chapter 11 Flashcards
(39 cards)
Principle of least effort
considered a guiding principle in human activities; for human geographers, refers to minimizing distances and related movements
Time-space convergence
a decreasing in the friction of distance between locations as a result of improvements in transportation and communication technologies
Innovations
introduction of new inventions or ideas, especially ones that lead to change in human behaviour or production processes
Three processes characterize the evolution of transportation systems;
- Intensification: the filling of space
- Diffusion: spread across space
- Articulation: the development of more efficient spatial structures
Water Transportation
Advantages; inexpensive, good over long distance because it offers minimal resistance to movement and waterways are often available to use at no charge
Disadvantages; slow, longer than the most direct way (circuitous), not all locations are accessible by water, topographic features, like variation in relief, or weather conditions, like freezing temperature, landlocked (country with no access to water)
Railway Transportation
Advantages; second-least expensive form of transportation, are suitable for moving bulk materials when waterways are not available
Disadvantages; local topography makes railway construction (and maintenance) expensive, if not impossible
Road Transportation
Advantages; are less expensive to build than railways, are often favoured in regional planning and related schemes, most of the internal movement, bridges often reduces road distances, Can accepte multiple form of transportation
Disadvantage; traffic
Air Transportation
Advantages; it is rapid and is usually favoured for small-bulk (great size), rapid technologie change and political influence, tourist development
Disadvantage: most expensive method, damaged to environment
Containerization
Shipping containers, the important role played by containers in facilitating economic globalization is difficult to overstate
Advantages; reduced transportation costs
key factor promoting and reflecting globalization
Technology and organizational advances in transportation
One specific consequence of such advances (Technology and organizational advances in transportation) on trade
trade has become an increasingly important part of the global economy
Trade is highly vulnerable to what
the friction of distance
unequal exchange
the former export goods to the latter at prices above their value, while the latter export goods to the former at prices below their values
world trade organization
- reduce trade barriers
- reduce trade competition
- open countries to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
Tariff
a tax or customs duty imposed on imports from other countries
3 others variables of trades
- The specific resource base of a given area (needed materials are imported and surplus materials exported)
- The size and quality of the labour force (a country with a small labour force but plentiful resources is likely to produce and export raw materials (kills and training))
- The amount of capital in a country (higher capital prompts export of high-quality, high-value goods)
transnational corporations TNCs
multinational corporation that take advantage of variation in factors such as land costs and labor costs
Foreign direct investment (FDI)
Direct investment by a government or transnational/multinational corporation in another country, often in the form of a manufacturing of processing plant
International division of labour
the current tendency for high-wage and high-skill employment opportunities, often in the service sector, to be located in the more developed world, while low-wage and low skill employment opportunities, often in the manufacturing and processing sectors, are located in the less developed world
The most important technologies to economic globalization
media; almost instantaneous transmission of information regardless of distance, Created a digital divide, technologie division between more developed countries and less developed countries
Economic internationalization;
is the process of increasing involvement of enterprises in international markets
began with the development first of empires and then of economic links - particularly through the movement of capital and goods - between colonial powers and their colonies
The Bretton Woods Agreement
post 2nd world war, 1944; help rebuild europe and stabilize the world economy to avoid future disaster
what are the 3 institutions the bretton woods agreement created
- International Monetary Fund (IMF); emergency loans, financing and investing in less develop countries, precautionary loans, short term loan to country struggling
- International Bank For Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), (now the world bank); provide development assistance to Europe after the war
- General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade/world Trade Organization/ now the World Trade Organization; rules to govern global trade
1973 - oil crisis
1) oil prices skyrocket; hit poor countries the most
2) OPEC becomes awash in foreign currency (US$); loaned to poor countries with world bank and IMF
