A thematic map that uses colors or shading to represent data

A thematic map that uses dots to represent a specified quantity of a spatial characteristic

A thematic map that uses symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of a variable

A thematic map that connects areas of equal value with lines

A map that shows elevation to show physical features on Earth’s surface

A thematic map where Area is distorted to show a variable

Describing distance, direction, and location in quantitative, exact, and precise terms

Describing distance, direction, and location in descriptive, qualitative, and conceptual terms

The way something is spread out over an area (where is it?)

The frequency with which a particular phenomenon occurs in an area (how much?)

the method of transferring and representing the Earth/3D object to a flat surface

Map projections will misrepresent shape, area, distance, and direction

when geographers visit a place first hand and record information gathered while there (drawing maps, taking notes, counting, interviewing)

data related to a specific point on Earth

The use of cameras or other sensors mounted on aircraft or satellites to collect digital images of the Earth’s surface

Uses a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers to determine absolute locations on Earth

Computer system that captures, stores, analyzes, and displays data from multiple digital maps or geospatial data sets

Describing a place in terms of its physical characteristics such as climate, topography, and natural resources

Describing a particular place in terms of relative characteristics

A place name that contributes to sense of place

increasing sense of accessibility and connectivity as a result of globalization and increased technology and transportation

The interaction between two places declines as the distance between the two places increases

The idea of using resources in a way that will maintain their use in the future

Changing the Earth’s surface for a specific purpose (examples: agricultural, industrial, residential)

Theory that the environment (climate, landforms, etc.) are the most powerful forces shaping human behavior and societal/cultural development

Theory that acknowledges the limitations imposed by the natural environment, but focuses on the role of human culture to modify and respond to the environment to better fit human needs

The scope or level of a phenomenon (example: local, regional, global)

A region that has some unifying physical or human characteristic

A region that Have a center of activity that directs movement or flow

An informal region that is based on a person’s perspective of a place

The pattern and spread of human settlement (where?)

The total number of people divided by the total land area

Number of people per unit of area of arable land

Ratio of the number of farmers to the amount of arable land

The population that can be supported by an area without significant environmental deterioration

Spike in the birth rate after a war or during a time of economic abundance

Proportion of males to females in a population

The total number of live births in a year for every 1,000 people alive

The average number of children a woman will have in her childbearing years

A measurement of deaths of infants under one year of age for every 1,000 live births in a year

The total number of deaths in one year per 1,000 people

the percentage by which a population grows in a year

Model used by geographers to analyze and predict trends in population growth and decline including patterns of births, deaths and natural increase rates

Theory stating that population will outpace food supply because population grows geometrically and food supply grows arithmetically

Government programs designed to increase the fertility rate and accelerate population growth

Government programs designed to decrease the fertility rate and slow down population growth

The annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to pregnancy

Migrants may move to a near place first then move farther away as they learn about new locations

The average number of years an individual can be expected to live, given current social, economic, and medical conditions

is the number of people too young (under 15) or too old (over 65) to work compared to those in productive years

Permanent or semipermanent relocation of people from one place to another

Negative situations, events, or conditions in a place where a person currently lives that causes them to want to leave

Positive situations, events, or conditions in a place that draw people to a new destination

Negative circumstances or features that hinder migration

Positive circumstances or features that hinder migration

A type of migration that is across international borders in which individuals maintain or build multiple networks of connection to their country of origin while at the same time settling in a new country

Money sent back to migrants’ country of origin

Traditional migration of nomadic herders that move their livestock according to the seasonal availability of pastures

Migration of people to a specific location because relatives or friends previously migrated there

People who temporarily migrate internationally for work, legally

An international migrant who has a well founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion

Someone who has been forced to flee their home but never crosses an international border

Someone who has fled their country and wishes to be granted refugee status

Loss of trained or educated people to emigration

The learned and shared beliefs, values, practices, behaviors, and technologies of a society

Visible and invisible attributes that combine to make up a group’s culture

Visible, physical objects created by a culture

The ways in which a society behaves and organizes institutions

The ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge of a culture

The beliefs and practices of small, homogeneous groups of people, often living in rural areas that are relatively isolated and slow to change

Judging other cultures in terms of one's own standards and often includes the belief that one’s own culture/ethnic group is better than others

