A loose association of states organized for the purpose of retaining cohesion, such as the former republic of the USSR
Back
charter group
Front
The first group of settlers to establish a new and lasting culture and society is an area
Back
compact state
Front
A state that is basically round in shape, such as Poland or Bhutan)
Back
carrying capacity
Front
The number of people an area can support on a sustained basis
Back
dependency ratio
Front
The ratio of people under age 15 and those 65 and older to those age 15 to 65
Back
centripetal force
Front
A strong, unifying force, such as a charismatic leader or nationalism, at work in a country
Back
acculturation
Front
The change that occurs within a culture when it adopts a practice from another culture
Back
dependency theory
Front
A theory of economic development proposed by Andre Gunder Frank based on the periphery's dependence on the core
Back
built environment
Front
The material culture of an environment
Back
backwash effect
Front
The negative impact to the peripheral region sometimes caused by increased flows of labor and capital into a nearby high-growth region
Back
biotechnology
Front
The application of scientific techniques to modify and improve plants, animals, and microorganisms to enhance their value
Back
central business district (CBD)
Front
The business area found at the center of every older central city and urban area
Back
alliance
Front
An association among countries for the purpose of mutual defense or trade
Back
crude density
Front
The number of people per unit of land (also called arithmetic density)
Back
cultural barrier
Front
hindrances to cultural diffusion that occur in a society and keep cultural traits from spreading
Back
crude birth rate (CBR)
Front
The number of babies born per 1000 people per year
Back
consequent boundary
Front
A type of subsequent boundary that is drawn to accommodate existing linguistic, cultural, or religious boundaries
Back
agricultural density
Front
The number of people living in rural areas per unit of agricultural land
Back
commodity chain
Front
A chain of activities from the manufacturing to the distribution of a product
Back
cultural landscape
Front
The unique landscape made up of all parts of a culture-both material and nonmaterial
Back
animism
Front
The belief that spirits (including ancestral) live within objects such as animals, rivers, rocks, trees, and mountains
Back
chain migration
Front
The part of a migrant flow (usually relatives and friends) that follows former migrants to an area
Back
assimilation
Front
The process in which immigrants become totally integrated into the host culture
Back
basic sector
Front
Goods and services produced for individuals outside the urban work area
Back
colonialism
Front
A system in which a country declares control over a territory or people outside its own boundaries, usually for economic purposes
Back
crude death rate (CDR)
Front
The number of deaths per 1000 people per year
Back
culture
Front
The cluster of traits that make a group of people special and unique
Back
bid rent curve
Front
The concept that the concentric circles in Burgess's concentric zone model are based on the amount people are willing to pay for land in each zone
Back
agglomeration effects
Front
The cost advantages (external economies) for an individual company gained by locating near similar industries or companies
Back
absolute location
Front
The actual space a place occupies on Earth's surface
Back
agribusiness
Front
Commercial agriculture in which large corporations own and operate various steps in the production process with an emphasis on profit
Back
demography
Front
The study of the characteristics of a human population
Back
centrifugal force
Front
A strong, divisive force, such as religious differences or a weak communication systems, at work in a country
Back
conservation agriculture
Front
A modern method of farming that balances maximum crop yield with sustainable farming methods and protection of the environment
Back
antecedent boundary
Front
A boundary placed before the cultural landscape was developed
Back
demographic transition model
Front
A model that shows the link between population growth and economic development using four or five stages of economic development
Back
density
Front
The number of an item within a unit of area
Back
creative destruction
Front
The reinvestment of funds in new, profitable ventures and regions that were once used to fund ventures and regions that are now not as profitable
Back
concentric zone model
Front
The model of urban land use developed by Burgess which demonstrates the invasion and succession processes that occur as the city grows and expands outward
Back
cultural diffusion
Front
The process in which culture is spread from one region to another
Back
artifact
Front
Tangible pieces of material culture
Back
deindustrialization
Front
The reduction in industrial activity that occurs when decreased profits and declining business cause a reduction in industrial employment
Back
culture region
Front
A portion of the Earth's surface occupied by populations sharing recognizable and distinctive cultural characteristics
Back
culture trait
Front
A single feature of a culture, such as religion or language
Back
decolonization
Front
The process by which former colonies gain their independence from the mother country
Back
central place theory
Front
A theory developed by Walter Christaller that states that cities exist for economic reasons and that people gather in cities to share goods and ideas
Back
creole
Front
