
Environmentally, high population density can result in increased pollution, loss of green space, and greater pressure on natural resources.
Carrying capacity refers to the maximum number of people that the environment can support with its available resources.
Guest Worker: Individuals who migrate temporarily for employment.
Transhumance: Seasonal movement of people with their livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures.
Interregional Migration: Movement from one region of a country to another.
Intraregional Migration: Movement within one region of a country.
Chain migration: Migration due to family or community ties in the destination area.
cultural enclave - chinatown
Term: Acculturation
Definition: The process through which individuals or groups from one culture adopt or adapt to the customs, values, and behaviors of another culture due to prolonged contact. This can involve changes in language, social practices, and lifestyles while still maintaining elements of the original culture.
Term: Cultural Assimilation
Definition: When a non-dominant cultural group changes its identity to adopt the cultural traits of a dominant group.
Example: A minority group gradually adopting the language, dress, and customs of the majority culture.
Term: Affirmative Action Policy
Definition: A policy aimed at providing fair opportunities in jobs and education to underrepresented groups in order to address and correct past discrimination.
Term: Xenophobia
Definition: The fear or dislike of people from other cultural groups.
Term: Scapegoating
Definition: The practice of blaming a non-dominant cultural group for misfortunes or problems, suggesting that someone from that group is responsible for these issues.
Term: Stateless Nation
Definition: A group of people who identify as a nation but do not have their own sovereign state.
Example: The Kurds, who see themselves as an ethnic group yet are minorities spread across multiple countries.
Term: Cultural Hearth
Definition: A geographic area where a set of cultural traits, ideas, and innovations originate and from which they spread.
Term: Globalization
Definition: The process of increased interconnectedness and interdependence among people, businesses, and governments worldwide, driven by trade, technology, and communication.
Term: Impact of Globalization on Culture
Definition: Globalization spreads ideas, products, and cultural practices across the world, leading to cultural homogenization as well as greater cultural exchange and awareness.
Term: Popular Culture Creation
Definition: The development of new cultural trends that are designed to appeal to a broad audience, often characterized by being current and widely accepted.
Term: Horizontal Diversity vs. Vertical Diversity
Definition:
- Horizontal Diversity: Variation among groups that are similar in status or function but spread across different locations.
- Vertical Diversity: Differences in status or hierarchy within a similar group, where elements appear similar but are organized at different levels.
Term: Artifacts
Definition: Physical objects or items that are made, constructed, or created by a culture, such as African wood drums.
Term: Mentifacts
Definition: The ideas, beliefs, practices, aesthetics, and values that define a culture.
Term: Sociofacts
Definition: The social structures and ways in which people organize themselves and relate to one another within a culture.
Term: Material vs. Nonmaterial Culture
Definition:
- Material Culture: Physical objects or structures created by a culture (e.g., a Chinese temple).
- Nonmaterial Culture: The beliefs, values, and ideas of a culture (e.g., the religious or philosophical beliefs associated with that temple).
Term: Ethnic Enclave
Definition: A geographic area within a city where a particular ethnic group is concentrated, such as Chinatown or Little Italy.
Term: Cultural Relativism
Definition: The view that people’s beliefs and practices should be understood within the context of their own culture rather than judged by the standards of another culture.
Example: Recognizing that arranged marriages are culturally accepted in some societies.
Term: Multiculturalism
Definition: The coexistence of diverse cultures within one society, where all cultures are respected and valued.
Example: In Canada, various immigrant groups maintain their cultural traditions while integrating into Canadian society.
Term: Nativism
Definition: The preference for native-born citizens over immigrants, often advocating for policies that protect the interests of those born in the country.
Example: Groups pushing for stricter immigration laws to ensure that certain jobs or benefits are reserved for citizens.
Definition:
- Cultural Region: A specific area where people share similar cultural traits.
- Cultural Realm: A larger area that includes several cultural regions with shared characteristics like similar foods, ethnic heritage, or history.
Term: Sequent Occupance
Definition: The concept that different cultural groups occupy the same geographic space over time, with each group leaving its mark on the area.
Term: Centripetal Force
Definition: A force that pulls objects toward the center of a circular path, keeping them moving in a curve rather than in a straight line.
Example: The friction between a car’s tires and the road when navigating a curve provides the centripetal force necessary to keep the car on the road.
Term: Main Types of Diffusion
Definition: The two main types of diffusion are relocation diffusion and expansion diffusion.
Term: Relocation Diffusion
Definition: The spread of a cultural trait through the migration of people.
Example: Latinx communities often practice Roman Catholicism because Spanish colonizers brought the religion with them.
Term: Contagious Diffusion
Definition: The rapid and widespread spread of a cultural trait through direct contact between people.
Example: A popular dance trend spreading quickly via social media.
Term: Hierarchical Diffusion
Definition: The spread of cultural traits from influential or powerful people or organizations to others, often limited by cost or access.
Example: Initially, cell phones were only available to wealthy individuals in large cities; over time, as they became mass-produced, they spread to a wider market.
Isogloss: A geographic boundary within which a particular linguistic feature occurs.
Homogenization: reduction of cultural diversity
Imperialism/Colonialism - When powerful countries took over others and changed borders. This caused problems because different groups were forced to live together.
Independence Movement - When people try to break away from another country to rule themselves. This happened in places like India and Africa.
Devolution - When the main government gives power to smaller local governments.
Berlin Conference (1884–1885) - A meeting where European countries decided how to split up Africa.
