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Human Geo Key Terms
Hum. Geo. Review Key Terms- Nov. 9, 2012
Question | Answer |
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Demography | Study of population numbers, distribution, trends, and issues |
Census | Process of collecting, compiling, and publishing demographic, economic, and social data about all people living in a particular area |
Developed Country | a country with a highly developed economy and infrastructure and high living standards |
Developing Country | a country with a less sophisticated economy and lower standard of living than developed countries; may have extensive poverty |
birth rate | number of births per 1000 people in a country in a given year |
death rate | the number of deaths per 1000 people in a country in a given year |
demographic transition model | a model that shows changes in a population's birth and death rates and growth based on technological development |
industrialization | the overall change in a society from farm production and craftsmanship to mechanized manufacturing production |
urbanization | the move of people from farms to cities where jobs are available |
mortality | deaths in a population |
immigration rate | number of new arrivals in a country in a given year per 1000 people |
emigration rate | the number of people leaving a country in a given year per 1000 people |
natural increase (NI) | the rate at which a population increases (or decreases) in a year expressed as a percentage of the total population; calculated by subtracting the death rate from the birth rate |
Exponential rate | a rapid rate of population growth as each generation doubles in size |
Rule of 70 | the time it takes a country to double its population, approximately 70 divided by the country's growth rate |
doubling time | the number of years it takes a country to double its population at its current growth rate |
net migration | the difference between the number of people immigrating to a country and the number of people emigrating |
migrant | a person who moves from one region to another |
Life expectancy | the average number of years an individual is expected to live |
Family planning | the concept of limiting the size of families |
Rhythm method | a method of birth control in which a couple does not have intercourse during the time when a woman is likely to ovulate |
Sterilization | a procedure by which a person's ability to reproduce is destroyed |
Vasectomy | a form of male sterilization in which the tube carrying sperm from each testis is cut and tied |
Coercion | the use of force |
Contraception | birth control |
Total Fertility Rate | the average number of children born over the lifetime of a typical woman in a particular country |
One-child policy | a policy adopted by China to control population growth |
Infanticide | the act of killing an infant |
Gender selection | the choice of whether to keep a fetus based on its gender |
Nutritional Density | a measure of how much nutrition in calories can be produced from a certain area; an area with fertile soil and adequate temperatures and precipitation will have a higher nutritional density than an area such as Canada's North |
Population Growth Rate | the rate at which a country's population increases or decreases;calculated by adding natural increase and net migration |
Dependency Ratio | the proportion of the population (children and those over 65 years of age) that is being supported by the working age group |
Dependency Load | the percentage of a population that is younger than 15 or older than 64 years of age |
Population Distribution | the pattern of where people live in an area |
Ecumene | the populated area of the world |
Population Density | the number of people living in a given area; calculated by diving the population by its area |
Population Pyramid | A bar graph that shows male and female populations back to back at age intervals of five years |
Age Cohort | an age group in a population, for example, the number of people between the ages of 10 and 14 |
Neo-Malthusians | people who share Malthus' pessimistic views regarding population growth |
Carrying Capacity | the maximum number of people that can be sustained by an environment |
Ecological Footprint | the impact of humans on the environment |
Cornucopians | people who have optimistic views on population growth due to advances in science and technology |
Demographic Regulation | the theory that population growth will level off as living standards improve |
Infrastructure | structures such as roads, railways, power grids, and communications links that are basic to the functioning of a modern economy, as well as buildings such as schools and hospitals |
Newly Industrialized Countries | countries that are experiencing rapid economic and industrial growth; many are switching from agricultural to industrial economies |
heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs) | countries at the low end of the UN human development index that are in debt to developed nations |
Human Development Index | the UN's index is used to rank standards of living in its member countries |
standard of living | a measure comparing how well people live in different countries based on three indicators; life expectancy, literacy rate, and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita |
literacy rate | the percentage of a population that is able to read and write |
GDP per capita | gross domestic product, or the total value of all goods and services produced in a country in one year, divided by the population |
non-governmental organizations(NGOs) | non-profit local, national, or international groups that work independently of government on issues such as health, the environment, or human rights |
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) | eight goals developed by the member states of the UN to close the gap in living standards between developed and developing countries |
Globalization | the spread of ideas, information, and culture around the world through advances in communication, technology, and travel |
Multinational Corporations (MNCs) | Companies that do business in more than one country |
World Bank | an international group of five financial institutions that provide financial and technical help to developing countries |
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) | originally created as the organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) to administer the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after the Second World War; OECD's mission is to improve living standards in developing countries |
bilateral aid | assistance from one country to another |
