WORLD GEOGRAPHY STUDY GUIDE: KEY CONCEPTS AND
REGIONS
Mental Maps - (ANSWER)Internal maps of familiar places
Human Geography - (ANSWER)Study of Culture
Physical Geography - (ANSWER)Study of natural environments
Clovis Man - (ANSWER)Dated to around 11,000 years ago, found in Clovis, New Mexico.
Kennewick Man - (ANSWER)One of the most complete ancient skeletons, discovered in 1996 in
Kennewick, Washington, dated around 7,600 years old.
Cultural Hearths - (ANSWER)Regions of cultural innovation, including New England Colonies,
Midland/Middle Colonies, and Southern Colonies/Chesapeake Bay.
US Independence - (ANSWER)Achieved in 1783, with territory east of the Mississippi River.
Land Acquisition - (ANSWER)Occurred between the 1780s and 1853.
Homestead Act - (ANSWER)Enacted in 1862.
Economic Growth - (ANSWER)By 1863, the US had the 3rd largest economy globally.
Cultural Transition Zone - (ANSWER)Southwestern U.S. with a significant Mexican descent
population and increasing economic links with Mexico.
Language - (ANSWER)English is the dominant language.
, Religion - (ANSWER)Christianity is the dominant religion with regional diversity and religious
tolerance.
Divisive Forces - (ANSWER)Canada's spatial structure with 13 subnational entities.
Indigenous Peoples - (ANSWER)Experiencing rising consciousness and land rights agreements.
Primate city - (ANSWER)Dominant city in a country or region.
NAFTA - (ANSWER)Abbreviation for North American Free Trade Agreement.
Maquiladoras - (ANSWER)Foreign-owned assembly factories in Mexico.
Borderland - (ANSWER)Transition zone between North and Middle America.
Land bridge - (ANSWER)Narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas.
Archipelago - (ANSWER)Chain of islands.
Hurricane Alley - (ANSWER)Region prone to hurricanes.
Altitudinal zonation - (ANSWER)Different climate zones at various elevations.
Tropical deforestation - (ANSWER)Loss of tropical forests.
Culture hearth - (ANSWER)Source area of cultural development.
Mestizo - (ANSWER)Mixed European and Indigenous ancestry.
REGIONS
Mental Maps - (ANSWER)Internal maps of familiar places
Human Geography - (ANSWER)Study of Culture
Physical Geography - (ANSWER)Study of natural environments
Clovis Man - (ANSWER)Dated to around 11,000 years ago, found in Clovis, New Mexico.
Kennewick Man - (ANSWER)One of the most complete ancient skeletons, discovered in 1996 in
Kennewick, Washington, dated around 7,600 years old.
Cultural Hearths - (ANSWER)Regions of cultural innovation, including New England Colonies,
Midland/Middle Colonies, and Southern Colonies/Chesapeake Bay.
US Independence - (ANSWER)Achieved in 1783, with territory east of the Mississippi River.
Land Acquisition - (ANSWER)Occurred between the 1780s and 1853.
Homestead Act - (ANSWER)Enacted in 1862.
Economic Growth - (ANSWER)By 1863, the US had the 3rd largest economy globally.
Cultural Transition Zone - (ANSWER)Southwestern U.S. with a significant Mexican descent
population and increasing economic links with Mexico.
Language - (ANSWER)English is the dominant language.
, Religion - (ANSWER)Christianity is the dominant religion with regional diversity and religious
tolerance.
Divisive Forces - (ANSWER)Canada's spatial structure with 13 subnational entities.
Indigenous Peoples - (ANSWER)Experiencing rising consciousness and land rights agreements.
Primate city - (ANSWER)Dominant city in a country or region.
NAFTA - (ANSWER)Abbreviation for North American Free Trade Agreement.
Maquiladoras - (ANSWER)Foreign-owned assembly factories in Mexico.
Borderland - (ANSWER)Transition zone between North and Middle America.
Land bridge - (ANSWER)Narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas.
Archipelago - (ANSWER)Chain of islands.
Hurricane Alley - (ANSWER)Region prone to hurricanes.
Altitudinal zonation - (ANSWER)Different climate zones at various elevations.
Tropical deforestation - (ANSWER)Loss of tropical forests.
Culture hearth - (ANSWER)Source area of cultural development.
Mestizo - (ANSWER)Mixed European and Indigenous ancestry.
