Core Concepts
What does human geography study?
The spatial patterns of people and their relationships with the environment.
What is a toponym?
The name given to a place.
What does political geography study?
How power is distributed across space and shapes landscapes.
What does economic geography study?
How wealth, trade, and opportunity vary across space.
What does Denali mean?
“The High One” in Athabascan.
Name two tools geographers use to collect data.
Maps, remote sensing, or field surveys.
Define region.
An area grouped by shared characteristics.
How do physical and social systems interact in geography?
They shape each other - humans modify environments and adapt to them.
Why do cultural geographers study place names?
They reflect the identity, language, and history of the people who name them.
Why was naming Denali after McKinley controversial?
McKinley had no connection to Alaska, showing external political control.
Why don’t nearby communities always benefit from local industries?
Economic power often flows to external investors.
Who named the mountain McKinley and why?
A gold prospector from Ohio, to honor the U.S. president.
What does scale describe in geography?
The relationship between a place and the larger world.
Define perceptual region.
A region based on how people think about or perceive it.
Why are names and places important in geography?
They organize knowledge, express identity, and link culture to location.
What does the concept of place mean?
The meaning and belonging that people attach to a location.
How does naming reflect power?
Groups with authority decide how space is represented and remembered.
What issues does urban geography address?
City planning, housing, transportation, and urban-rural relationships.
When did the U.S. officially restore the name Denali?
2015
Why are regions useful in geography?
They help classify and compare similar areas.
Define urban geography.
The study of cities, urban planning, and human settlement patterns.
What distinguishes human geography from physical geography?
Human geography examines social, cultural, and economic patterns across space.
How can cultural geography show diversity across space?
Through visible identity markers like language, religion, and art.
Why do governments rename places?
To assert identity, nationalism, or political legitimacy.
How can tourism reshape a region like Denali National Park?
It changes local economies and cultural dynamics based on outside demand.
What does the Uluru renaming in Australia symbolize?
Recognition of Indigenous ownership and cultural heritage.
What is the purpose of using multiple scales of analysis?
To see how local patterns connect to global systems.
Define cultural geography.
The study of identity markers such as language, religion, and art.
How does geography help explain differences between regions of the world?
It reveals spatial patterns of power, resources, and human interaction.
What happens when two cultures name the same place differently?
It shows competing claims to identity, history, and power.
How can restoring Indigenous names shift political power?
It reclaims cultural sovereignty and corrects colonial erasure.
How can geographers promote sustainable urban design?
By planning walkable, efficient, and environmentally conscious spaces.
How do these name restorations connect to global geography?
They reflect worldwide efforts to decolonize maps and restore local identity.
How do conceptual tools differ from physical tools?
They guide thinking (like “place” or “region”) instead of measuring data.
Define economic geography.
The study of how economic activity and inequality are distributed.