Geo Basics
What language does the word 'geography' come from, and what does it literally mean?
Geography comes from the Greek roots 'geo' (Earth) and 'graphy' (to write or describe), literally meaning 'Earth writing'.
What is the science and art of mapmaking called?
Cartography is the science and practice of crafting maps.
What feature on a map explains the symbols, icons, shading, and colors used?
The Map Legend (Key) decodes and explains all symbols and color codes.
What are tectonic plates?
Tectonic plates are giant, rigid pieces of Earth's lithosphere that move over molten asthenosphere below.
What is cultural diffusion?
Cultural diffusion is the movement and spread of cultural elements across space and between groups.
Geographers study both the ___________ characteristics of Earth and the ___________ activities of people.
Geography bridges physical characteristics (landforms, climate) and human activities (population, culture, urbanization).
Which type of map specifically shows countries, national boundaries, and capital cities?
Political maps show human-made political borders, nations, states, and major urban centers.
What symbol on a map displays cardinal directions such as North, South, East, and West?
A Compass Rose indicates directional orientation on a map.
Who proposed the theory of Continental Drift, and what did it state?
Alfred Wegener proposed Continental Drift in 1912, arguing all continents were once connected in supercontinent Pangaea.
A viral video or internet trend spreading rapidly to millions of people regardless of social class or location is an example of:
Contagious diffusion spreads rapidly and widespread, outward from a hearth to neighboring contacts like an epidemic.
What is the key difference between Physical Geography and Human Geography?
Physical geography focuses on natural landforms, weather, oceans, and soils.
Humangeography studies human societies, cultures, settlements, and environmental interaction.
Which lines run East-West across a map and measure distances North or South of the Equator?
Latitude lines (parallels) circle the Earth horizontally East to West, measuring degrees North or South from the Equator (0°).
A map focused on a single specific topic, such as population density or climate zones, is called a:
Thematic maps illustrate specific topics, data themes, or attributes (e.g. income, precipitation).
Which type of map is best suited for identifying landforms like mountains, valleys, and rivers?
Physical maps depict natural land features, elevation variations, rivers, and mountain ranges.
Immigrants moving to a new city and establishing neighborhood hubs like 'Little Italy' or 'Chinatown' is an example of:
Relocation diffusion occurs when people physically move (migrate) to a new area and bring cultural traits with them.
Which Theme of Geography describes how people adapt to, depend on, and change their environment?
Human-Environment Interaction (HEI) focuses on how humans modify (building dams), adapt to (wearing heavy coats), and depend on (farming) the environment.
Which lines run North-South from pole to pole and measure distances East or West of the Prime Meridian?
Longitude lines (Meridians) stretch vertically North to South, measuring degrees East or West of the Prime Meridian in Greenwich (0°).
What does GPS stand for, and what is its primary use?
GPS stands for Global Positioning System, using satellite networks to determine precise location and directions.
How do weather/temperature and climate differ?
Weather is day-to-day atmospheric conditions.
Climate is the long-term statistical pattern over decades.
A global fast-food chain opens in India but replaces beef burgers with veggie/chicken burgers to respect local customs. This is an example of:
Stimulus diffusion occurs when an underlying concept/idea spreads, but is modified or adapted to fit the local cultural setting.
What is culture, and which set of examples best represents it?
A. Natural physical features like rivers and mountains
B. A society's shared beliefs, customs, laws, traditions, history
C. Only music and painting
D. The movement of continents
Culture includes all learned human behaviors, language, religion, food, arts, social habits, and values shared by a group of people.
Together, intersecting latitude and longitude coordinates provide what type of location?
An exact coordinate pair (e.g. 40°N, 74°W) pinpoints an exact spot on Earth, giving its Absolute Location.
What does GIS stand for, and what is its primary function?
GIS (Geographic Information Systems) uses computer software to layer, map, analyze, and visualize spatial data.
Which of the following is a primary cause for different climate zones across Earth? (at least 3)
Latitude, elevation, ocean currents, wind patterns, and distance from large water bodies combine to create distinct climate zones.
When a high-fashion trend starts in major world cities (Paris, New York) and then trickles down to smaller cities, it represents:
Hierarchical diffusion flows top-down through an established hierarchy of prominent nodes or leaders.