Geography Notes Flashcards
(32 cards)
What is Geography?
Geography is a science that deals with the description, distribution, and interaction of the diverse physical, biological, and cultural features on the Earth.
Who is considered the Father of Geography?
Eratosthenes, a Greek who coined the term ‘Geography’ and measured the Earth’s circumference using wells and the sun’s angles.
Who was Ptolemy and what was his contribution to Geography?
Ptolemy wrote a book on Geography that was reprinted and translated until the 15th century, although it contained errors like incorrectly estimating the Earth’s circumference.
What did Alexander von Humboldt contribute to Geography?
Humboldt was an aristocrat and explorer who identified ocean currents off the coast of Peru and lift zones in South America and Mexico.
What is Environmental Determinism?
Environmental Determinism is the argument that the physical environment causes human activities and behaviors. It was used by Nazis for discrimination but is not proven.
Who is credited with creating Environmental Determinism?
Ellsworth Huntington, an instructor at Yale.
What is Arithmetic Density?
Arithmetic Density is the total number of people divided by the total land area.
What is Physiologic Density?
Physiologic Density is the total number of people divided by the total farmland, and it is a better indicator of population pressure on land.
What is Cartography?
Cartography is the art and science of map-making, with the earliest surviving map being a clay tablet from Babylonia.
What is a Geographic Information System (GIS)?
A GIS is a computer system that analyzes and displays geographic data and allows for layers to be overlaid for uses like map-making, urban planning, and voting districts.
What is the Mercator Projection?
The Mercator Projection preserves shape but distorts area, making Greenland appear larger than Africa. It’s good for navigation.
What is an Area Projection?
An Area Projection preserves area but distorts shape, making Greenland look squished.
What are the 5 essentials of a map?
Title, Geographic Grid, Direction, Legend, Scale.
How is Latitude measured?
Latitude measures North and South on the globe, ranging from 0 degrees at the Equator to 90 degrees North and South at the poles.
How is Longitude measured?
Longitude measures East and West on the globe, ranging from 0 degrees at the Prime Meridian to 180 degrees at the International Dateline.
What is a Formal Region?
A Formal Region is an area that shares one or more distinctive characteristics, such as a state or tornado alley.
What is a Functional Region?
A Functional Region is organized around a focal point, like a radio reception area.
What is a Vernacular Region?
A Vernacular Region is an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity.
What is Diffusion in geography?
Diffusion is the spread of a feature over space and time.
What is Globalization?
Globalization is the increasing connection between countries in terms of cultural, economic, and political exchanges.
What is the Crude Birth Rate (CBR)?
The Crude Birth Rate is the total number of live births in a year for every 1,000 people.
What is the Crude Death Rate (CDR)?
The Crude Death Rate is the total number of deaths for every 1,000 people.
How do you calculate the Natural Increase Rate (NIR)?
NIR = CBR - CDR / 10.
For example, if the CBR is 15 and the CDR is 9, then NIR = (15-9)/10 = 0.6.
What is Total Fertility Rate (TFR)?
TFR is the average number of children a woman will have during her childbearing years.
