World In Spatial TermsAbsolute Location

The exact position of a place on the earth’s surface which is determined by grid.

– Patterns formed as the lines of latitude (parallels) and longitude (meridians) cross each other.

Prime Meridian & Equator

• Zero degrees longitude marks the central point separating the eastern and western Hemispheres

• Zero degrees latitude which separate the Northern and Southern Hemisphere and are equal distance to the north and south pole.

Prime Meridian

Equator

Ring of Fire• An arc stretching around the borders of many

of the worlds major plates where 70% of the worlds tectonic activity occurs.

Archipelago• A chain or cluster of Islands that are formed

tectonically

Weathering & Erosion

• Weathering is the decomposition of Earth's rock, and minerals through chemical or physical processes.

• Erosion is the movement of earth by wind, water or glaciation.

• Formal Regions: Defined by one or more common characteristic.

• Perceptual Regions: An area with common feelings or images rather than physical or tangible similarities.

• Functional Region: A central place and the surrounding area linked to it

Regions

• Steppe: Refers to a biome region characterized by grassland plains without trees.

• Tropical Rainforest: An ecosystem often found around the equator characterized by evergreen vegetation and high levels of rain

• Desert: A region characterized with very little vegetation and precipitation

Climate Regions

Solstices

• Winter Solstice: The shortest day of light (December 22)

• Summer Solstice: The longest day of light (June 21)

Democarcy

• Government by the people for the people

Oligarchy

• Rule by elite few

Communism• Society based on economic equality where

decisions about production & distribution are made by the central authority

• Examples are Cuba and North Korea

Unitary system

• Top down power structure- decisions are made by the central government and then affect the people

• Examples: Oligarchy, Communism

Federal System

• Power comes from the people on the bottom and affects the people on top

• Divides power between the state and federal government

Primary SectorEconomic sector that changes natural

resources into primary products. This sector includes:

Agriculture, Fishing, Forestry, Mining

Secondary Sector

Economic sector that creates a finished, usable product. It uses the output of the primary sector and manufactures finished goods or products.

Tertiary SectorBetter known as the service

sector. Economic sector that provides services to business as well as final consumers.

Quaternary Sector

Economic sector that provides intellectual services like research, development, and information.

Economic Systems1. Command Economy – economic system in which economic

decisions about production & distribution are made by the central authority

2. Market Economy – an economic system based on free enterprise, in which businesses are privately owned, and production & prices are determined by supply & demand.

3. Traditional Economy – a system in which tradition and custom control all economic activity; exists in only a few parts of the world today dominated by methods and techniques that have strong social support even though they may be old-fashioned or out of date

Trade Routes/ Groups1. Triangle Trade – colonial trade route between New England,

the West Indies, and Africa.

2. Silk Road – early trade route stretching from China to the Mediterranean.

3. CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) – trade agreement made by the U.S. & the Central American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

4. NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) – trade agreement made in 1994 by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico

1st Agricultural Revolutionaka Neolithic Revolution

Period which marked a transition from Hunting and Gathering to Agriculture and Settlement

2nd Agricultural Revolution• Innovations in farm machinery made

farming easier and increased food production.

• greatly contributed to the industrial revolution.

Industrial Revolution• Economic change in which many of the

world’s nations experienced rapid transformations into Industrial economies from agricultural economies

Green Revolution

• A increase in agricultural productivity resulting due to the introduction of high-yield varieties of grains, the use of pesticides, and improved management techniques.

Subsistence Agriculture

• Type of farming that produces just enough

food for a family or village to survive.

Commercial Agriculture• Type of farming where crops are produced on

a large scale to feed huge populations for profit by corporations

Shifting Cultivation• Farmers use the land until all of the soil’s

nutrients are used up. Then they move to another location and repeat the process.

Crop Rotation

• planting of different crops on the same land to improve soil fertility and help control insects

and diseases.

Sustainable development

• Development without depleting natural resources

• Depleting- using up

Three Gorges Dam• world's largest electricity-generating plant • project sets records for number of people

displaced (more than 1.2 million), number of cities and towns flooded (13 cities, 140 towns, 1,350 villages).

• Located in China

Aswan Dam• Located in Egypt• regulate river flooding, to provide storage of

water for agriculture, and to generate electricity

Panama Canal

• Connects the Atlantic and Pacific ocean. Shortens the distance goods travel between Asia and Europe

Salination

• Salt seeps to the surface turning arable land into non producing soil

Desalination

• Removal of salt from sea water