Cultural Patterns & Processes

Key Concepts:

1. Cultural Traits

   • Definition: Elements of culture (e.g., handshake).

2. Cultural Complex

   • Definition: Group of related cultural traits.

3. Culture Hearth

   • Definition: Origin point of a culture.

4. Diffuse

   • Definition: Spread of an idea or innovation.

5. Taboos

   • Definition: Socially unacceptable behavior.

6. Folk Culture

   • Definition: Traditions practiced by small, isolated groups.

7. Popular Culture

   • Definition: Widespread traditions that change quickly.

8. Placelessness

   • Definition: Loss of unique cultural identity.

9. Cultural Landscape

   • Definition: Visible imprint of culture on the land.

10. Ethnic Enclave

    • Definition: Area with high concentration of a specific ethnicity.

11. Shinto

    • Definition: Japanese ethnic religion based on kami (spirits).

12. Ethnicity

    • Definition: Identity with a group sharing cultural traditions.

13. Nationality

    • Definition: Identity tied to the country of citizenship.

14. Centripetal Force

    • Definition: Promotes unity (e.g., flags, holidays).

15. Centrifugal Force

    • Definition: Creates division (e.g., ethnic conflict).

16. Sharia

    • Definition: Islamic legal system based on the Quran.

17. Blue Laws

    • Definition: Laws restricting activities on Sundays.

18. Fundamentalism

    • Definition: Literal interpretation of a religion.

19. Theocracies

    • Definition: Government run by religious leaders.

20. Ethnocentric

    • Definition: Judging others based on your culture.

21. Cultural Relativism

    • Definition: Understanding cultures on their own terms.

22. Cultural Appropriation

    • Definition: Borrowing culture without understanding.

23. Relocation Diffusion

    • Definition: People move and bring ideas with them.

24. Expansion Diffusion

    • Definition: Idea spreads outward, stays strong at origin.

25. Contagious Diffusion

    • Definition: Rapid, widespread spread of ideas (e.g., memes).

26. Hierarchical Diffusion

    • Definition: Spread from influential people or places.

27. Stimulus Diffusion

    • Definition: Idea spreads, but gets changed.

28. Imperialism

    • Definition: Dominating another country politically/economically.

29. Lingua Franca

    • Definition: Common language for communication between speakers of different native tongues.

30. Pidgin Language

    • Definition: Simplified mix of two languages.

31. Creole Language

    • Definition: When a pidgin becomes a native language.

32. Cultural Convergence

    • Definition: Becoming more alike.

33. Cultural Divergence

    • Definition: Staying different on purpose.

34. Ethnic Religion

    • Definition: Tied to one group/region (e.g., Judaism).

35. Universal Religion

    • Definition: Seeks converts (e.g., Christianity).

36. Sikhism

    • Definition: Monotheistic religion from India blending Hindu & Islam.

37. Acculturation

    • Definition: Minor cultural changes from interaction.

38. Assimilation

    • Definition: Minority group fully adopts dominant culture.

39. Syncretism

    • Definition: Combining two belief systems.

40. Multiculturalism

    • Definition: Presence and acceptance of diverse cultures.

Population & Migration

Key Concepts:

1. Age Cohort

   • Definition: Group of people born around the same time.

2. Agricultural Density

   • Definition: Ratio of farmers to arable land.

3. Anti-natalism

   • Definition: Policies discouraging childbirth.

4. Arithmetic Density

   • Definition: Total population divided by total land area.

5. Asylum-Seeker

   • Definition: Someone applying for protection in another country.

6. Brain Drain/Gain

   • Definition: Emigration of educated workers.

7. Carrying Capacity

   • Definition: Max population an environment can support.

8. Center of Population

   • Definition: Geographic point that describes population distribution.

9. Chain Migration

   • Definition: Migration due to family or community connections.

10. Cornucopian

    • Definition: Belief that innovation will solve resource problems.

11. Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

    • Definition: Number of births per 1,000 people.

12. Crude Death Rate (CDR)

    • Definition: Number of deaths per 1,000 people.

13. Demographic Momentum

    • Definition: Population keeps growing even after fertility declines.

14. Demographics

    • Definition: Statistical study of populations.

