GEO 102 - Unit 1 Flashcards
(48 cards)
Define Geography
A spatial science that describes the physical and cultural aspects of Earth
Define Human Environment Interactions
It is the interaction between the human social system and the ecosystem
(how humans adapt to their natural and changing environment)
(ex: building a dam or wearing gloves in the snow)
Define Region
A geographic concept of spatial similarity (12 World Regions)
List 12 World Regions
1) N. America
2) Latin America
3) The Caribbean
4) Europe
5) Oceania
6) North Africa/South West Asia
7) Central Asia
8) South Asia
9) East Asia
10) Southeast Asia
11) Eurasia
12) Sub-Saharan Africa
Define Plate Tectonics
(A theory) Earth’s crust has chunks that move over time
o Divergent: plates began to move away from each other (generating new crust)
o Convergent: plates begin to move towards each other (crust is destroyed)
o Transform: plates move past one another and cause no destruction (move horizontally)
(ex: earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis)
Lithosphere vs Asthenosphere
Lithosphere: the crust and upper mantle
Asthenosphere: below the lithosphere
Mountain Formation
When 2 plates of the same density collide and push up land to form mountains (EX: The Rockies)
Define Pangea and its natural hazards
o The supercontinent that broke up and drifted away 200 years ago
o Natural disasters: earthquake, volcano, and tsunami
Approximate population of the world
~ 7.9 Billion
RNI (Rate of Natural Increase
(birth per thousand - death per thousand) / 10
TFR (Total Fertility Rate)
The average number of children born per woman in a given area
Cultural Syncretism
The blending of two or more cultures producing a 3rd culture that exhibits traits from all three
(ex: Tex-Mex, Creole)
(product of globalization)
Independant Countries
~ 195
GNI (Gross National Income) per capita
The total amount of money earned by a nation’s people and businesses (an indicator of economic development)
Globalization: Economy
o Economic integration
o Global economy
o Global financial transaction
Globalization: Culture/Social
o Cultures are becoming homogenous
o Every culture dispensed around the world
o Cultural syncretism
EX: McDonald in France or Apple Store in Morocco
Globalization: Politics
o Global civil society
o United Nations
o Democracy
o Political relationships between nations and states
Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change
o Fossil fuels account for 75% of greenhouse effect
o Heat goes up into space and becomes trapped in Earth’s atmosphere
o Cause of global warming (earth is overheated)
o Climate Change: drought, snow melts faster, warmer ocean water, decline in biodiversity
Appalachians vs Rockies (North American Mountains)
Appalachians
o Older mountain formed when Pangea came together
o Round, low peaks with long term erosion
Rockies
o Newer mountain formed when Pangea broke apart
o Rugged, high peaks
The North American Prairie
o Grassland bioregion
o Flat landscape of moderate election East of Rockies
o Moderate temperature
o Moderate rainfall
o Few trees
The Fall Line
The boundary between Piedmont and the Coastal Plain of Atlantic Ocean
Ogallala Aquifer
o An underground later of permeable rock that holds groundwater
o Primary Use: irrigation in a dry region
o Location: Great Plains (South Dakota to Texas)
o Primary Concern: excessive pumping that is leading to decrease in water levels
Pacific Northwest Climate Characteristics
o Marine West Coast
o Mild summers with rainfall
o Mild to cool winters
o Cloudy/grizzly conditions
o EX: Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Coloumbia
USA Population
~ 333 million (3rd largest in the world)
