Chapter 1 Concepts of World Geography

Converging Currents of Globalization

Diversity a tension between the global and the local
Globalization the increasing interconnectedness of people and
places through converging economic, political, and cultural
activities
o Economic Globalization
Global communication systems that link all regions and most
people on the planet instantaneously
Transportation systems capable of moving goods quickly by air,
sea, and land
Transnational business strategies that have created global
corporations more powerful than many sovereign nations
New and more flexible forms of capital accumulation and
international financial institutions that make 24-hour trading
possible
Global agreements that promote free trade
Market economies and private enterprises that have replaced
state-controlled economies and services
An abundance of planetary goods and services that have arisen
to fulfill consumer demand--real or imagined
Economic disparities between rich and poor regions and
countries that drive people to migrate, both legally and illegally,
in search of a better life
An army of international workers, managers, and executives who
give this powerful economic force a human dimension
o Globalization and Changing Human Geographies
Global Consumer culture
Global nonmaterial culture like language, expectations about
human rights, etc
Not just one way, but comes into countries and out of them as
well
demographic dimension
Criminal element
o Geopolitics and Globalization
Many feel like globalization is not restricted by territorial or
national boundaries
Strong argument that globalization has weakened the political
power of individual states by strengthening the power of
regional economic and political organizations
o The Environment and Globalization
o Controversy about Globalization
Pro-Globalization Arguments
Economic convergence idea that globalization will help
worlds poorer countries gradually catch up with the more
advance economies

For: enhancing competition, allowing the flow of capital to

poor areas, and encouraging the spread of beneficial new
technologies and ideas
People that support globalization care about World Bank,
International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade
Organization
Critics of Globalization
Bubble economy a highly inflated economy that cannot
be sustained, usually result from rapid influx of
international capital into a developing country
Against: Rich people more rich, poor people poorer
People against it argue that unstable
A Middle Position
People in middle say unavoidable, but can be managed
o Diversity in a Globalizing World
Common view is world is becoming blandly homogeneous as
world loses diversity
Tension between homogenization of globalization and the
reaction against it in terms of protecting cultural and political
diversity
Geography Matters: Environments, Regions, Landscapes
Geography has two pursuits: physical and human geography
o Areal Differentiation and Integration
Areal differentiation describing and explaining the differences
that distinguish one piece of the world from another
Areal integration study of how places interact with one another
o Regions: Formal, Functional, and Vernacular
Regions a geographic concept of areal or spatial similarity,
large or small
Formal regions regions that are defined by some aspect of
physical form or cultural features
Functional regions where a certain activity takes place like
economic activity or sports fans
vernacular regions defined solely in peoples minds as spatial
stereotypes that have no visible boundaries in the physical
landscape
o The Cultural Landscape: Space into Place
cultural landscape the visible, material expression of human
settlement, past and present or a tangible expression of the
human habitat
The Geographers Toolbox: Location, Maps, Remote Sensing, and GIS
o Latitude and Longitude
parallels lines of latitude
meridians lines of longitude

prime meridian zero degrees longitude, from which locations

east and west are measured in a system of latitude and
longitude
global positioning systems (GPS) originally used to describe a
very accurate satellite-based location system, but now also used
in a general sense to describe smartphone location systems that
may use cell phone towers as a substitute for satellites
o Map Projections
map projections - different ways maps are projected onto a flat
service
o Map Scale
map scale mathematical ratio between the map and the
surface are being mapped
representative fraction relation between the map and the area
being mapped
graphic or linear scale visually depicts in a horizontal bar
distance unit such as feet, meters, miles, or kilometers
o Map Patterns and Map Legends
choropleth maps maps different levels of intensity of data
(such as per capita income or population density) placed within
discrete spatial units (such as countries, cities, counties, or
cultural regions)
o Aerial Photos and Remote Sensing
remote sensing a method of digitally photographing Earths
surface from satellites or high altitude aircraft so that the
information captured can be manipulated by computers to
translate information into certain electromagnetic bandwidths,
which, in turn, emphasizes certain features and patterns on
Earths surface
o Geographic Information Systems
geographic information systems (GIS) a computerized
mapping and information system that analyzes vast amounts of
data that may include many layers of specific kinds of
information, such as microclimates, hydrology, vegetation, or
land-use zoning regulations
Themes and Issues in World Regional Geography
o Regional perspective
Groups all of earth countries into 12 world regions
Environmental Geography: The Changing Global Environment
o Explain the environmental issue relevant to each world region such as
climate change, sea-level rise, acid rain, tropical rain forest
deforestation, and wildlife conservation
Population and Settlement: People on the Land
o Population Growth and Change
Natural Population Increase