15. Diaspora

    • Definition: People scattered from their homeland.

16. Doubling Time

    • Definition: Time it takes for a population to double.

17. Elderly Support Ratio

    • Definition: Ratio of working-age people to older people.

18. Epidemiological Transition

    • Definition: Patterns of disease changes as countries develop.

19. Guest Worker

    • Definition: Someone who works temporarily in another country.

20. Internal Migration

    • Definition: Migration within one country.

21. Internally Displaced Person (IDP)

    • Definition: Forced to move but stays within borders.

22. International Migration

    • Definition: Migration between countries.

23. Interregional Migration

    • Definition: Movement from one region to another.

24. Intervening Obstacle/Opportunity

    • Definition: Barrier or bonus along a migration path.

25. Intraregional Migration

    • Definition: Movement inside one region (e.g., city to suburb).

26. J-Curve

    • Definition: Population grows rapidly (exponential).

27. Life Expectancy

    • Definition: Average number of years a person is expected to live.

28. Malthus, Thomas

    • Definition: Believed population would outgrow food supply.

29. Migration Selectivity

    • Definition: Some people are more likely to migrate than others.

30. Natural Disaster

    • Definition: Environmental events that impact population.

31. Naturalization

    • Definition: Legal process of becoming a citizen.

32. Neo-Malthusian

    • Definition: Worry about overpopulation and scarce resources.

33. Overpopulation

    • Definition: Population exceeds the environment’s capacity.

34. Physiological Density

    • Definition: Number of people per unit of arable land.

35. Population Aging ("Greying")

    • Definition: Rising average age of population.

36. Population Pyramid

    • Definition: Graph showing age and gender distribution.

37. Pronatalism

    • Definition: Policies encouraging births.

38. Pull Factor

    • Definition: Reasons to go somewhere.

39. Push Factor

    • Definition: Reasons to leave a place.

40. Ravenstein’s Laws

    • Definition: General patterns of migration.

41. Redistricting

    • Definition: Changing political boundaries based on population shifts.

42. Refugee

    • Definition: Person who escapes war or disaster.

43. Replacement Fertility

    • Definition: TFR needed to keep population stable (2.1).

44. S-Curve

    • Definition: Population growth stabilizes after rapid rise.

45. Sex Ratio

    • Definition: Number of males per 100 females.

46. Step Migration

    • Definition: Moving in small steps toward a final destination.

47. Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

    • Definition: Average number of children per woman.

48. Transhumance

    • Definition: Moving livestock seasonally.

49. Undocumented Migrant

    • Definition: Person living in a country without legal permission.

50. Zero Population Growth

    • Definition: Population remains stable.

Mapping & Geographic Models

Key Concepts:

1. Absolute Location

   • Definition: Precise coordinates on Earth.

2. Relative Location

   • Definition: Location in relation to other places.

3. Choropleth Map

   • Definition: Uses colors/shading to show data.

4. Dot Distribution Map

   • Definition: Dots show occurrence or frequency.

5. Isoline Map

   • Definition: Lines connect equal values.

6. Cartogram

   • Definition: Resizes areas based on data.

7. Proportional Symbol Map

   • Definition: Symbols change size with data.

8. Map Scale

   • Definition: Shows the relationship between map distance and real-world distance.

9. Projection

   • Definition: Way to show the 3D Earth on 2D maps.

10. Distance Decay

    • Definition: Interaction decreases with distance.

11. Time-Space Compression

    • Definition: Technology makes distant places feel closer.

12. GPS (Global Positioning System)

    • Definition: Pinpoints location using satellites.

13. GIS (Geographic Information System)

    • Definition: Analyzes and displays spatial data.

14. Remote Sensing

    • Definition: Getting data about Earth from far away.

15. Map Distortion

    • Definition: Shape, size, or distance can be off.

16. Mercator Projection

    • Definition: Useful for navigation, but distorts poles.

17. Robinson Projection

    • Definition: Compromise map with minimal distortion.

18. Fieldwork

    • Definition: Collecting data on location.

19. Census

    • Definition: Official count of population, typically every 10 years.

20. Qualitative Data

    • Definition: Data with qualities, not numbers.

