THE BIG LIST - UNIT 1 Flashcards
AKA the built environment. Any time people interact with the environment they shape it in
ways that reflect their culture
Cultural landscape
people per square mile
Arithmetic density
The number of people per unit of area of arable land
Physiological density
land suited for agriculture
arable land
how many people have to be supported by the amount of available farmland
Physiological density
High physiological density
food must be imported in a country
farmers per unit of arable land
Agricultural Density
what GIS stands for
Geographic Information System
Computer software/app that allows you to view geographic information in layers over a map
GIS
what GPS stands for
Global Positioning System
Navigation system made up of 24 satellites, tracking stations on the ground, and receivers,
Absolute location of receiver is triangulated and used to navigate
GPS
The place of origin of an idea, culture, or human activity.
Hearth
The process of spread of a feature or trend from one place to another over time
Diffusion
The spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another.
Relocation diffusion
The spread of a feature from one place to another in a snowballing process
Expansion diffusion
The spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places
Hierarchical diffusion
The rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population
Contagious diffusion
the spread of an underlying principle, even though a characteristic itself apparently fails to diffuse
Stimulus diffusion
The arrangement of something across Earth’s surface. (clustered or dispersed)
Distribution/ Spatial Distribution
A 19th- and early 20th-century approach to the study of geography that argued that the general laws sought by human geographers could be found in the physical sciences. Geography was therefore the study of how the physical environment caused human activities. (The fate of societies and their behavior is determined almost entirely by the physical environment)
Environmental determinism
The physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment or alter their environment to suit their needs.
Possibilism
Position on Earth’s surface using the coordinate system of longitude (runs from North to South Pole) and latitude ( runs parallel to the equator).
Absolute location
Position on Earth’s surface relative to other features, also situation
Relative location
Tendency for regional connections to form and sometimes take priority over global trends. For example, trade blocs, such as the European Union, that eliminate trade barriers for regional members while often creating trade barriers against “foreign” global competitors.
Regionalization
