Flash Cards

• The envelope of gases, aerosols, and

other material that surrounds Earth and

is held close by gravity.

• The realm of Earth that includes all plant and animal (including humans) life forms. It is divided into very large biomes or ecosystems made up of specific plants and animals.

• The water realm of the Earth; including water contained in oceans, lakes, rivers, ground water, glaciers, and as vapor in the atmosphere.

• The uppermost portion of solid Earth is the lithosphere. It includes soil, land, and geologic formations.

• Characteristics that help to distinguish it from other places like climate, landforms, language, or quality of life.

• In a system where economic decisions are made by a central governmental agency or authority. Communism is one example.

• The production of manufactured goods in a market system; Industrial regions of the world are western and central Europe, east North America, Russia-Ukraine, and East Asia and all are linked and competing for commercial dominance in a world-wide economic system.

• Small-scale production of goods for sale in markets. It usually involves producing a good by hand or with low technology at home or in a small village cooperative.

• This happens by innovation and diffusion. Groups undergo a process by adopting some of the characteristics of the dominant culture (acculturation). A response to a variety of human processes including migration and proximity to other culture groups.

• Occurs when the ideas, habits, skills, arts, and institutions of one culture come in contact and interact with those of another culture.

• The process of disassociating cultures, or protecting a culture from other influences.

• The human world is composed of culture groups, each of which has its own way of life as reflected in the groups land use practices economic activities, organization and layout of settlements, attitudes toward the role of women, education systems, and observance of traditions.

• The process by which an idea or innovation is transmitted from one individual or group to another across space.

• Earth is tilted on its axis 23 ½ degrees and rotates once every 24 hours producing day and night. It revolves around the sun in a yearly movement. This combination of tilt and revolution produces seasonal variation in the amount of energy that produces global patterns of temperature and precipitation.

• A periodic, large-scale, abnormal warming of the sea surface in the low latitudes of the eastern Pacific Ocean that produces a temporary reversal of surface ocean currents and airflows disturbing normal weather patterns in many parts of the world.

• These include labor costs, energy costs, and the availability of land and resources. Factors that tend to affect the location of “high-tech” economic activities include access to universities, research centers and a pool of highly trained workers.

• Region with similar features, like the Humid Sub-tropical Region or The Corn Belt. Formal regions may be defined by population, per capita income, ethnic background, crop production, population density or temperature, rainfall or growing season.

• A region linked together by a flow of something. For example, the Chicago transit system is linked by the flow of area commuters. Some other examples of functional regions include shopping areas focused on malls or areas served by branch banks.

• Regions that reflect human feelings and attitudes about areas and are shared, subjective images of places. Dixie, Southern California, and the Upper Mid-West are spatial units although they have no precise borders.

• An integrated system of a computer, software, and procedures designed to support the collection, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling and display of spatially referenced data about Earth’s surface in order to solve geographic problems.

• When one country needs a resource or product, and another country has it, the countries may establish a trading network. Routes are determined by geography, relations with other countries, and transportation technology.

• Processes or events in the physical environment that are not caused by humans but have consequences that can be harmful, like hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes, storms, and insect infestations.

• language, religion, political systems, economic systems, population distribution, and quality of life.

• Earth include climate, landforms, soils, hydrology, vegetations, and animal life.

• Can be thought of as an original idea or invention, or can be a change that takes place within a culture that results from ideas created within the culture group.

• the scenery of a place including the physical and human characteristics.

• Countries with high levels of urbanization and industrialization that enjoy high material stands of living are referred to as developed countries. Countries with lower levels of progress and prosperity are considered less developed or underdeveloped countries.

HDI

• Type of economy where economic decisions are determined by laws of supply and demand and the market. Profit is the driving force in a market economy.

• Agriculture in a market economy responds to the forces of the market and involves off-farm sales of goods. Farmers produce crops and other foodstuffs based on what the market demands.

• Physical materials that constitute part of Earth and which people need and value. There are three basic types: air, land, and water, but anything humans value qualify

• There is an array of places, large and small across space. There are many small villages, fewer towns, still fewer small cities, and a handful of giant urban areas. This is termed a hierarchy of urban places.

• People’s viewpoints of places and regions are not uniform. Their views of particular places or regions are their interpretations of its characteristics as influenced by their own cultures and experiences

• Nature’s methods of operation that produce, maintain, or alter Earth’s physical systems. Physical processes shape the physical environment producing landforms and other features of Earth.

• a graphic way to show the age/gender composition of a population and its age/gender structure. The “structure” described the relative number of people at different ages by gender. Analyzing the population structure is a way to understand the needs of that place.

