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hg chapter 1
Term | Definition |
---|---|
geography | the spatial study of people, place, space, and environment |
human geography | one of the two major divisions of geography; the spatial analysis of human phenomena, including population, cultures, activities, and landscapes |
globalization | processes heightening interactions, increasing interdependence, and deepening relations across country borders |
fieldwork | observations researchers make of physical and cultural landscapes with a focus on seeing similarities and differences |
patterns | description of the spatial distribution of a human or physical phenomenon (e.g., scattered or concentrated) |
physical geography | one of the two major divisions of geography; the spatial analysis of physical phenomena, including climate, environmental hazards, weather systems, animals, and topography |
spatial distribution | physical locations of geographic phenomena, usually shown on a map |
pandemic | an outbreak of a disease that spreads worldwide |
epidemic | widespread, rapid diffusion of disease among a people in a particular location or region at a particular time |
spatial perspective | looking at where things occur, why they occur where they do, and how places are interconnected |
geographic concepts | mental categories used to organize and analyze the world spatially |
location | position on Earth, including both absolute location and relative location (one of the five themes of geography) |
absolute location | precise location of a place, usually defined by latitude and longitude |
relative location | the location of a place or attribute in reference to another place or attribute |
location theory | understanding the distribution of cities, industries, services, or consumers with the goal of explaining why places are chosen as sites of production or consumption; ex: the von Thünen model |
human-environment interactions | reciprocal relationship between humans and environment (one of the five themes of geography) |
environmental determinism | set of theories that use environmental differences to explain everything from intelligence to wealth |
hearth | area or place where an idea, innovation, or technology originates |
possibilism | theory in geography that humans, not environment, shape culture |
carrying capacity | the idea that land can hold a measurable amount of plant and animal life |
cultural ecology | study of the historical interaction between humans and environment in a place, including ways humans have modified and adapted to environment |
political ecology | an approach to studying human-environment interactions in the context of political, economic, and historical conditions operating at multiple scales |
region | area of Earth identified as sharing a formal, functional, or perceptual commonality that makes it different from regions around it (one of the five themes of geography) |
formal region | area of land with common cultural or physical traits |
cultural traits | a learned belief, norm, or value passed down through generations in a culture |
functional region | area of land defined as sharing a common purpose in society |
nodes | connection point in a network, where goods and ideas flow in, out, and through the network |
perceptual/vernacular region | area of land that an individual perceives as being similar |
place | uniqueness of a location (one of the five themes of geography) |
sense of place | infusing a place with meaning as a result of experiences in a place |
perception of place | how a place is envisioned |
movement | mobility of people, goods, and services across Earth (one of the five themes of geography) |
diffusion | spread of an idea, innovation, or technology from its hearth to other people and places |
spatial interaction | degree of connectedness or contact among people or places |
distance** | a numerical measurement of how far apart objects or points are |
accessibility | ease of flow between two places |
connectivity | position of a place or area relative to others in a network |
expansion diffusion | the spread of an idea or innovation from its hearth across space without the aid of people moving |
contagious diffusion | spread of an idea or innovation from one person or place to another person or place based on proximity; specific type of expansion diffusion |
hierarchical diffusion | spread of an idea or innovation from one person or place to another person or place based on a hierarchy of connectedness; specific type of expansion diffusion |
stimulus diffusion | a process of diffusion where two cultural traits blend to create a distinct trait |
relocation diffusion | spread of an idea or innovation from its hearth by the act of people moving and taking the idea or innovation with them |
cultural landscape | the visible human imprint on the landscape |
sequent occupance | imprints left on the cultural landscape by a series of successive societies; each society contributed to the cumulative cultural landscape |
scale | geographical scope (local, national, or global) in which we analyze and understand a phenomenon |
rescale | changing the geographical scope at which a problem is addressed by engaging decision makers and gatekeepers at another scale |
context | the physical and human geographies creating the place, environment, and space in which events occur and people act |
cartography | the art and science of making maps |
reference maps | maps showing absolute location of places and geographic features |
thematic maps | a map that tells a story, typically showing the degree of some attribute or the movement of a geographic phenomenon using map symbols |
global positioning system (GPS) | satellite-based system for determining the absolute location of places or geographic features |
mental maps | maps of an area made from memory or experience by individuals or groups (also known as cognitive maps) |
activity spaces | places within the rounds of daily activity |
terra incognita | areas on maps that are not well defined because they are off limits or unknown to the map maker |
remote sensing | a method of collecting data or information through the use of instruments (e.g., satellites) that are physically distant from the area of study |
geographic information systems (GIS) | a system of computer hardware and software designed to show, analyze, and represent geographic data (data that have locations) |
culture | group of belief systems, norms, and values practiced by a people |
culture complex | group of interrelated cultural traits, such as prevailing dress codes and cooking and eating utensils |