A simplified mixture of two or more languages that is adopted in areas of cultural diversity
Back
congregation
Front
An ethnic group's grouping together in a specific part of the city to support each other and minimize conflicts with those in the non-ethnic group
Back
channelized migration
Front
Repetitive pattern of migration not linked to family or ethnicity (senior citizens moving to the Sun Belt)
Back
culture hearth
Front
A place where innovations and new ideas originate and spread outward (diffuse) to other regions
Back
Section 2
(50 cards)
heartland-rimland theory
Front
Halford Mackinder's theory that the country that dominated the landmass of Eurasia (heartland) would eventually rule the world (rimland)
Back
elongated state
Front
A state that is long and narrow, such as Vietnam or Chile
Back
ghetto
Front
The concentration of a certain group of residents in a certain residential area against their will through legal means or social discrimination
Back
globalization
Front
The increasing interconnection of all regions in the world through politics, communication, transportation, marketing, manufacturing, and social and cultural processes
Back
domino theory
Front
The theory prevalent during the Cold War Era that once a country became communist, its neighbors were likely to soon become communist also
Back
hierarchial diffusion
Front
The adoption of an official language by the ruler or administration, a language diffused downward into the society
Back
footloose firms
Front
Firms that produce something that requires minimal transport costs
Back
growth pole
Front
An urban center deliberately placed by a country's government to stimulate economic growth in the hinterland
Back
gerrymandering
Front
The process of redrawing territorial district boundaries to favor a certain political party
Back
first effective settlement
Front
The first group (charter group) of settlers who establish a new and lasting culture and society in an area
Back
gentrification
Front
The process of renovating an older, run-down neighborhood near the center city by middle-class and high-income families
Back
ethnic enclave
Front
A residential community where the residents either voluntarily live, or are forced to live, in a segregated (separated) fashion due to race, religion, or ethnicity
Back
developmentalism
Front
The idea that every country and region will eventually make economic progress toward a high level of mass consumption if they only compete to the best of their ability within the world economy
Back
ethnocentrism
Front
The belief that one's own ethnic group is superior to all others
Back
GMO (genetically modified organisms)
Front
An organism that is created when scientists take one or more specific genes from one organism and introduce them into another organism thus creating a new version
Back
Green Revolution
Front
The development and transfer from the developed world to the developing world, of higher-yield and fast-growing crops through new and improved technology, pesticides, and fertilizers, for the purpose of alleviating world hunger
Back
fixed cost
Front
The cost of land, plant, and machinery that is not variable
Back
folk culture
Front
A homogenous group of people with a strong family structure who follow a simple, traditional lifestyle of self-sufficiency and independence from the society's cultural mainstream
Back
environmental determinism
Front
The theory that human behavior is controlled by the physical environment
Back
gateway city
Front
A city that served as the control center for a former colonial power
Back
desertification
Front
The transformation of agricultural lands into deserts because of overgrazing and soil erosion
Back
Fordism
Front
The process (named after Henry Ford, its founder) of using assembly-line techniques and scientific management in manufacturing
Back
distance decay
Front
The principle that says migrants try to minimize the friction of distance by moving to locations closer to them rather than father away
Back
ethnic religion
Front
A religion that is part of a particular ethnic or political group (Judaism, for example)
Back
distribution
Front
The array of items on the Earth's surface. All spatial distributions have density, dispersion, and some type of pattern
Back
federal state
Front
A type of government that gives local political units such as states or provinces within a country a measure of power
Back
ethnic island
Front
A small ethnic settlement centered in the middle of a larger group of the population
Back
gross national product (GNP)
Front
The gross domestic product (GDP) plus the value of income from abroad such as earnings from a US company based abroad
Back
edge city
Front
A new urban complex that consists of a large node of office buildings and commercial operations with more workers than residents
Back
GIS
Front
The marriage of mapping software with a database for the purpose of overlaying various data layers on a basic, locational map grid
Back
doubling time
Front
The length of time it takes for a country's population to double in size if the growth rate stays the same
Back
fragmented state
Front
A state that has two or more areas of territory separated by another country
Back
export-processing zones (EPZs)
Front
Small areas of a country with exceptional investment and trading conditions that are created by its government to stimulate and attract foreign investors and business
Back
functional region
Front
A region with a node, or center hub surrounded by interconnecting linkages. Usually connections relate to trade, communication, transportation, etc.