• economic activities that use natural resources directly like fishing, forestry, agriculture, and mining.

• economic activities use raw materials to produce or manufacture something new and more valuable like steel, flour, iron, plywood, or power.

• economic activities that provide services, like doctors, teachers, dry cleaners, secretaries, store clerks, truck drivers or restaurant personnel.

• economic activities in which individuals process, administer, and disseminate information like education, government, information processing and research.

• Negative home conditions that impel the decision to migrate from an area like the loss of a job, famine, war, overcrowding, or lack of professional opportunities.

• Positive attributes perceived to exist at the new location causing people to migrate like jobs, better climate, lower taxes, more room, or more professional opportunities.

• A part of the Earth’s surface that is alike or connected in some way. It is used as a tool to help organize the complexity of the Earth’s surface.

Any physical material that constitutes part of the Earth and which people need and value. Resources can be renewable (plants or animals), nonrenewable (fossil fuels), or flow (wind or water).

• Soil is the material made up of direct after it has been shaped and altered by the environment around it. Soil is produced by the erosion and decomposition of rock and the addition of minerals and rotted vegetative material.

• The level of development in a country, measured by factors such as the amount of personal income, levels of education, food consumption, life expectancy, availability of health care, ways natural resources are used, and level of technology.

• The analysis of standardized date using systematic research designs. Such data may provide evidence regarding mobility, urbanization, climate, demography, political participation and economics.

• The kind of agriculture practiced most widely around the world, especially in less developed economies. In this system, foods and other goods and services are produced by a family for their own consumption.

• Type of economic system where economy goods and services are produced by a family for their personal consumption. There is little surplus and little exchange of goods.

• A continuous urban region including several cities; for example, North America’s eastern coast.

• Land at the cities edge that is a mix of urban and rural.

• The mass movement of people from farms to cities; growth of city into surrounding countryside.

• Regions that are frequently at war like The Middle East or Kashmir and Jammu; and regions of frequent civil war, such as the Balkans, Angola, or Uganda

• A narrow passage, such as a strait, through which shipping must pass. A choke point may be an area of congestion or obstruction, or an area dominated by the country of its location.

• The measure of the output of a countries goods and services calculated on personal consumption, government expenditures, private investment, inventory growth, and trade balance.

• The process of increasing the connectivity and interdependence of the world's markets and businesses. This process has speeded up dramatically in the last two decades as technological advances make it easier for people to travel, communicate, and do business internationally.

• A place of origin of a major culture; like Mesopotamia, The Nile Valley, The Indus Valley, or Mesoamerica.

North America • Climate & Vegetation: Varied • Resources: Abundant, coal, nat. gas, minerals, fertile

soil (corn, wheat, cotton, beef, chicken, pork) • Languages: English, French • People: Many immigrates, heterogeneous,

multicultural. • Economic: Free Enterprise, all levels of econ. activity,

majority of people in tertiary, MDC, high SOL & HDI • Conflicts: Terrorism, Iraq & Afghanistan • Government: Representative Democracy • Landforms: Rockies, Appalachians, Great Plains

Latin America • Climate & Vegetation: Varied, both side of equator. • Resources: Abundant, coal, nat. gas, minerals, fertile

soil, hydroelectric power, ranching • Languages: Spanish, Portuguese, English, French • People: Catholic, mix of Europeans with native &

slaves • Economic: Free Enterprise, most newly industrialized,

some LDC (Caribbean & Central Am.)• Conflicts: Drug wars • Government: Democracy & Dictatorships (Cuba)• Landforms: Andes, Amazon Basin, Pampa, Llanos

Europe • Climate/Vegetation: Marine West Coast, North Atlantic Drift,

few forest, cut down for building & farming, S. Mediterranean – fruits, olives, etc.

• Resources: Abundant, coal, iron ore, fertile soil, • Languages: some spread from Roman Empire, English,

German, etc. • People: Varies, lots of Nationalities. Catholic (former Roman

Empire) & Protestant (north) • Economic: Free Enterprise, all levels of econ. activity, majority

of people in tertiary, MDC, high SOL & HDI • Conflicts: Terrorism – Basque in Spain, previously Northern

Ireland & Serbia/Bosnia (Yugoslavia) • Government: Representative Democracy & Constitutional

Monarchy • Landforms: Northern European Plain, North Sea,

Mediterranean Sea

Russia • Climate/Vegetation: sub arctic, tundra, very cold • Resources: Abundant, coal, iron ore, minerals,

taiga. Problem: most located in Siberia • Languages: Russian• People: Russian Orthodox • Economic: Free Enterprise was communist, was

superpower, now lower SOL & HDI • Conflicts: Chechnya, Georgia • Government: Representative Democracy • Landforms: Northern European Plain, Siberia