rate of natural increase (RNI) annual growth rate for a

country or region as a percentage found by subtracting
number of deaths from the number of births
Total Fertility Rate
total fertility rate (TFR) artificial and synthetic number
that measures the fertility of a statistically fictitious, yet
average group of women moving through their
childbearing years
Young and Old Populations
Population Pyramids
population pyramid graph that depicts the percentage
of a population that is male or female in different age
classes, from young to old
Life Expectancy
The Demographic Transition
demographic transition model conceptualization that
tracked the changes in birthrates and death rate over
time
o Global Migration
Push and Pull Forces
Net Migration Rates
net migration rate statistic that indicates whether more
people are entering or leaving a country
o Settlement Geography
Population Density
population density average number of people per area
unit
An Urbanizing World
urbanized population percentage of a countrys
population living in cities
Cultural Coherence and Diversity: The Geography of Change and Tradition
o Culture in a Globalizing World
culture learned, not innate, and is behavior held in
common by a group of people, empowering them with
what is commonly called a way of life
When Cultures Collide
cultural imperialism - active promotion of one cultural
system at the expense of another
cultural nationalism process of protecting and defending
a cultural system against diluting or offensive cultural
expressions, while at the same time actively promoting
national and local cultural values
Cultural Hybrids
cultural syncretism or hybridization most common
product of cultural collision is the blending of forces to
form a new, synergistic form of culture

Gender and Globalization

Gender sociocultural construct, linked to the values and
traditions of specific cultural groups that differentiate the
characteristics of the two biological sexes, male and female
Gender roles cultural guidelines that define appropriate
behavior for each gender within a specific context
o Language and Culture in Global Context
Lingua franca an agreed-upon common language to facilitate
communication on specific topics such as international business,
politics, sports, or entertainment
o The Geography of World Religions
Universalizing religions attempt to appeal to all peoples,
regardless of location or culture
Ethnic religions identified closely with a specific ethnic, tribal,
or national group
Shia Islam The second largest denomination of Islam, whose
adherents are called Shiites or Shias. While difficult to assess
accurately, generally speaking 75-90 percent of the worlds
Muslims are Sunni, with Shias making up the remainder of 10-25
percent.
Sunni Islam The major denomination of Islam, with its
adherents comprising from 75-90 percent of the worlds
Muslims.
secularism - people who consider themselves either nonreligious
or outright atheistic.
Geopolitical Framework: Unity and Fragmentation
Geopolitics link between geography and politics, but focus on
the interactivity between political power and territory at all
scales, form the local to the global
o The Nation-State Revisited
Nation-state nation describes a large group of people with
shared sociocultural traits, such as language, religion, and
shared identity, the word state refers to an internal political
entity with clearly delimited boundaries, control over its internal
space, and recognition by external political states.
o Colonialism, Decolonialization, and Neocolonialism
Colonialism formal establishment of rule over a foreign
population
Decolonialization process of a colonys gaining control over its
own territory and establishing a separate, independent
government
Neocolonialism characterized the many ways that newly
independent states, particularly those in Africa, felt the
continuing control of Western powers, especially in economic
and political matter
o Global Conflict
Insurgency a political rebellion or uprising
o

Terrorism violence directed at nonmilitary targets

Counterinsurgency more complicated, multifaceted strategy
that combines military warfare with social and political service
activities, designed to win over the local population and deprive
insurgents of a political base
Economic and Social Development: The Geography of Wealth and Poverty
o More and Less Developed Countries
Core-periphery model A conceptualization of the world into
two economic spheres. The developed countries of western
Europe, North America, and Japan form the dominant core, with
less-developed countries making up the periphery. Implicit in
this model is that the core gained its wealth at the expense of
peripheral countries.
o Indicators of Economic Development
Gross Domestic Product and Income
Gross domestic product (GDP) traditional measure of
the size of a countrys economy is the value of all final
goods and services produced within its borders
Gross national income (GNI) with GDP is combined with
net income from outside its borders through trade and
other forms of income (also known as gross national
product (GNP)
Gross National income (GNI) per capita obtained by
dividing GNI by the countrys population
Purchasing power parity (PPP) takes into account the
strength or weakness of local currencies
Economic Growth Rates
o Indicators of Social Development
Gender equity a social condition, state, or goal of
complete parity and equality between males and females
The Human Development Index
Human Development Index (HDI) combines data on life
expectancy, literacy, educational attainment, gender
equity, and income
Poverty and Mortality
Adult Literacy
Gender Inequity