Back
gravity model
Front
A law of spatial interaction that states that larger places attract people, ideas, and goods more strongly that smaller places
Back
host society
Front
The dominant culture group in an area receiving a minority group
Back
enclave
Front
A piece of territory completely surrounded by another territory of which it is not a part
Back
exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
Front
An expanse of water up to 200 natural nautical miles off a country's coast that is designated for that country's natural resource exploration and exploitation
Back
forward capital
Front
A capital city that is located away from the core region for economic or political reasons in a symbolic gesture
Back
MDCs
Front
Countries such as the United States, Germany, and Australia who have the highest levels of economic development
Back
exclave
Front
An outlier, or piece of a territory, that is completely enclosed within the borders of another country
Back
hinterlands
Front
The surrounding trade area of an urban area
Back
formal region
Front
A region with a high level of consistency in a certain culture of physical attribute
Back
First Agricultural Revolution
Front
The domestication of plants and animals and the resulting start of a sedentary society (also called the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution)
Back
GDP
Front
The approximate value of all final goods and services produced in a country per year
Back
dialect
Front
A speech variants of a language, which reflects the local region in which it is spoken
Back
ecumene
Front
The part of the Earth that is fit for humans to live
Back
ghetto
Front
An ethnic enclave where the residents live segregated (separated) by race, religion, or ethnicity in a voluntary or sometimes, forced, manner
Back
human capital theory of migration
Front
The migration theory that states that educated workers often migrate from poor countries to wealthy countries seeking better-paying jobs
Back
devolution
Front
The breakdown of central authority in a country
Back
Section 3
(50 cards)
commercial agriculture
Front
Large-scale agricultural production for profit using specialized methods, technologies, and genetically engineered seeds
Back
migration
Front
The movement of humans from one place to another
Back
life course theory of migration
Front
A theory that states that the interaction effects of family life course events (became married, had a child, became divorced) with migration have important repercussions on a society
Back
multiple nuclei model
Front
A model of urban land use developed by Harris and Ullman based on separated and specialized multiple nuclei
Back
multiplier effect
Front
The ratio of non-basic jobs to basic jobs that shows the effect basic job creation has on the creation of non-basic jobs
Back
mentifact
Front
Nonmaterial parts of a culture such as language, religion, artistic pursuits, folk stories, myths, etc.
Back
language family
Front
A group of languages that are related and derived from a single, earlier language
Back
Industrial Revolution
Front
The movement from homebased cottage industries to factory industries with several workers under one roof that the use of machines facilitates in England in the late 1700s
Back
long-lots system of land survey
Front
A land survey method used by French and Spanish charter groups in North America in which long lots of land extended outward from river frontage
Back
New Urbanism
Front
An urban design movement that emphasizes the pedestrian-friendly return to earlier close-knit neighborhoods and a sense of community
Back
material culture
Front
The artifacts (tangible things) of a culture such as tools, weapons, and furniture
Back
Millenium Development Goals
Front
The United Nations mandate of eight development goals designed to eliminate poverty by the year 2015
Back
Meridian
Front
A line of identical longitude
Back
nation
Front
A unified group of people with a common culture
Back
nation state
Front
A state in which over 90 percent of the population is comprised of a specific culture or group of people
Back
outsourcing
Front
The production of goods and parts abroad for sale in one's own country
Back
nationalism
Front
A strong love of, and loyalty to, one's country
Back
imperialism
Front
The use of military threat, cultural domination, and economic sanctions to gain control of a country and its resources
Back
megalopolis
Front
A group of supercities that have merged together into one large urban area
Back
longitude
Front
The distance east or west from the Prime Meridian, measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds using lines of identical longitude, called meridians
Back
innovation
Front
A new invention
Back
internally displaced person
Front
A person who is forced out of the home region due to war, political or social unrest, environmental problems, etc., but who does not cross any international boundary
Back
latitude
Front
The degrees north or south from the equator for a location on the surface of the Earth. Measured in parallels.
