Chapter 10 Vocabulary: Land Use & Urbanization

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Land Cover

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The vegetation and manufactured structures that cover land.

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Land Use

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Human activities that occur on land and are directly related to the land.

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Urban Areas

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Mostly developed land covered mainly with buildings & roads that have a human population of 2,500 or more.

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Rural Areas

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Any other type of land use or land cover, sometimes referred to as "the country".

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Urbanization

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The shift of population from countryside to urban areas.

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Infrastructure

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Facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community.

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Heat Island

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An area in which the temperature is several degrees higher than that of the surrounding area.

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Sprawl

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The spread of low-density urban or suburban development outward from an urban center.

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City Planning

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The attempt to design cities so as to maximize their functionality and beauty.

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Geographic Information System (GIS)

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A computerized system for storing, manipulating, and viewing geographic data.