21. Quantitative Data

    • Definition: Data with measurable values.

22. Geospatial Data

    • Definition: Data tied to places.

23. Spatial Perspective

    • Definition: Looking at patterns across space.

24. Map Types

    • Definition: Different ways to see data.

25. Formal Region

    • Definition: Everyone shares a characteristic.

26. Functional Region

    • Definition: Organized around a central point.

27. Perceptual/Vernacular Region

    • Definition: Based on feelings or opinions.

Political Geography

Key Concepts:

1. Nation

   • Definition: A group with common culture and history.

2. State

   • Definition: Political unit with borders, government, and sovereignty.

3. Nation-State

   • Definition: Country where nation and state boundaries match.

4. Multinational State

   • Definition: State with multiple ethnic groups.

5. Stateless Nation

   • Definition: A cultural group without its own state.

6. Multistate Nation

   • Definition: Nation in more than one country.

7. Sovereignty

   • Definition: Ability of a state to govern itself.

8. Self-determination

   • Definition: People’s right to choose their sovereignty.

9. Colonialism

   • Definition: One country controls another area.

10. Imperialism

    • Definition: Domination of foreign territory.

11. Devolution

    • Definition: Transfer of power from central to regional governments.

12. Balkanization

    • Definition: Fragmentation into hostile units.

13. Shatterbelt

    • Definition: Region caught between conflict.

14. Choke Point

    • Definition: Strategic narrow route.

15. Territoriality

    • Definition: Connection of people to land.

16. Boundary

    • Definition: Dividing line between political areas.

17. Antecedent Boundary

    • Definition: Drawn before major settlement.

18. Subsequent Boundary

    • Definition: Drawn after settlement, considers culture.

19. Consequent Boundary

    • Definition: Border that reflects cultural divisions.

20. Superimposed Boundary

    • Definition: Drawn by outsiders.

21. Relic Boundary

    • Definition: Old boundary still visible.

22. Geometric Boundary

    • Definition: Based on grid system.

23. Definitional Boundary Dispute

    • Definition: Disagreement about the legal terms.

24. Locational Boundary Dispute

    • Definition: Dispute about the actual location.

25. Operational Boundary Dispute

    • Definition: Disagreement on function of border.

26. Allocational Boundary Dispute

    • Definition: Conflict over natural resources near borders.

27. Territorial Sea

    • Definition: Area 12 nautical miles from shore.

28. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

    • Definition: Country controls marine resources.

29. Gerrymandering

    • Definition: Manipulating political boundaries for advantage.

30. Redistricting

    • Definition: Redrawing voting districts after a census.

31. Unitary State

    • Definition: Power concentrated in one government.

32. Federal State

    • Definition: Power divided between national and local levels.

33. Compact State

    • Definition: Small, centralized state.

34. Elongated State

    • Definition: Stretched state.

35. Fragmented State

    • Definition: Disconnected parts.

36. Prorupted State

    • Definition: Compact state with an extension.

37. Perforated State

    • Definition: Country that surrounds another.

38. Supranationalism

    • Definition: Countries cooperate politically/economically.

39. United Nations (UN)

    • Definition: International organization of nearly all states.

40. European Union (EU)

    • Definition: Political and economic union of European countries.

41. NAFTA/USMCA

    • Definition: Economic agreement between U.S., Canada, Mexico.

42. ASEAN

    • Definition: Economic and political alliance in Southeast Asia.

43. Centripetal Force

    • Definition: Brings people together.

44. Centrifugal Force

    • Definition: Pulls people apart.

45. Irredentism

    • Definition: Belief a state should control land with same culture.

46. Ethnonationalism

    • Definition: Nationalism based on ethnicity.

47. Terrorism

    • Definition: Use of violence to create political change.

48. Colonial Legacy

    • Definition: Long-term effects of colonization.

49. Cold War Politics

    • Definition: U.S. and Soviet competition shaped global alliances.

50. Heartland Theory

    • Definition: Eurasia key to power.

51. Rimland Theory

    • Definition: Control of coasts = power.

52. World-Systems Theory (Wallerstein)

    • Definition: Global inequality.

53. Dependency Theory

    • Definition: Underdevelopment due to colonial ties.