Back
monoculture
Front
The production of a single crop for commercial markets (corn, wheat, rice, etc.)
Back
perceptual region
Front
A region defined by feelings and prejudices that may or may not be true. A region derived from one's mental map.
Back
non basic sector
Front
Goods and services produced by urban workers for people employed within the urban area
Back
pastoralism
Front
A form of subsistence agriculture in which animals are herded in a seasonal migratory pattern
Back
model
Front
A simplified generalization of something in real life
Back
nonmaterial culture
Front
Mentifacts (language, religion, artistic purposes, folk stories, myths, etc.) and sociofacts (educational and political institutions, religious organizations, family structure, etc.) that comprise a culture
Back
land survey
Front
A method for parceling out land to its occupants (differs according to the charter group's ethnicity in the United States and Canada)
Back
localization economies
Front
The cost savings for individual industries as a result of grouping together in a certain location
Back
LDCs
Front
Countries located on the edge of the world core that are seeking improved conditions for their residents through economic growth
Back
import substitution
Front
The production of goods and services internally by the periphery country that were once supplied by the core
Back
metes-and-bounds land survey system
Front
A land survey system used in North America where natural boundaries such as rivers, trees, and large rocks were used to mark land boundaries
Back
locational interdependence theory
Front
A theory developed by Harold Hotelling that suggests that competitors in their effort to maximize sales, will try and limit each other's territory by locating close to each other in the middle of their combined customer base
Back
offshoring
Front
The practice of contracting with a third-party service provider in another country to take over or supervise part of the business operations
Back
intervening opportunity
Front
The idea that migrants will choose a location closer rather than farther if all other factors are roughly the same
Back
maquiladora
Front
A foreign-owned assembly company located in the United States-Mexico border region in order to take advantage of cheaper labor, favorable tax breaks, and lax environmental regulations
Back
megacity
Front
A metropolitan area with a total population of over 10 million people according to the United Nations
Back
intensive subsistence agriculture
Front
A form of agriculture heavily depends on heavy inputs of fertilized and human labor on a small piece of land for substantial crop yield
Back
organic farming
Front
The process of producing good naturally without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and other inputs
Back
mental map
Front
A map in one's mind
Back
pidgin
Front
A simplified language created by merging two other languages
Back
mediterranean agriculture
Front
A form of specialized agriculture in which crops grown in a Mediterranean climate of warm year-round temperatures and sunny summers (grapes, olives, figs, dates, citrus fruits, etc.) are grown
Back
lingua franca
Front
A language that is not part of the culture of the country but is one that is informally agreed upon as the language of business and trade
Back
neo-Fordism
Front
The evolution of mass production into a more responsive system geared to the nuances of mass consumption by using flexible production systems that allow production processes to shift quickly between various products
Back
monotheism
Front
A religion that worships one God
Back
least cost theory
Front
A theory, developed by Alfred Weber, that states that three main expenses-labor, transportation, and agglomeration-must be minimized when locating an industry
Back
neo-colonialism
Front
The periphery's continued exploitation by, and dependency on, the core in modern times even though they are no longer colonies
Back
irredentism
Front
The destabilizing situation that arises when an ethnic group supports and seeks to unite with its ethnic population in another country
Back
Section 4
(50 cards)
rank-size rule
Front
The rule proposed by Zipf that states that if all cities in a country are placed in order from the largest to the smallest, the second largest city would have about 1/2 the population of the largest city, the third largest city would have about 1/3 the population of the largest city, the fourth largest city about 1/4 the population of the largest city, etc.
Back
segregation
Front
The physical separation of two groups of a population (in the United States this is usually based on race)
Back
sedentary
Front
The condition where a group of humans is able to live in one location and grow crops and raise animals
Back
population momentum
Front
The propensity for a growing population to continue growing even through fertility is declining because of their young age distribution
Back
scale
Front
The degree of generalization on a map. Scale can also mean the size of a unit on a map as a ratio of its size on the map to the same units on the Earth's surface.