subsistence farming | a form of farming in which the crops grown are used to feed the farmer and his or her family, with little or nothing left over to sell or trade |
desertification | the spread of desert-like conditions in an area, sometimes cause by human activity |
ethnic cleansing | the elimination of one ethnic group from an area by another ethnic group |
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) | a UN organization that helps build peace, fight poverty, and promote sustainable development through education, the sciences culture, communication, and information |
foreign aid | aid from rich, industrialized countries to poorer, developing countries |
official development assistance (ODA) | aid given to developing countries through official government programs to promote economic development and the welfare of the people |
multilateral aid | aid delivered through international organizations such as the UN and the World Bank |
Tied Aid | aid given to a foreign country with conditions attached |
International Monetary Fund (IMF) | an international organization designed to promote economic stability and development |
megaproject | a very large-scale, costly project to help develop infrastructure, such as building roads, dams, or irrigation systems |
commodities | goods or services that are bought or sold |
structural adjustment programs (SAPs) | programs designed by the World Bank and IMF to adjust the economies of developing countries as a condition of receiving loans |
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) | a UN organization that works to protect children's rights, to make sure the basic needs of children are met and to help children reach their full potential; originally called United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund |
Bonded Labour | (debt bondage) paying off a loan with labour rather than money; bonded labourers often work for very little pay and their labour is worht more than the original debt |
subsidies | grants from the government, intended to help people |
world health organization (WHO) | a UN agency that coordinates international health activities and helps governments improve health services |
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) | Canada's leading development agency for assistance to the developing world |
Sustainable Development | a way to maintain economic growth without damaging the environment |
Earth Summit | a meeting of world leaders, held in rio de janeiro, brazil, in 1992, to discuss environmental changes and sustainable development |
agenda 21 | a statement of environmental action, produced at the 1992 earth summit, that outlines actions that should be taken to protect the planet and achieve sustainable development |
herbicides | substances used to kill plants |
pesticides | substances used to kill pests such as unwanted plants and animals |
organic | grown or produced without chemical fertilizers or pesticides |
Co2 Emissions | carbon dioxide emissions caused by burning of fossil fuels; largest contributor to global warming |
biodiversity | having a variety of life forms |
ecotourism | tourism to threatened areas that tries to be low-impact and small-scale |
biosphere | regions of earth occupied by living organisms, made up of all the ecozones |
stewardship | careful management of resources to ensure that they are sustainable |
permafrost | subsoil that remains frozen all year long |
carrying capacity | the largest population that an environment can support |
deforestation | the process of destroying a forest and replacing it with something else |
Global Warming | the observed and projected increase in the earth's average temperature due to burning of fossil fuels and deforestation |
ecology | the science concerned with the relationship between living things and their environment |
Acid Precipitation | any form of precipitation that is high in sulfuric and nitric acids as a result of pollution in the air |
Protected Areas Strategy (PAS) | a plan to preserve approximately 12 percent of B.C.'s provincial land for parks, recreation, and wilderness |
watersheds | river basins drained by a river and flowing into the same large body of water |
groundwater | water beneath Earth's surface in underground streams and other forms |
surface water | water that is readily available on Earth's surface in streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and oceans |
Wastewater | water that has been used in homes or industries and, as a result, contains waste products |
watermilfoil weed | a plant that grows and spreads quickly, choking out native plants, affecting spawning areas for fish, and posing a safety problem if it grows around public beaches |
Aquifer | an underground layer of rock, gravel, etc., from which water can be drawn for wells and which is a source of springs |
Peatlands | wetlands with soil formed mostly from decomposing plants |
greenhouse effect | greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere causing earth's temperature to rise |
Kyoto Protocol | an international agreement that sets binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions; the average target is 5 percent of 1990 levels by 2008-2012 |
carbon credit | if an organization produces more greenhouse gases than it is allowed, it can purchase a credit from an organization that is below its target emission levels |
carbon footprint | the total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted over the full life cycle of a produce or service |
troposphere | the lowest level of Earth's atmosphere |
ozone layer | A layer in the earth's stratosphere at an altitude of about 10 km (6.2 miles) containing a high concentration of ozone, which absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth from the sun |
Aerosols | A substance enclosed under pressure and able to be released as a fine spray, typically by means of a propellant gas |
Alternative Energy Sources | Energy sources different from those in widespread use at the moment (which are referred to as conventional). Alternative energy usually includes solar, wind, wave, tidal, hydroelectric and geothermal energy |
Sustainable energy | energy produced both from renewable resources or by use of clean production technology |
Bali Road map | two-year process to finalizing a binding agreement in 2009 in Copenhagen |
Copenhagen 2009 | The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit, was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 and 18 December. |
Anthropogenic (human) | (chiefly of environmental pollution and pollutants) Originating in human activity -anthropogenic emissions of sulfur dioxide |