Name______Global History 2
Geography Terms
Definition / What impact does it have on people? / What is a real-life example?1.Topography: The physical features of a place or region /
- People have to adapt to their geography
- It dictates how they live and survive
- Isolates people
- Separates people
- The Incas using terrace farming due to mountainous terrain
- Using irrigation in Mesopotamia to control flooding
- Greek city-states developed because of mountains
2. Isthmus:Narrow strip of land joining two large land areas or joining a peninsula to a mainland
(land bridge) /
- Increases trade and commerce
- Serves as a highway or bridge to connect people and different cultures
- Cultural Diffusion
- Panama Canal connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean
3. Peninsula:Piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides /
- It influences the economy
- Good location for trade (port)
- KoreanPeninsula was the cultural highway between China and Japan
- Greece’s economy is heavily influenced by the fishing industry and by trade
- Renaissance in Italy due to trade
4. Island:Piece of land that is surrounded by water on all sides /
- Isolated from other cultures
- Can limit resources
- Can cause a need to be dependent on other societies
- Vulnerable to weather and environment
- PacificIslands sit on The Ring of Fire that expose to volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis
- CaribbeanIslands have little protection from hurricanes
5. Archipelago:Chain of islands /
- Isolated from other cultures
- Can limit resources
- Can cause a need to be dependent on other societies
- Japan was isolated until the Meiji Restoration
- Japan did not modernize until the mid to late 1800’s
Definition / What impact does it have on people? / What is a real-life example?
6. Urban: having to do with cities /
- Decline in cultural tradition
- May cause poor living conditions
- Modernization
- High Population Density: people live close together
- During the industrial revolution, in England, many people moved to cities, where factories were being built
7. Rural: having to do with farming or country living; agriculture
Low Population Density: people are spread out /
- Societies are dependent on the land and weather for survival
- societies adapt farming methods to type of topography
- Strong connections to cultural traditions
- Terrace farming in mountainous area
- Irrigation in India eased flooding caused by monsoons and allowed farmers to grow more crops
8. Natural Resources: industrial materials and capacities supplied by nature (mineral deposits and waterpower); has value /
- Self-sufficient society
- Impacts trade and economy
- People need these things
- Japan is dependent on trade because it lacks natural resources
- Many countries around the world are dependent on oil from the Middle East
9. Abundant: plentiful, large in quantity /
- Positive impact on trade and economy
- Creates self-sufficient society
- Industrial revolution began in Great Britainbecause of an abundance of coal, iron ore and access to water
10: Scarce: deficient in quantity, sparse /
- Society is dependent on other nations (dependence)
- Increases the price of products
- Japan’s lack of natural resources causes it to be dependent on other nations
11. Monsoons: seasonal wind that dominates the climate of South Asia /
- Positive and negative impacts farming
- Brings rain that causes fertile soil
- Extreme weather patterns: floods or drought
- Farmers in Southeast Asia depend on the wet monsoons of summer to help grow their crops
- Monsoons flood the rice fields in Southeast Asia
Definition / What impact does it have on people? / What is a real-life example?
12. Climate: average weather of a place over a period of 20 to 30 years /
- impacts agriculture
- impacts diet
- impacts clothing
- Russia looks to expand to the south and west to find a warm water port
- Famine in Africa
13.Desert: major world climate zone; land area with very little moisture; usually sparse vegetations; arid /
- lack of farm land
- impacts diet
- impacts health
- isolates people
- Sahara in Africa averages less than 10 inches of rainfall a year causing poor land for farming and raising cattle
14.Mountains: high, steep, rugged land area that rises sharply above the surrounding land /
- Impacts farming
- Causes isolation
- Natural barrier
- Terraced farming
- The Himalaya Mountains have isolated China and India from the rest of the world
- City-states developed in Greece because mountains prevented unification
15. Environment: the conditions in which people live /
- impacts agriculture
- impacts diet
- impacts clothing
- impacts all aspects of life
- Famine in Africa due to poor farming conditions
16.Strait: narrow channel that connects two larger bodies of water /
- impacts trade: control the strait; control the trade
- Strait of Gibraltar’s importance to control trade in the Mediterrean
17. Country: a political state with defined borders /
- Creates a feeling of nationalism
- Creates a common bond for people
- Differences between rights and laws
- Unification movements in Germany and Italy in the late 1800’s
Definition / What impact does it have on people? / What is a real-life example?
18. Interaction:to come into contact with one another; to influence one another /
- influences culture
- sharing of ideas
- combining of traditions
- possible improvements to society
- People change their surroundings to meets their needs
- Crusades: Middle Eastern ideas and technology brought back to Europe spark the Renaissance
- Welland Canal in Canada
19. Cultural Diffusion: sharing of ideas, traditions, beliefs /
- influences culture
- sharing of ideas
- combining of traditions
- possible improvements to society
- Spread of Buddhism through Asia
- Spread Islam through North Africa
20. Cultural Diversity: differences in culture and ideas /
- conflicts between nations
- Native American belief that land is owned by all vs. European belief of private ownership of land
- Civil war in India between Hindus and Muslims