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geography

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the study of the physical features of Earth and its atmosphere, the spatial organization and distribution of human activities, and the complex interrelationships between people and the natural and human-made environments in which they live

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regions

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a large territory that encompasses many places, all or most of which share similar attributes in comparison with the attributes of places elsewhere

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systems

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a set of elements linked together so that changes in one element often result in changes in another

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globalization

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the increasing interconnectedness of different parts of world through common processes of economic, environmental, political and cultural change

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regionalization

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the process through which distinctive areas come into being

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phisography

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a branch of geography dealing with natural features and processes

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human geography

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deals with the spatial organization of human activity and with people's relationships with their environments

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emerging region

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an area where loosely connected locations are developing greater internal coherence

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environment and society

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how environments change and are changed by people

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history, economy and territory

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how history, economics and politics evolve over time

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culture and populations

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how peoples and cultures all around the world interact and change

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future geographies

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how contemporary regional differences and new global forces are likely to impact important real world issues in coming years

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weather

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the instantaneous or immediate state of the atmosphere

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climate

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typical conditions of the weather that is expected at a location, often measured by long-term averages of temperature and precipitation

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climate system

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interactions of air, water and the sun's energy circulating around the globe; weather and climate are the product of the climate system. A climate system consists of five major components: the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, land surface and biosphere

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anthropocene (human era)

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a term used to describe the current geological epoch in which human activity dominates the planet, beginning with the industrial revolution

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atmospheric circulation

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a global movement of air that transports heat and moisture and explains the climates of different regions

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intertropical convergence zone

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a region where air flows together and rises vertically as a result of intense solar heating at the equator, often with heavy rainfall, and shifting north and south with the seasons

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orographic precipitation

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rain or snow that falls when moisture-laden air, which has blown over warm oceans, encounters a landmass, especially coastal mountains; results in the formation of a dry rain shadow region on the inland, or lee, side of the mountains, where sinking air that has lost its moisture becomes even drier

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tropical

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Tropical climates nearest the equator are characterized by heavy rainfall and persistent warm temperatures; monsoonal climates

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arid and semiarid

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high-pressure arid and semiarid climates typically occur between 28 and 30 degrees north and south of the equator. These dry lands include deep deserts and open dry grassland. Between arid zones and wet tropics come tropical savannas, complex transition zones with distinct wet and dry seasons that span the areas between the desert edges up to the wet forests

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mediterranean

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farther north and south beyond the tropical zone, climates are greatly affected by the side of continent on which they lie. Mediterranean climates typically occur on the western sides of continents. These climates are warm due to their proximity to the equator, but they have more moderate temperatures because of their proximity to the sea

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humid and suptropical

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these climates tend to fall on the southeast side of continents in a similar range of latitudes. Because of their place on the receiving side of predominant easterlies or trade winds, they are far more wet and humid throughout the year than Mediterranean climates

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marine west coast

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farther north and south are more temperate climates. They tend to be persistently wet and somewhat colder. Due to westerly winds and oceanic currents, these are usually found on the west side of continents

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continental

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On the temperate interiors of the North American and Eurasian continents are continental climates, which can be somewhat drier and often have long cold winters

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polar and highlands

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in the extreme north and south are polar climates, which are dominated by the cold that results from their distance from the equator. In mountainous areas, the topography is complex. The climate tends to be far different than in nearby valleys. The term highland is used to designate these unpredictable zones

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global warming

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the increase in the world temperatures and change in climate associated with increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other gases resulting from human activities, such as deforestation and fossil-fuel burning

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greenhouse gases

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emissions such as methane and nitrous oxide produced by usage of fossil fuels that contribute to global climate change

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plate tectonics

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the theory that earth's crust is divided into large solid plates that move relative to each other and cause mountain building and volcanic and earthquake activity when they separate or meet

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geomorphology

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the study of landforms

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divergent plate boundaries

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an area where tectonic plates of earth's crust are pulling apart

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convergent plate boundaries

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an areas where tectonic plates of earth's crust meet and create subduction zones

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subduction zones

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an area where one tectonic plate of earth's crust moves under another

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transform plate boundaries

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an area where the tectonic plates of earth's crust are sliding past each other horizontally

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ecosystems

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a complex of living organisms, their physical environment and all their relationships in a particular place

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biodiversity

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the variety in the types and numbers of species in particular regions of the world

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deforestation

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the clearing, thinning or elimination of tree cover in historically forested areas. Most typically referring to human caused tree cover loss

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invasive species

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plants or animals from one place that hitchhike to new locations on human transport, through human-built canals, or are deliberately introduced and thrive at their destination, interacting with native species and habitats to create new ecological mixes, land covers and novel ecosystems

