GEO 115 - EXAM 1

A functional region is defined in terms of the relationship between a (usually urban) node and a....?

(One where a certain activity or cluster of activities takes place) "America's Corn Belt" fits because it forms a region where a specific economic activity dominates

About what percentage of the U.S. population lives in poverty?

12.3% (or 13.9%)

What is an individual who relocates to a locality that is less vulnerable to global warming?

A climate refugee

Define the Demographic Transition.

A four-stage scheme that explains different rates of population growth over time through differing birth and death rates

What is an ethnic religion?

A religion closely identified with a specific ethnic or tribal group, often to the point of assuming the role of the major defining characteristics of that group. Normally, do not actively seek new converts (Judaism)

What is a universalizing religion(s)?

A religion that attempts to appeal to all people regardless of location or culture (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism)

What world regions are MOST likely to suffer food shortages?

Africa and South Asia

Ninety percent of the world's population growth occurs in which part of the world?

Africa, South and East Asia, and Latin America

What is a stateless nation?

An ethnic group or nation that does not possess its own state and is not the majority population in any nation state (Palestine, Kurdistan, and Saami)

Tropical forests are not well-suited for intensive agriculture because...?

Available nutrients are stored in tropical forest vegetation, so when the ground cover and trees are removed, the nutrients are removed, too

An assemblage of local plants, animals, and insects covering a large area such as a tropical rainforest or a grassland is called a...?

Bioregion

Latitude, one element of the grid system used for absolute location, includes...?

Called parallels, run east-west around globe. (Used to locate places North & South of equator)

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

Canada is slightly larger in land area than the United States, but its population is only about 10% that of the United States

What substance accounts for more than half of the human-generated greenhouse gases?

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

What is the grid system we use to determine absolute location?

Coordinate system providing every place on Earth with a specific numerical address based upon latitude and longitude (mathematical location)

The blending of popular culture with local cultural traditions is known as...?

Cultural syncretism/ hybridization

What is the process of a colony's gaining (or regaining) control over its territory and establishing a separate, independent government?

Decolonization

In what world region is Swahili a lingua franca?

East African

What do we call the situation in which new suburbs emerge that include a mix of peripheral retailing, industrial parks, office complexes, and entertainment facilities?

Edge city

What term is used in the book to describe a group of people who share a common culture, language, and political identity?

Ethnic group

Which term refers to the situation in which a group of people with a common background and history identify with one another?

Ethnicity

What happened to the more than 4 million Native American populations after the arrival of Europeans?

European diseases and disruptions reduced their numbers by more than 90%

Why are wheat, cattle, and horses common sights in North America today?

Europeans deliberately brought them to the region during their 400 years in North America

What is the major trend in agriculture in North America in recent years?

Fewer farms (larger in size); Mechanization (results in rural to urban migration)

This process involves the displacement of lower-income residents of central-city neighborhoods with higher-income residents, the rehabilitation of deteriorated inner-city landscapes, and the construction of new shopping complexes, entertainment centers, or convention centers.

Gentrification

Which of the following is NOT a reason why U.S. citizens have migrated to the Sunbelt South?

Government incentives

Anthropogenic emissions are caused by...?

Human activities that emit greenhouse gases to the atmosphere

The simple definition of a perceptual (vernacular) region explains that it is a region because...?

Informal and cognitive; imprecise boundaries; spatial stereotypes used by humans to characterize an area generally (The Village in Manhattan, The Hill in Washington DC, Watts in Los Angeles, etc.)

What are characteristics of culture?

Learned and shared behavior by a group of people empowering them with a distinct "way of life"; It includes both material (technology, tools, etc.) and non-material (speech, religion, values, etc.) components

An agreed-upon common language to facilitate communication on specific topics such as business is called a(n)...?

Lingua Franca

What are some possible effects of climate change?

Major shifts in agricultural areas (rising sea levels, warming oceans, etc.)

What is an element that might define a formal region?

Mountain range, valley, language, climate, or culture features (certain language is spoken)

In migration, what is a push force?

Negative conditions that drive people from a location (war, unemployment, natural disasters)

What cultural homeland is home to the Inuit?

Northern Canada in the territory of Nunavut

Researchers in which field of geography study the processes by which the physical landscape is shaped?

Physical geographers

What is shown in a population pyramid?

Population's age and gender structure. This graph depicts the percentage or a population that is male or female in different age classes from young to old.

In migration, what is a pull force?

Positive/favorable conditions that attract people (jobs, freedom, good climates)

What form of transportation first opened corridors of development in the U.S., provided access to markets for commercial crops, and helped establish towns and cities across the country?

Railroads

What migration trend was caused by the mechanization of farming?

Rural to Urban migration

By what name do we know the place where two tectonic plates are forced together?

San Andreas Fault, California (convergent boundary)

What refers to the relationship between the distances shown on the map and the actual distances on the earth's surface?

Scale

With what bioregion is the term "steppe" associated?

Shorter and less dense grasslands (Russia, Southwest Asia)

Which North American region was hit by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005?

Southeast (New Orleans)

What world region is experiencing the highest RATE of tropical deforestation?

Southeast Asia

In which stages of the Demographic Transition is the rate of natural increase (RNI) low?

Stage 4 - RNI results from a combination of low birth rates and very low death rates

What type of pollution is the greatest cause of acid rain?

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) in the atmosphere

What region of the United States contains the country's densest population settlement?

The Atlantic Coast

What activities is most likely to occur in the informal economy?

The illegal or uncounted economy that governments do not tax or monitor (terrorism??)

How do the authors of your text (Diversity Amid Globalization) define globalization?

The increasing interconnectedness of people and places throughout the world through converging processes of economic, political, and cultural change

As climate is defined in the textbook, what reflects a climatic change?

The measured change in climate from a previous state, contrasted with normal variability; A documented or predicted change in the temperature, winds, and precipitation patterns that differs from the current climate (Global Warming)

What is geography?

The study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these, including the distribution of populations and resources, land use, and industries

Define plate tectonics.

The theory that explains the gradual movement of large geological platforms (or plates) along Earth's surface

What country dominates Canada's imports?

United States

According to the core-periphery model, which of the following countries is part of the core?

United States, Canada, western Europe, and Japan

What countries are the percentage of its population living in cities probably less than 75 percent?

Zimbabwe (only 34 percent live in cities)