GEOG 1100 Midterm Review

CHAPTER 1: Introductory Concepts

• Geography

  • Physical Geography: Study of natural features (climate, landforms).
  • Human Geography: Study of people, culture, cities, economies.

• Location

  • Absolute: Exact spot using latitude/longitude (e.g., Vancouver = 49°N, 123°W).
    • Vancouver's absolute location is 49°N, 123°W.
  • Relative: Location in relation to other places.
    • Site: Physical features.
    • Situation: Surroundings.

• Distance

  • First Law of Geography: “Everything is related, but closer things are more related.”
  • Types:
    • Absolute: Measured in units (km, miles).
    • Relative: Measured in time/cost.
    • Cognitive: Perceived distance (e.g., a place feels far because of traffic).

• Space

  • Absolute: Measured objectively.
  • Relative: Dependent on human interaction.
  • Cognitive: How people mentally picture space (mental maps).
  • Topological: Connection-based (e.g., subway map).

• Region

  • Area defined by common characteristics (e.g., political, cultural).

• Landscape

  • Ordinary: Everyday settings.
  • Symbolic: Represents identity or history (e.g., Eiffel Tower).
  • Palimpsest: Layers of history visible in a landscape.

• Place

  • Place-making: How people give meaning to space.
  • Sense of Place: Emotional connection to a location.

• Geographical Imagination

  • How we understand the world and our place in it.

• Map Projections

  • Mercator: Distorts size, good for navigation.
  • Peters: Preserves area but distorts shape.
  • Robinson: Compromise, balances shape/size.
  • Fuller (Dymaxion): Shows Earth without splitting continents.

• Spatial Diffusion

  • How ideas, goods, diseases spread across space.

CHAPTER 2: Globalization

• World-System Theory

  • World is divided into:
    • Core: Wealthy, powerful (e.g., US, Canada).
    • Periphery: Poor, dependent (e.g., many African countries).
    • Semi-Periphery: In between (e.g., Brazil, India).

• Imperialism: One country controls another for resources/power.

• Colonialism: Direct political and economic control over territory.

• European Expansion: Colonization of Americas, Africa, Asia.

• Ethnocentrism: Believing one’s culture is superior.

  • Social Darwinism: Misuse of evolution to justify inequality.
  • Environmental Determinism: Geography determines success.
  • White Man’s Burden: Colonialist belief in duty to “civilize” others.

• Scramble for Africa: European colonization of Africa in late 1800s.

• Impacts of Colonialism on Periphery

  • Economic: Dependency on exports.
  • Political: Unstable governments.
  • Cultural: Loss of languages/customs.
  • Neo-colonialism: Continued economic domination without formal control.

• Contemporary Globalization

  • Increased global connections via trade, tech, culture.

• Views on Globalization

  • Positive: Brings development, jobs, ideas.
  • Negative: Increases inequality, cultural loss.

• Core-Periphery Inequalities

  • Income & Wealth Gaps
  • Fast World/Slow World: Access to tech/benefits of globalization.
  • Digital Divide: Unequal access to the internet/tech.

CHAPTER 9: Political Geographies

• North-South Divide: Global inequality between wealthy (North) and poorer (South).

• Decolonization: Process of gaining independence from colonial powers.

CHAPTER 3: Population Dynamics

• Demography: Study of populations.

• Density Types

  • Crude Density: People per land area.
  • Nutritional Density: People per farmland area.

• Natural Increase/Decrease: Births minus deaths.

• Birth/Death Rates

  • Crude Birth Rate: Births per 1,000 people.
  • Crude Death Rate: Deaths per 1,000 people.
  • Total Fertility Rate (TFR): Avg. babies per woman.
  • Replacement Rate: TFR needed to keep population stable (≈2.1).
  • Infant Mortality Rate: Babies who die before 1 year per 1,000 births.
  • Life Expectancy: Avg. years a person is expected to live.

• Population Pyramid: Graph showing age and sex structure of population.

• Dependency Ratio: Ratio of dependents (young + old) to working-age people.

• Demographic Transition Theory

  • 5 stages explaining how birth/death rates change with development.
  • Critiques: Doesn’t fit all countries; assumes Western pattern.

• Overpopulation

  • Malthusian: Population grows faster than food → crisis.
  • Neo-Malthusian: Modern version, worried about sustainability.
  • Critiques: Underestimates technology and inequality.

• Population Policy: Government efforts to control population growth (e.g., China’s one-child policy).

CHAPTER 7: Economic Development

• Economic Development

  • Growth in wealth, quality of life, industrialization.

• Indicators

  • GDP: Total value of goods/services in country.
  • GNP: GDP + income from abroad.
  • GNI: GNP adjusted by population.

• Informal Sector: Unregulated jobs (e.g., street vendors).

• Externalities

  • Positive: Benefits to others (e.g., education).
  • Negative: Harms (e.g., pollution).

• HDI (Human Development Index): Measures development (health, education, income).

• GII (Gender Inequality Index): Measures inequality between men and women.

• Economic Sectors

  • Primary: Raw materials (farming, mining).
  • Secondary: Manufacturing.
  • Tertiary: Services (teaching, sales).
  • Quaternary: Knowledge (tech, research).

• FDI (Foreign Direct Investment): Money invested by one country in another.

• TNCs (Transnational Corporations): Businesses in multiple countries.

• Trade Bloc: Group of countries with trade agreements (e.g., EU, NAFTA).

• Globalization & Development

  • International Finance: Global banks, investments.
  • Tech & Time-Space Convergence: Technology reduces travel/communication time.
  • Global Consumer Markets: Worldwide demand for products.
  • New Division of Labor: Jobs split across countries.

• Global Assembly Line: Products made in parts around the world.

• Commodity Chain: Steps from raw material to consumer product.

• “Race to the Bottom”: Companies move to places with lowest costs/standards.

• Film: The True Cost

  • Fast Fashion: Cheap, trendy clothing → environmental/social harm.
  • Rana Plaza: Factory collapse in Bangladesh; unsafe conditions.
  • Pepe: Used clothing exports to Africa hurting local industry.
  • Ecological Narcotics: Addiction to overconsumption.
  • Fair Trade: Ensures ethical practices for producers.

• Exam Format Overview

  • Multiple Choice / Matching / T/F: ~35 questions
  • Short Answers (4 out of 6): 1–2 paragraph answers
  • Essay (1 out of 3): 4–6 paragraph response
  • Tips:
    • Use examples
    • Define terms
    • Don’t copy slides—use your own words