Unit 1: Thinking Geographically
An exact place on Earth, often given in terms of latitude and longitude.
What is absolute location?
Dividing the total population of an area by the amount of arable land will give you this.
What is Physiological Density?
The evaluation of a culture solely by its unique standards. It requires putting aside one's own cultural criteria to understand the context behind the cultural practices of another culture.
What is Cultural Relativism?
This is the idea that the farther away you are from goods or services, the less likely you are to make use of it.
What is distance decay?
1. Every migration flow generates a return or counter-migration.
2. The majority of migrants move a short distance.
3. Migrants who move longer distances tend to choose major sources of economic activity.
4. Urban residents are often less migratory than inhabitants of rural areas.
5. Families are less likely to make international moves than young adults.
6. Most migrants are young adults.
7. Large cities/towns grow more by migration rather than RNI.
8. More long distance migrants are male.
9. More long distance migrants are single adults rather than families with children.
10. Women are more migratory within national borders than men.
This is a thematic map that uses differences in shading, coloring, or the placing of symbols within predefined areas to indicate the average values of a particular quantity in those areas.
What is a choropleth map?
A species' average population size in a particular habitat. The species population size is limited by environmental factors like adequate food, shelter, water, and mates.
What is Carrying Capacity?
Compare and contrast centripetal force and centrifugal force in relation to culture.
Centripetal force - a cultural trait that unites a group of people.
Centrifugal force - a cultural trait that sows division between the people of a country or region.
The percentage growth of a population in a year, computed as the crude birth rate minus the crude death rate.
What is the Rate of Natural Increase (RNI)?
List 10 languages that can be found within the Indo-European Language Family.
English, Spanish, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Farsi, Urdu, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Romanian, Russian, Polish, etc.
The belief that the environment, most notably its physical factors such as landforms and climate, dictates the patterns of human culture and societal development.
What is environmental determinism?
A phenomenon and theory which refers to the historical shift from high birth rates and high death rates in societies with minimal technology, education (especially of women) and economic development, to low birth rates and low death rates in societies with advanced technology, education and economic development, as well as the stages between these two scenarios.
What is the Demographic Transition Model?
Define relocation diffusion. Then list and define the three types of expansion diffusion.
Relocation diffusion - Cultural traits spread through the movement of individuals or groups.
Expansion diffusion - contagious, hierarchical, and stimulus.
Contagious diffusion - traits spread from person to person contact regardless of social class or level of power.
Hierarchical diffusion - traits jump from powerful places or people to other powerful places or people, then spread down the hierarchy.
Stimulus diffusion - Traits spread to another culture or region but are modified to adapt to the new culture.
This model suggests that as the population of a city increases, migration to the city increases, and as the distance to a city grows, migration to that city decreases.
What is the Gravity Model?
A language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different is known as a lingua franca. One of the earliest lingua francas, known as Sabir, was used amongst traders within this region of the world during the Middle Ages to the 18th century.
What is the Mediterranean?
Define functional region and give an authentic example.
An area centered on a node, focal point, or central hub surrounded by interconnecting linkages.
Authentic examples will vary.
Compare and contrast pronatalist and antinatalist policies. Then, give an authentic example of each.
Pronatalist - relating to the policy or practice of encouraging people to have children.
Antinatalist - one implemented by a government aiming to decrease the total fertility rate, as well as the crude birth rate, in order to slow the population growth.
Singapore pronatalist policies 1987~Now: Increased maternity leave to 12 weeks, government subsidized child care, government sponsored dating agencies, etc.
Singapore antinatalist policies 1972-1987: Low cost healthcare for small families, sterilization programs promoted, free education for small families, etc.
Define artifacts, sociofacts, and mentifacts. Then give an example of each.
sociofacts - structures and organizations that influence social behavior. (families, governments, educational systems, religious organizations, etc.)
mentifacts - central, enduring elements of a culture that reflect its shared values, knowledge, and belief. (religion, language, viewpoints, understanding of right and wrong).
This oldest of the three Abrahamic religions was founded some 4,000 years ago in Southwest Asia. Today, it has some 14.6 millions adherents.
What is Judaism?
On the back whiteboard, draw a cartogram depicting 2020 world population.
Contrary to the Malthusian Theory, this Danish economist argued that population growth is independent of food supply and that population increase is a cause of changes in agriculture.
On the back whiteboard, draw a population pyramid that would be indicative of countries within Stage 2 of the Demographic Transition Model.
Then, list three countries that are currently within this stage.
Potential countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bolivia, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Yemen, etc.
Answers will vary.
As of 2020, this is the approximate amount of Christians living throughout the world. (Must be within a reasonable window to receive points)
What are 2.38 billion Christians?
It was within northeastern India between the mid-sixth and mid-fourth centuries, that this man reached the level of Buddha or "Enlightened One" and Buddhism began.
Who was Siddhartha Gautama?