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Human Geo Unit 2
Human Geography (Gt-Ss2) (GEO 106)
Colorado Mountain College
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Time Zones: There are four major time zones in the United States (Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific). The time zones are based on Greenwich, England because at the time England was the most powerful country. There is a new time zone ever 15 degrees longitude. One degree longitude is 69 miles, so there is a new time zone every 1,035 miles. If you go east you go forwards in time. If you go west you go back in time.
Greenwich Mean Time: The time in that time zone encompassing the prime meridian, or zero degrees longitude.
International Date Line: An arc that for the most part follows 180 degrees longitude, although it deviates in several places to avoid dividing land areas. When you cross the International Date Line heading east (toward America), the clock moves back 24 hours, or one entire day. When you go west (toward Asia), the calendar moves ahead one day.
Spatial Association: The distribution of one phenomenon that is related to another phenomenon. (The reason two things are placed where they are – if they’re related they will probably be close)
Spatial Distribution: The arrangement of phenomenon across the Earth’s surface
Environmental Determinism: A nineteenth- and early twentieth- century approach to the study of geography that argued that the general laws sought by human geographers could be found in the physical sciences. Geography was therefore the study of how the physical environment caused human activities. (States the physical terrain of the world dictates how the humans survive).
Possibilism: The theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives. (States people can overcome the physical problems/features – humans conquer land instead of land conquering humans).
Distribution: The arrangement of something across Earth’s surface
Density: The frequency with which something exists within a given unit of area. Density does not tell you where something is, just strictly numbers
Arithmetic Density: The total number of people divided by the total land area
Physiological Density: The total number of people divided by all arable land (farmland)
Agricultural Density: The total number of farmers (and family) divided by all arable land
Concentration: The spread of something over a given area Concentration tells you where something is Can be clustered or dispersed
Pattern: The geometric or regular arrangement of something in a study area
Diffusion: The spreading of a feature or trend from one place to another over time
Relocation Diffusion: The spread of a feature or trend through physical movement of people from one place to another. Does not have to grow in numbers. AIDS is an example of relocation diffusion.
Expansion Diffusion: The spread of a feature or trend among people from one area to another in a snowballing process. Involves growing numbers. Hierarchical Diffusion – The spread of a feature or trend from one key person or node of authority or power to other people or places. Example- grunge music. Contagious Diffusion – The rapid, widespread diffusion of a feature or trend throughout a population. Example- influenza (flu). Stimulus Diffusion – The spread of an underlying principle or thought process, even though a specific characteristic is rejected. Examples- Apple computers/Martin Luther King Jr. (he is dead but his thought process still lives on).
Cartography: The science of map making
Toponym: A name given to a place on earth.
Scale: The relationship to a feature’s size on a map to its actual size on earth. Fractional Scale – numerical ratio 1:24, Written Scale – description in words “1 inch equals 1 mile” Graphic Scale – bar line showing distance 0 5 10 MILES Site: The physical characteristic of a place
Situation : The relative location of a place
Meridian: Lines of longitude running in the north-south direction ending at the poles
Parallel: Lines of latitude parallel to the equator
Time Zone: Greenwich Mean Time – The time at the prime meridian International Date Line – 180 degrees from Prime Meridian – 24 hours Telling time from longitude – every 15 degrees. From Prime Meridian going west loose 1 hour/15 degrees – east gain 1 hour/15 degrees
Regions: Formal (Uniform) – Everyone shared distinct characteristics Functional (Nodal) – Area organized around a focal point Vernacular – A perceptual region – beliefs and cultural identity
Spatial Association: The distribution of one phenomenon that is scientifically related to the location of another phenomenon
Human Geo Unit 2
Course: Human Geography (Gt-Ss2) (GEO 106)
University: Colorado Mountain College