Back
push factor
Front
Factors such as war, high crime, or overcrowding that "push" a migrant to a new region
Back
region
Front
An area that displays a common trait such as culture, government, language, landform, etc.
Back
primary economic activity
Front
An economic activity that takes something from the ground (farming, mining, forestry, etc.)
Back
sector model
Front
The model of urban land use developed by Hoyt that shows urban growth in pie-shaped wedges, or sectors, based on transportation improvements
Back
rural to urban migration
Front
The movement of people from the countryside to the city usually in search of economic opportunities (jobs) and a better life (both "pull" factors of migration)
Back
population density
Front
The number of persons per unit of land area
Back
physiologic density
Front
The number of persons per unit of agricultural land
Back
place
Front
Another word for location
Back
replacement level
Front
The population level necessary to assure the population continues to replace itself
Back
Rostow's model of economic development
Front
A model of development for countries based on stages of economic growth and modernization. Also called modernization theory.
Back
pull factor
Front
Factors such as better job opportunities or a more pleasant climate that "pull" or attract a migrant to a new area
Back
pop culture
Front
The ever-changing cultural norms associated with a large, diverse group of people who are very influenced by mass media, mass production, and mass merchandising
Back
polyculture
Front
The production of several crops
Back
perforated state
Front
A state that totally surrounds another country, such as South Africa (which surrounds Lesotho) or Italy (which surrounds San Marino)
Back
sequent occupance
Front
The concept that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape
Back
place utility
Front
A person's satisfaction or dissatisfaction with a place
Back
shifting agriculture
Front
The form of subsistence agriculture in which crops are grown in different fields on a rotating basis
Back
primate city
Front
A city that is at least twice as large as the next largest city and more than twice as significant (not just the largest city in a country)
Back
quinary economic activities
Front
The economic activities that deal with the highest-level of decision-making in both the government and private sectors of the economy
Back
specialty farming
Front
Farming that grows crops to provide small upscale niche markets with fresh produce
Back
projection
Front
A type of map based on representing a round Earth on a flat piece of paper with the resulting inaccuracies determining the best use of the particular type
Back
Second Agricultural Revolution
Front
An agricultural revolution starting in the 17th century that increased efficiency of crop production and distribution through use of new machinery
Back
secularism
Front
The rejection of all religious beliefs and is spreading rapidly in certain areas of the world such as Europe
Back
possibilism
Front
The theory that the physical environment merely establishes limits of what is possible on the human population
Back
remote sensing
Front
The process of detecting the nature of an area from a distance
Back
polytheism
Front
A religion that worships more than one God
Back
protolanguage
Front
A reconstructed ancestral language that forms the basis for a language family
Back
race
Front
A group of people with a common biological ancestor
Back
natural increase rate
Front
the crude birth rate minus the crude death
Back
relative location
Front
The location of a place in relation to the location of other places
Back
public housing
Front
Government-constructed and regulated low-income housing in urban areas
Back
sense of place
Front
The special perception we have of a certain place based on our feelings, emotions, and associations with that place
Back
prorupt state/protruded state
Front
A state, such as Thailand or Myanmar (Burma), that is round in shape with a large extension
Back
relict boundary
Front
An old boundary between countries that is no longer used
Back
representative fraction
Front
The scale of a map represented as a ratio or fraction, such as 1:25,000
Back
rectangular land survey system
Front
A system using rectangular grid divisions to divide new land settlements after The United States won independence from England
Back
secondary economic activities
Front
Economic activities that involve the processing of raw materials into finished goods by manufacturing
Back
population pyramid
Front
A model that shows the composition of a population by age and sex. Also called an age-sex pyramid.
