Unit 1
What is a site?
a place’s absolute location, as well as its physical characteristics, such as the landforms, climate, and resources
What is human migration?
the permanent movement of people from one place to another
What is a mentifact?
a central, enduring element of a culture that reflects its shared ideas, values, knowledge, and beliefs
What is autonomous?
having the authority to govern territories independently of the national government; for example, by having a separate currency
What is agriculture?
the purposeful cultivation of plants or raising of animals to produce goods for survival
What is spatial perspective?
geographic perspective that focuses on how people live on Earth, how they organize themselves, and why the events of human societies occur where they do
What is dependency ratio?
the number of people in a dependent age group (under age 15 or age 65 and older) divided by the number of people in the working-age group (age 15 to 64), multiplied by 100
What is an adherent?
a person who is loyal to a belief, religion, or organization
What is neocolonialism?
the use of economic, political, cultural, or other pressures to control or influence other countries, especially former dependencies
What is bid rent theory?
a theory that describes the relationships between land value, commercial location, and transportation (primarily in urban areas) using a bid-rent gradient, or slope; used to describe how land costs are determined
What is census?
an official count of the number of people in a defined area, such as a state
What is rate of natural increase (RNI)?
rate at which a population grows as the result of the difference between the crude birth rate and the crude death rate
What is acculturation?
the process by which people within one culture adopt some of the traits of another while still retaining their own distinct culture
What is devolution?
the process that occurs when the central power in a state is broken up among regional authorities within its borders
What is market gardening?
a type of farming that produces fruits, vegetables, and flowers and typically serves a specific market or urban area
What is world system theory?
theory describing the spatial and functional relationships between countries in the world economy; categorizes countries as part of a hierarchy consisting of the core, periphery, and semi-periphery
What is a epidemiological transition model (ETM)?
a model that describes changes in fertility, mortality, life expectancy, and population age distribution, largely as the result of changes in causes of death
What is a dialect?
a variation of a standard language specific to a general area, with differences in pronunciation, degree of rapidity in speech, word choice, and spelling
What is reapportionment?
the redistribution of representative seats among states based on shifts in population
What is transhumance?
the movement of herds between pastures at cooler, higher elevations during the summer months and lower elevations during the winter
What is geographic information systems (GIS)?
a computer system that allows for the collection, organization, and display of geographic data for analysis
What is neo-malthusian theory?
describing the theory related to the idea that population growth is unsustainable and that the future population cannot be supported by Earth's resources
What is creolization?
the blending of two or more languages that may not include the features of either original language
What is gerrymandering?
the dividing of legislative boundaries to give one political party an advantage in elections
What is an enclosure system?
a system in which communal lands were replaced by farms owned by individuals, and use of the land was restricted to the owner or tenants who rented the land from the owner