Arctic Ocean, Taiga

Africa• Climate & Vegetation: Varied, Equator cuts in 2. N –

Arid, Middle – Tropical, S – moderate • Resources: Abundant, diamonds, gold, oil, coal, nat.

gas, minerals, • Languages: 1000’s. Many derived from Bantu • People: N – Islam, Sub-Saharan - traditional • Economic: Free Enterprise, Lots of LDC’s, low SOL • Conflicts: Sudan, Congo, Nigeria, Rwanda (Hutus &

Tutsi) Most problems stem from colonialism. • Government: Democracy, Dictatorships • Landforms: Rainforest, Sahara, Rift Valleys • Problems: AIDS – fewer wage earners, teachers,

doctors, etc.

Southwest Asia/Middle East • Climate & Vegetation: Arid, desert. Med near sea. • Resources: Abundant petroleum • Languages: Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, Hebrew• People: Israelis/Jews, Arabs/Muslims, Turks, Kurds,

Persian/Iran. Birthplace of Judaism, Christianity & Islam

• Economic: newly industrialized• Conflicts: Israelis & Palestinians & other Arabs, US in

Afghanistan • Government: Democracy, Absolute Monarchies, &

Theocracy/Iran• Landforms: Arabian Peninsula, Persian Gulf, Strait of

Hormuz, lots of deserts, Bosporus & Dardanelles

South Asia • Climate & Vegetation: Tropical & Sub Tropical;

Monsoons • Resources: Abundant, coal, nat. gas, minerals, fertile

soil• Languages: many, Hindi, Urdu, English • People: Many tribes, birthplace Hinduism & Buddhism.

also Islam. • Economic: Free Enterprise, newly industrialized &

LDCs • Conflicts: Kashmir: India & Pakistan, Tibet: China • Government: Representative Democracy, monarchy. • Landforms: Himalayas, Ganges.

East Asia • Climate & Vegetation: similar to US • Resources: China: Abundant, coal, nat. gas, minerals,

fertile soil, people. Japan & SK: trade for resources• Languages: Chinese, Japanese, Korean. • People: Each country more homogeneous. • Economic: J & SK – Free Enterprise, all levels of

econ. activity, majority of people in tertiary, MDC, high SOL & HDI. China – newly industrialized, economic trade zones, communism.

• Conflicts: China & Taiwan • Government: Representative Democracy (SK )&

Communism (China & NK) , Constitutional Monarchy (Japan)

• Landforms: Mountains & deserts N & W, plains E. J – Mountains.

Southeast Asia • Climate & Vegetation: Tropical & sub tropical • Resources: rubber, rice, sugar cane, timber,

fishing, coconuts, cattle, pork, palm oil, tropical fruits, opium, tobacco

• Languages: varies with country • People: Buddhism & Islam (Indonesia) • Economic: Free Enterprise: Thailand, Vietnam,

Indonesia – newly industrialized, Singapore MDC. Others LDC

• Conflicts: Islamic terrorist – Indonesia• Government: Representative Democracy,

Communism (Vietnam), Monarchy (Brunei) • Landforms: Islands, peninsulas – Malay & Indochina

Australia & Oceania• Climate & Vegetation: Islands - Tropical. Australia -

arid interior. • Resources: Abundant – minerals, coal, iron ore,

ranching • Languages: English, native on islands• People: Australia – protestant, islands protestant &

traditional • Economic: A & NZ - Free Enterprise, all levels of econ.

activity, majority of people in tertiary, MDC, high SOL & HDI, islands LDC and NI

• Conflicts: A – Aboriginal people • Government: Representative Democracy • Landforms: Deserts/outback, high & low islands, atoll,

archipelago

Religions• Judaism – Jews, ethnic, Abraham, SW Asia,

monotheistic, Jerusalem, God’s chosen people• Christianity – Jesus, largest number, SW Asia,

monotheistic, Jerusalem, Jesus is the son of God & Savior of the world

• Islam – Muslims, Muhammad, SW Asia, Saudi Arabia/Jerusalem, 5 Pillars of Islam, monotheistic.

• Buddhism – South Asia/Nepal, Buddha/Siddhartha Guptma, The 4 Noble Truths & Eightfold Path, reach enlightenment, reincarnation

• Hinduism – oldest, Arayans/India, ethnic, polytheistic, reincarnation, caste system.