An unbiased way of viewing another culture, the goal of this is to promote understanding of cultural practices that are not typically part of one’s own culture

the human imprint on the environment; visible reflection of a culture; the built environment

successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each group contributing to a cumulative cultural landscape

sense of belonging or identity within a group of people bound by common ancestry and culture; different from race which is based on physical characteristics

an ethnic concentration in a rural area; a small ethnic settlement in the middle of a larger population

small areas of cities that are inhabited by a minority cultural group

Area of the world that shares cultural traits such as language families, religious traditions, food preferences, architecture, and/or a shared history

a language designated by law to be the language of government

The area in which a unique culture or a specific trait develops 

The spread of a cultural trait by people who migrate and carry their cultural traits with them

the spread of cultural traits through direct or indirect exchange without migration

when a cultural trait continuously spreads outward from its hearth through contact among people

the spread of culture from the most interconnected places or from centers of wealth and importance  

spread of cultural traits from the least interconnected, wealthy, or powerful people/organizations outwards

When a people and culture adopt an underlying idea or process from another culture; the original trait is modified because they reject some aspect of it

a simplified mixture of two languages that has fewer grammar rules and a smaller vocabulary but is not the native language of either group

two or more separate languages have mixed and developed a more formal structure and vocabulary

an established language that comes to be spoken and understood over a large area, often used by speakers of two different languages for communication

The process of a culture restricting contact with other cultures in an attempt to retain its originality

Largest group of related languages which are connected through a common, ancient ancestry and trace back to a common hearth

Collection of languages that share a common origin from thousands of years ago

Collection of languages that share a more recent past with similar vocabularies and some overlap

boundary within which certain languages or dialects are spoken

regional variants of a standard language, often reflecting differences in vocabulary, pronunciation, and pace

A religion that has universal appeal despite ethnicity and actively seeks converts

A religion that is tied to specific location and/or ethnic group, adherents are often born into the religion and new believers are not recruited

The development of a new cultural form by the fusion of two or more distinct cultural traits

when people within one culture adopt some traits from the other culture while still maintaining major elements of their culture

When an ethnic group can no longer be distinguished from the dominant group

Cultural diversity within a society

Process where other cultures adopt cultural traits or icons for their own benefit

A political unit with a defined territory and borders, a permanent population, a sovereign government, and recognition from other states

A group of people bound together by some sense of a common identity, usually with shared cultural traits and attachment to a homeland

When the borders of the nation match the borders of the state - a state with only one nation within it

A nation of people without a state that it considers home to occupy

A nation that has their own state, but then spreads into other states, as well. Their homeland might also include parts of other states. They may have considerable influence in those other states

A country with various ethnicities and cultures within its borders

Area within a state that have a moderate degree of self-government and freedom to govern their own affairs

The dominance of one country over other nations/territories through diplomacy or force

Form of imperialism where settlements are established in the less powerful country

A state’s authority to control its territory and govern itself

The right of all people to govern themselves; often desired by a nation, ethnicity, or former colony; may result in independence movements or devolution

A meeting from 1884-1885 at which representatives of European nations agreed on rules for the colonization of Africa

The control and influence over a specific geographic space

Control by a powerful country of former colonies (or other LDCs) by economic, cultural, or political pressures

Areas where larger regional or global political or cultural divisions collide and cause conflict at a local scale

Strategic strait or canal; is narrow, hard to pass through, has competition for use

Border that is drawn over existing and accepted borders by an outside force

Borders that are drawn in areas that have been settled by people, after the cultural landscape has formed

Borders that are established before there has been major settlement by people in a territory; drawn before the cultural human landscape was there

Borders that are established on straight lines, usually of latitude and longitude, instead of physical or cultural boundaries

A part of a country that is separated from the rest of the country and surrounded by foreign territory

An enclosed territory that is culturally distinct from the foreign territory that surrounds it

International treaty which was adopted and signed in 1982 defining maritime boundaries, including territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone

Process in which U.S. House of Representative seats are re-allocated to different states, based off of population change as measured by the census

Local geographic area in which one votes for representatives to Congress

States redraw internal political boundaries / create voting districts to reflect new census data

When the political party that controls the state legislature draws political district boundaries to maintain or extend their political power

A style of government in which the power is located centrally and the purpose of regional or local units is to carry out policy

A style of government in which power is shared between central, regional, and local governments

Process when regions within a state demand and possibly gain political strength and growing autonomy at the expense of the central government