Back
separatism
Front
The striving to become separate from a larger group
Back
shamanism
Front
A form of tribal, or traditional, religion that reveres a particular person, the shaman, as one with special healing or magic powers
Back
placelessness
Front
The loss of a place's unique flavor and identity due to the standardizing influence of popular culture and globalization
Back
quaternary economic activities
Front
Economic activities that deal with information and knowledge processing
Back
plantation agriculture
Front
Monocropping, or planting a single crop for profit, is a specialized form of agriculture and is usually located near the former colonial markets
Back
situation
Front
The location of a place based on its relation to other places
Back
site
Front
The physical location of a place
Back
Section 5
(39 cards)
sociofacts
Front
The educational and political institutions, religious organizations, family structure, etc. that make up the nonmaterial aspects of a culture
Back
spread effects
Front
Benefits to the peripheral region that accrue because of economic development in the nearby core region
Back
tertiary economic activities
Front
Economic activities that provide services
Back
uniform region
Front
A region with a high level of consistency in a certain cultural or physical attribute (also a formal region)
Back
sustainable development
Front
The concept that it is possible to balance economic growth without jeopardizing the environment and equitable human access
Back
tipping point
Front
The point at which a critical number of minority inhabitants is reached and triggers an outmigration of charter group
Back
transculturation
Front
An equal exchange of traits or influence between two culture groups occurs
Back
taboo
Front
A potent form of cultural barrier that prevents certain habits or new ideas from establishing themselves in a society due to already-established prohibitions, customs, and rules
Back
superimposed boundary
Front
A boundary forced on a territory after existing boundaries are already in place
Back
world systems theory
Front
The theory, developed by Immanual Wallrstein, that there is only one world system in which all nation-states historically compete for capital and labor
Back
spatial diffusion
Front
The spread of something over time or space
Back
universalizing religion
Front
A religion in which anyone can become a member
Back
unitary state
Front
A state with a strong central government that retains most of the political power
Back
supernationalism
Front
The association of three or more states for mutual benefit
Back
terrorism
Front
The use of violence in a controlled and intentional way to force attention attention onto issues
Back
world city
Front
A global city that serves as an important linkage or connection point in the global economic system
Back
syncretism
Front
The birth of a new culture trait from blending two or more cultural traits
Back
space
Front
The extent of area that is occupied by something
Back
state
Front
A country, or political unit in which the Earth is divided
Back
suburbanization
Front
The movement of people from urban core areas to the surrounding outer edges of the cities
Back
subsequent boundary
Front
A boundary drawn after a cultural landscape is already in place
Back
sustainability
Front
The principle that we must meet our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs
Back
swidden agriculture
Front
The form of subsistence agriculture in which crops are grown in different fields on a rotating basis. Also called shifting agriculture or slash-and-burn agriculture
Back
supercity
Front
A very large city
Back
urbanization
Front
The rapid growth of, and migration to, large cities
Back
urban renewal
Front
The process of identifying properties in inner city neighborhoods that are then acquired, cleared of residents and structures, and handed over to private investors or public agencies for construction of parks, schools, or new housing
Back
Von Thünen's Agricultural Land-Use Model
Front
A model of agricultural land use that illustrates the relationship between the cost of land and transportation costs involved in getting a product to market
Back
transnational corporations (TNCs)
Front
Global corporations that have facilities and processes spread among several companies in a global assembly line
Back
sovereignty
Front
The internationally recognized exercise of a country's power over its people and territory
Back
vertical integration
Front
Contracts between farmer and producer in the agricultural industry
Back
urban sprawl
Front
A separate-use system of residential housing neighborhoods on the outskirts of urban areas that do not contain retail activities. Also called conventional suburban development (CSD)
Back
uneven development
Front
The huge contrast of wealthy neighborhoods and poor neighborhoods found within urban areas and the continuing uneven allocation of funds to foster this condition
Back
transhumance
Front
The constant movement of herds in a set seasonal pattern of grazing
Back
step migration
Front
The series of small moves of a migrant to reach a destination
Back
urban subsistence farming
Front
The cultivation of small city gardens for food in the cities of the developing world
Back
truck farming
Front
Commercial gardening and fruit farming in the United States
Back
zero population growth
Front
A condition is which births plus immigration equals deaths plus emigration for individual countries
Back
subsistence agriculture
Front
A form of agriculture in which everything that is produced is consumed by that population. Forms of subsistence agriculture including shifting, swidden/slash-and-burn, and intensive subsistence
Back
vernacular region
Front
A popular region that is named for the way people perceive it