Word | Definition |
Command Economy | a type of economic system in which production of goods and services is determined by a central government, which usually owns the means of production. also called a planned economy |
GDP | Gross Domestic Product; the value of only goods and services produced within a country in a period of time |
Urbanization | the dramatic rise in the number of cities and the changes in lifestyle that result |
Monarchy | a type of government in which a ruling family headed by a king or queen holds poloitical power and may or may not share the power with citizen bodies |
Carrying capacity | is the number of organisms a piece of land can support |
population pyramid | a graphic device that shows sex and age distribution of a population |
fertility rate | average number of children a woman of childbearing years would have in her lifetime |
polytheistic | belief in many gods |
dialect | reflects changes in speech patterns related to class, region or cultural changes |
diffusion | spread of ideas, inventions or patterns of behavior |
society | a group that shares a geographic region, a sense of identity, and a culture |
metropolitan | a funtional area including a city and its surrounding suburbs and exurbs, linked economically |
GNP | Gross National Product; the total value of all goods and services produced by a country in a period of time |
Urban Geography | the study of how people use space in cities |
democracy | a type of government in which citizens hold political power either directly or through elected representatives |
push-pull factors | Push factor would be one that causes people to leave theri homelands and migrate to another region; pull factor is one that dreaws or attracts people to another location |
infant mortality rate | the number of deaths among infants under age one per thousand live births |
birthrate | the number of live births per thousand population |
monotheistic | a belief in one god |
acculturation | occurs when a society changes because it accepts or adopts an innovation |
innovation | taking existing technology and resources and creating something new to meet a need |
culture | total knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors shared by and passed on by the members of a specific group |
market economy | a type of economic system in which production of goods and services is determined by the demand from consumers; also called a demand economy of capitalism |
megalopolis | a region in which several large cities and surrounding areas grow together |
CBD | Central Business district; the core of a city, which is almost always based on commercial activity |
nation | a group of people with a common culture living in a territory and having a stron sense of unity |
communism | a system in which the government holds nearly all political power and the means of production |
population density | is the average number of people who live in a measurable area, such as a square mile |
mortality rate | or death rate; the number of deaths per thousand people |
animistic | traditional, often with a belief in divine forces in nature |
religion | a belief in asupernatural power or powers that are regarded as the creators and maintainers of the universe |
cultural hearth | the heartland or place of origin of a major culture; a site of innovation from which basic ideas, materials and technology diffuse to other cultures |
ethnic group | a specific group that shares a language, customs and a common heritage |