When devolution in the form of making new states turns violent

Removing an ethnic group from a geographic area through mass murder, expulsion, and/or imprisonment

Organized violence aimed at government and civilian targets intended to create fear in order to accomplish political aims

Movement to take territory of other states due to cultural links with the people there; an attempt to reunite multistate nations

An alliance of three or more states that work together in pursuit of common goals

A state that is unable to perform the basic functions of a state like protecting its territory, maintaining its boundaries, or providing services to people

Specialized crops grown mostly in Spain, France, Greece, North Africa, California, South Africa, Chile, Australia

Fruits, nuts, vegetables, heirloom varieties of crops or animal breeds, regional foods, culinary herbs and/or spices, and medicinal and/or decorative plants

Requires large amounts of labor and capital in relation to the area of land; High yield per acre

Requires small amounts of labor and capital in relation to the area of land; Low yield per acre

Rural survey method that uses physical features to delineate property lines, found in Britain, Western Europe and Eastern USA

Rural survey method that uses a grid system, implemented by township range system, common in the USA

Rural survey method that uses strips of land that start at a river or lake with the intention of providing all landowners with equal access to the resources, common in prominent in French and Canadian Maritime areas

The beginning of deliberate domestication and harvesting of plants and animals, about 10,000 years ago

The exchange of goods and ideas between North America, Africa, and Europe initiated by Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the Americas in 1492: resulted in the diffusion of plants, animals, and diseases

Starting in Britain in the 1750s, used technology provided by the Industrial Revolution to increase production and distribution of agricultural products

Series of laws enacted by the British government that enabled landowners to purchase and enclose land for their own use which had previously been communal land; leads to commercial agriculture and larger farms

Rapid diffusion of new agricultural technology characterized by hybridization, genetic modification, and the use of chemicals; started in the USA in the mid-20^th century

Plants are bred to have superior characteristics like resistance to insects and short growing seasons, led to increased yields during the Green Revolution

Agriculture undertaken primarily to generate products for sale off the farm

Crops and livestock are grown to feed the farmer, family & community

Extensive subsistence agriculture in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia; Farmers move from one field to another; aka slash-and-burn agriculture

Extensive subsistence agriculture in Northern Africa, Southwest Asia, Central Asia, East Asia; livestock is moved to different pastures

Extensive commercial agriculture in Western North America, Southeastern South America, Central Asia, Australia, South Africa where livestock are raised and sent to feedlots for slaughter

Intensive commercial agriculture in Southeastern US, California, Southeastern Australia where fruits and vegetables are grown; relies heavily on migrant labor

Intensive commercial agriculture that takes place in LDCs but products are transported for sale in a global market; Commodity & specialty crops such as cacao, coffee, and sugarcane

The large-scale system that includes the production, processing, and distribution, financial funding and research of agricultural products and equipment

Complex network that connects places of production with distribution to consumers; seen with large corporate farms that produce, process, and distribute the products

Small-scale farmers often lose their land or sell it to large corporations or plantation owners; the number of farms has decreased while the size of farms has increased

A proportionate savings in cost caused by an increased level of production; Large scale farming is cost effective due to lower bulk prices for farming supplies and technologies

Model explaining the spatial arrangement of commercial agriculture based on transportation costs as the most important factor

Products like coffee, tea, and sugar that are produced in LDCs and sold in MDCs; creates a dependence on export commodities and leads to economic and environmental issues in LDCs

Environmental consequence of some agriculture, previously fertile lands become arid and unusable for farming

Buildup of salts in the soil caused by overwatering

Typically practiced by subsistence farmers in  mountainous areas; Steps are built into the sides of hills and mountain sides in order to cultivate water-intensive crops like rice

The destruction of forest or forested areas by human or natural means; consequence of clearing land for agricultural practices

Cultivation of one crop; Allows for specialization and maximizes efficiency, leads to higher yields; Can strip nutrients from the soil, decrease biodiversity or put small farmers out of business

Farm-raising fish; led to the production of just a few species of fish

Farmers sell “shares” of their crops and products to local consumers; Forms local bonds between farmers and consumers; promotes economic and environmental sustainability

