place
a PLACE is a specific point on Earth, distinguished by a particular characteristic. Every place occupies a unique location, or position, on Earth’s surface.
region
a REGION is an area on earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristics.
scale
SCALE is the relationship between the portion of earth being studied and Earth as a whole
space
SPACE refers to the physical gap or interval between two objects
connection
CONNECTION refers to relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space
map
two-dimensional, or flat, scale model of Earth’s surface, or a portion of it
cartography
the science of mapmaking
global positioning system (GPS)
the system that determines the precise position of something on Earth
mental map
personal representation of a portion of Earth’s surface
geotagging
identification and storage of a piece of information by its precise latitude and longitude coordinates
geographic information science (GIScience)
analysis of data about Earth’s acquired through satellite and other electronic information technologies
geographic information system (GIS)
captures, strokes, queries, and displays the geographic data
remote sensing
the acquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting Earth or from other long-distance methods
Volunteered geographic information (VGI)
creation and dissemination of geographic data contributed voluntarily and for free by individuals
citizen science
scientific research by amateur scientists
participatory GIS (PGIS)
community-based mapping
mashup
map that overlays data from one source on top of a map provided by a mapping service, such as Google Maps, or Google Earth
map scale
refers to the relationship of a feature’s size on a map to its actual size on Earth
projection
the scientific method of transferring locations on Earth’s surface to a flat map
meridian
an arc drawn between the North and South poles
longitude
a number system according to a meridian
parallel
a circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at right angles to the meridians
latitude
The numbering system to indicate the location of a parallel
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
time at the prime meridian, is the master reference time for all points on Earth
International Date Line
when you pass this you move back 24 hours, or a while day
location
the position that something occupies on earths surface
toponym
the name given to the place on Earth
site
describing physical character of a place
situation
location of a place relative to other places
cultural landscape
a combination of cultural features such as language and religion, economic features such as agriculture and industry, and physical features such as climate and vegitation
formal region (uniform region)
area within everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics
functional region (nodal region)
area organized around a node or focal point
vernacular region (perceptual region)
an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity
culture
the body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that together constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people
spatial association
occurs within a region if the distribution of one feature is related to the distribution of another feature
globalization
a force or process that involves the entire world and results in making something worldwide in scope
transnational corporation
conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters and principle shareholders are located
distribution
the arrangement of a feature in space
concentration
the extent of a feature’s spread of space
pattern
the geometric arrangement of objects in space
poststructuralist geography
examines how powerful in a society dominate, or seek to control, less powerful groups, how the dominated groups occupy space, and the confrontations that result from the dominations
humanistic geography
a branch of human geography that emphasizes the different ways that individuals form ideas about place and give those places symbolic meaning
behavioral geography
emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychological basis for individual human actions in space
uneven development
the increasing gap in economic conditions between regions in the core and periphery that results from the globalization of the economy
assimilation
the process by which a group’s cultural features are altered to resemble those of another group
acculturation
the process of changes in culture that result from the meeting of two groups
syncretism
the combination of elements of two groups into a new cultural feature
diffusion
process by which a feature spread across space from one place to another over time
hearth
a place from which an innovation originates
relocation diffusion
the spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another
expansion diffusion
the spread of a feature from one place to another in an additive process
hierarchical diffusion
the spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places
contagious diffusion
the rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population
stimulus diffusion
spread of an underlying principle even though a characteristic itself apparently fails to diffuse
network
a chain of communication that connects places
distance decay
the farther away you are from someone, the less likely you are to interact
space-time compression
geographers apply this to describe the reduction in the time it takes for something to reach another place
resource
substance in the environment that is useful to people, economically and technological feasible to access, and socially acceptable to use
sustainability
the use of earth’s resources in ways that ensure their availability in the future
renewable resource
produced in nature more rapidly than it is consumed by humans
nonrenewable resource
produced in nature more slowly than it is consumed by humans
conservation
that sustainable use and management of earth’s resources to meet human needs such as food, medicine, and recreation
preservation
the maintenance of resources in their present condition, with as little human impact as possible
biotic
composed of living organisms
abiotic
composed of nonliving or inorganic matter
atmosphere
thin layer of gases surrounding the Earth
hydrosphere
all water on and near earth’s surface
lithosphere
earth’s crust and a portion of earth’s mantel directly below earth’s crust
biosphere
all living organisms on earth, including plants and animals, as well as microorganisms
climate
the long-term average weather condition at a particular location
ecosystem
a group of living organisms and the abiotic spheres with which they interact
ecology
the study of ecosystems
erosion
occurs when soil washed away in the rain or blows away in the wind
depletion of nutrients
nutrients are depleted when plants withdraw more resources than natural processes can replace
cultural ecology
the geographic study of human-environment relationships
environmental determinism
belief that the physical environment caused social development
possibilism
the physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment
polder
a piece of land that is created by draining water from an area