British Partitioned India - Britain divided its land into India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
definitional boundary dispute – a disagreement over the wording or meaning of a boundary agreement or treaty
locational (territorial) boundary dispute – a disagreement about the actual location of a boundary or who owns a specific area of land
irredentism – when a country believes it should control land outside its borders because of shared culture, history, or ethnicity
operational (functional) boundary dispute – a disagreement about how a boundary should be managed or controlled, such as rules for crossing
allocational (resource) boundary dispute – a disagreement over the use or ownership of natural resources found near or across a border
geometric boundary – a straight line drawn on a map, often based on latitude or longitude, not on natural features
physical (natural) boundary – a boundary that follows natural features like rivers, mountains, or deserts
cultural (ethnic) boundary – a boundary that separates people based on culture, like language or religion
antecedent boundary – a boundary made before people lived in the area or before it was well developed
subsequent boundary – a boundary made after people lived in the area, usually based on cultural or ethnic differences
superimposed boundary – a boundary drawn by outsiders without considering the people already living there
relic boundary – a boundary that no longer works as a border but still has visible signs or effects, like old walls or cultural differences
redistricting – redrawing district lines so each has about the same number of people
gerrymandering – drawing district lines to give one political group an unfair advantage
cracking – splitting a group into several districts to weaken their voting power
packing – putting like-minded voters into one district to reduce their influence in other areas
stacking – combining a strong group with a larger population to dilute their power
hijacking – redrawing districts so two current representatives from the same party end up in the same district
kidnapping – redrawing a district so that a representative’s home is moved to another district where they are less likely to be re-elected
1965 Voting Rights Act – a law meant to stop racial gerrymandering and protect voting rights
bipartisan – when both political parties work together
Ethnonationalism is when a group of people seeks to create a nation based on shared ethnicity. The Kurdish independence movement is an example.
Intensive Subsistence Ag: Hard laborious work that takes a lot of time to grow food typically rice for the people growing it to survive
Extensive Subsistence Ag: Easy farming that doesn’t take a lot of input for the person to get food
Pastoral Nomadism:Nomadic tribes will have domesticated grazing animals and they will follow the herd and let them graze in different areas.
Shifting Cultivation: People will take plots of land slash and burn the plants on land and grow crops on that land then after a few harvests they move to the next plot and repeat.
Bid-Rent Theory is the concept that land located near densely populated areas will be more expensive, leading to competition for that land.
Monocropping is when a farmer plants the same crop year after year.
Monoculture, on the other hand, refers to growing only one type of crop at a time.
The Bid Rent Curve - relationship between distance from the market and the price of land.
suburbanization: The growth of residential areas outside cities as people seek more space, lower costs, and better living conditions.
urban sprawl: The uncontrolled expansion of cities into surrounding rural areas, leading to low-density development and car dependency.
decentralization: The movement of businesses, services, and populations away from city centers to suburban and outlying areas.
edge cities: Large business, shopping, and entertainment districts located outside the traditional downtown of a city, often near highways.
Filtering: the process of dividing of houses and occupancy by successive layers of decreasing-income
Invasion and succession: Process by which new immigrants to a city move to and dominate or take over areas or neighborhoods occupied by older immigrant groups.
Greenbelts: areas of protected forest or green spaces
Smart-growth policies: policies that respond to population density and urban sprawl
Slow growth cities: switching zoning laws so growth is slowed down - helps ease traffic
Zoning: categorizing pieces of land for specific uses/restrictions
New Urbanism - Differs from smart growth because focuses more on fostering European Style cities rather than promoting large scale measures for planning. It is pretty similar to smart growth
Government Support for Affordable Housing
Inclusionary zoning: incentives land owners to create space for low income
Scattered site: government provide aid with rent to disperse public housing
industrialization - the shift from agriculture to manufacturing and heavy industry
deindustrialization - the move from manufacturing to a service-based economy
effects of deindustrialization - job losses, urban decay, lower property values, and increased inequality
economic sectors pyramid - a structure showing primary (raw materials), secondary (manufacturing), tertiary (services), and quaternary (knowledge-based activities)
weber's least cost theory - companies choose locations where costs like transportation and labor are lowest
hotelling's model - businesses cluster together to attract more customers
wallerstein's world systems theory - a way to classify countries into core (rich), semi-periphery (middle), and periphery (poor)
rostow's model of development - stages a country goes through from a traditional society to one with high mass consumption
bulk-reducing industries - industries that locate near raw materials
bulk-gaining industries - industries that locate near customers
containerization - using large, standardized containers to make shipping cheaper and more efficient
microfinance - small loans given to low-income people to help start or grow a business
comparative advantage - when a country can produce something at a lower cost than others
supranational trading blocs - groups of countries that work together to reduce trade barriers
outsourcing/offshoring - moving jobs or production to other countries to cut costs
economic restructuring - shifting from a manufacturing-based economy to one based on services
basic vs. non-basic activities - basic activities bring money into an area, while non-basic activities serve local needs
post-fordist methods - flexible, specialized production that replaces traditional mass assembly lines
economies of scale - reducing the cost per unit by producing in large quantities
agglomeration economies - cost benefits that businesses gain by being close to each other
technopoles - high-tech hubs where many technology companies cluster
brownfields - old industrial sites that can be redeveloped
flexible production - adaptable manufacturing processes that reduce waste and increase efficiency
just-in-time production - making goods only as they are needed to lower inventory costs
sustainability - using resources in a way that does not harm future generations
sustainable development - improving quality of life without damaging the environment
climate change - the warming of the Earth caused by human activities
core vs. periphery - rich countries cause more pollution but can manage its effects better, while poor countries suffer more
un millennium development goals - targets set to reduce poverty and improve education, health, and the environment
sustainable development goals - a broader set of targets addressing global challenges for a better future