Geographic areas with limited access to affordable, healthy food options due to lack of supermarkets

unrestricted growth in urban areas of housing, commercial development, and roads over large expanses of land

movement of upper/middle class people from urban core areas to the surrounding outskirts

rapidly growing suburban cities that represent a new metropolitan form

rings of prosperous communities beyond the suburbs

economic center on the fringe of a city with an extensive amount of office and retail space, typically near a major road

cities on the top of the urban hierarchy that drive globalization and have global influence in economics, politics, and culture

small settlement in a rural area with few services, if any; often don’t have a local government or official boundaries

urban settlement that has dozens of services, more specialized (still not urban), usually rural, but more variety of jobs and amenities than a hamlet

urban settlement that has a larger population, has a downtown and a hinterland/surrounding area/market area; more services and specialization than a village

large city AND its surrounding urban area

metropolitan area with population of 10 million or more

city that has population of 20 million or more

a chain of roughly adjacent metropolitan areas; common in MDCs where wealth is more widely distributed; not one giant city but sometimes there isn’t a break in the urban landscape between them

leading city in its country or region, disproportionately larger (at least 2x larger) than other cities in the urban hierarchy in that area

statistical relationship between the largest city and the next largest city based on population

a place that sells services, are surrounded by market areas (maximum distance people are willing to travel for a good or service), measured by the range

economic and commercial (and sometimes geographic) heart of a city aka downtown

a theory explaining how land value goes down the farther away it is from the CBD

use of existing space within a city or suburban area; or further construction within city/reuse of vacant buildings

land surrounding urban areas that are designated to remain undeveloped or retain as agricultural land; used to prevent urban sprawl

one ethnic group is convinced to sell their homes at a low price in the fear that another ethnic group is moving into the neighborhood

banks refused loans to those who want to purchase homes in certain urban areas

individuals and companies buy up and rehabilitate houses, raising the housing value of the neighborhood and attract higher income residents; lower income residents are evicted because they can’t afford the higher rent

a residential area (usually in the semiperiphery) that has developed without legal claims to the land

boundaries that attempt to limit urban sprawl in order to protect wildlife habitats

a set of changes in technology that dramatically increased manufacturing productivity; reshaped how people worked, behaved, where they lived, and how they related to each other spatially

a disaggregated production process with economic sectors and commodity chains distributed across the globe

a theory that attempts to predict the location of a manufacturing site based on the relative location of the resources and the market

a location where transfer is possible from one mode of transportation to another

an industry where the cost of making the product is not impacted by transportation

products are less heavy than their inputs; companies try to locate processing plants near the source of raw materials; Examples – copper and steel

products are heaviest when finished; companies try to locate factories near the market; Examples – soda and beer

total value of officially recorded goods and services by the citizens and corporations within a country’s borders in a given year

total value of goods and services by the citizens and corporations of a country as well as foreign investments in a given year

most accurate measure of wealth, because it accounts for the impacts of trade

a measurement of development used to compare countries that combines one economic indicator, two social indicators, and one demographic indicator

measures gender inequality by looking at reproductive health, empowerment, and labor market participation

the differences in the privileges afforded to males and females in a culture

these programs provide small loans to start or expand a business to entrepreneurs who would not normally qualify for credit from traditional sources

economically and politically dominant countries; Examples – US, UK, Japan

“middle Income” countries in the process of industrialization; Examples – Brazil, India, Mexico

countries with less wealth, lower levels of education; export natural resources; often former colonies; Examples – Peru, Kenya, Afghanistan

the idea that resources flow from poor and underdeveloped states (the periphery) to the wealthy states (the core)

have facilities and processes spread among several countries (global assembly line)

a country produces something they have an advantage in

parties tend to trade goods or services in which each group has a comparative advantage in producing

trade policies that seek to lower trade barriers within regions and across the globe

moving jobs to an area outside of where the company is located

shifts in the spatial distribution of manufacturing; produces deindustrialization and industrial intensification

spaces within a country where special regulations (investment and trading conditions) benefit foreign-controlled businesses

foreign-owned assembly companies located in Mexico at the US border region

businesses seek to maximize profit by substituting one factor of production for another

describes flexible production systems that allow production processes to be shifted quickly from production of one product to another with very little "downtime" in the assembly line; components are often delivered to factories "just in time" to be used so that parts inventories are minimal

a term for the potential of a job to produce additional jobs

sites of deindustrialization, creates a landscape of abandoned factories

any economic development that serves the current needs of people without making it harder for people in the future to live well

tourism based in natural environments; attempts to protect local ecosystems and to educate visitors about them; Examples – Costa Rica, Botswana, Australia