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sustainability

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the ability to meet current and future human needs, while simultaneously preserving precious environmental resources

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commodity chain

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a network of labor and production processes that originates in the extraction or production of raw materials and whose end results is the delivery and consumption of a finished commodity

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colonialism

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the establishment of a settlement in a place or region

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plantation economies

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an economic system typical of colonial trade made up of extensive, European-owned, operated and financed enterprises where single crops were produced by local or imported labor for a world market

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imperialism

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the extension of the power of a nation through direct or indirect control of the economic and political life of other territories

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capitalism

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a form of economic and social organization characterized by the profit motive and the control of the means of production, distribution and exchange of goods by private ownership

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industrial revolution

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the rapid development of mechanized manufacturing that gathered momentum in the early 19th century

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communism

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a form of economic and social organization characterized by the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange

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cold war

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the period between WWII and 1990 in which the US and Soviet Union established their role as global powers struggles between these two powers took place through a variety of proxy conflicts

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primary sectors

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refers to economic activity that is concerned directly with natural resources of any kind

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secondary sectors

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economic activity involving the processing, transformation, fabrication or assembly of raw materials or the reassembly, refinishing, or packaging of manufactured goods

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tertiary sectors

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activity involving the sale and exchange of goods and services

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quaternary sectors

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refers to economic activity that deals with the handling and processing of knowledge and information

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gross domestic product

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an estimate of the total value of all materials, foodstuffs, goods and services that are produced in a country in a particular year

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gross national income

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an estimate similar to GDP but including the net value of income from abroad-flows of profits or losses from overseas investments

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purchasing power parity per capita

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a measure of how much of a common "market basket" of goods and services that are not traded internationally; PPP makes it possible to compare levels of economic prosperity between countries where the price of goods might be relatively much higher or lower

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global north

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those parts of the globe experiencing the highest levels of economic development, which are typically- through by no means exclusively- found in northern latitudes

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global south

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those parts of the globe experiencing the lowest levels of economic development, which are typically- through by no means exclusively- found in southern latitudes

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human development index

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a United Nations metric based on measures of life expectancy, educational attainment and personal income

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gender-related development index

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a composite indicator of gender equality assessing the standard of living in a country that aims to show the inequalities between men and women in the following areas: long and healthy life, knowledge and a decent standard of living

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development

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the improvement in the economic well-being and standard of living of people

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neoliberalism

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an economic doctrine based on a belief in a minimalist role for the state, which assumes the desirability of free markets as the ideal condition not only for economic organization but also for social and political life

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international monetary fund

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an international organization that monitors the international financial system and provides loans to governments throughout the world

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sovereign state

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a political unit that exercises power over a territory and its people and is recognized by other states; a sovereign state's independent power is codified in international law

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nation

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a group of people often sharing common elements of culture, such as religion, language, a history or political identity

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nation-state

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the ideal form of a state, consisting of a homogeneous group of people living in the same territory

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nationalism

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the feeling of belonging to a nation as well as the belief that a nation has a natural right to determine its own affairs

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supernational organizations

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a collection of states with a common economic and/or political goal

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united nations

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a supernatural organization f0unded in 1945 aimed at facilitating cooperation in international law, security, economic development, human rights and world peace; there are currently 193 member states in the UN

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social movements

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organized political activism by groups or individuals

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nongovernmental organizations

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a formally constituted organization that is not a part of the government and are not conventional for profit business

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religion

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belief systems and practices that recognize the existence of powers higher than humankind

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language

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a method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. Language is a central aspet of cultural identity, reflecting the ways that different groups understand interpret the worled around them

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dialects

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regional variations within a language

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fundamentalism

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the belief in or strict adherence to a set of basic principles; often arises in reaction to perceived doctrinal compromises with modern social and political life

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ethnicity

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state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition; socially-created system of rules about who belongs to a particular cultural group

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race

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a problematic and illusory classification of human beings based on skin color and other physical characteristics; biologically speaking, no such thing as race exists within the human species

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racialization

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the practice of creating unequal castes where whiteness is considered the norm, despite the biological reality that no such thing as race exists within the human species

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gender

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social differences between men and women rather than the anatomical differences related to sex

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sexuality

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a set of practices and identities related to sexual acts and desires

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demographic transition

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the replacement of high birthrates and death rates by low birthrates and death rates

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birthrates

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measure of the number of births in a population, usually expressed as births per 1,000 people per year or as a percentage

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death rates

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the measure of deaths in a population expressed as either 1,000 deaths per population or as a percentage

Geography CH 1 World Regions in Global Context – Flashcards

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