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