1. Location – absolute and relative

Absolute Location means the “site” of a spot, its “address”, given in terms of longitude and latitude in degrees, minutes and seconds

Relative Location means the “situation” of a spot, or where something is in relation to things around it.

 

2. Place means the physical and human characteristics of a spot. 

Physical characteristics include landforms, bodies of water, climate, soils, natural vegetation, topography and animal life.

Human (cultural) characteristics include architecture, patterns of livelihood, kinds of economic and recreational activities, land use and ownership, communication and transportation networks, agriculture, and vegetation introduced by humans.

 

3. Human-Environment Interactions means positive and negative effects that occur when people interact with and adapt to their surroundings often transforming the natural landscapes.

 

4. Movement means change over distance and time as people, goods, ideas move from one place to another demonstrating linkages and interdependence.

 

5. Region means an area characterized by a particular unifying feature or set of features (physical, cultural, ethnic, religious, political, economic, linguistic, etc.), which distinguish the region from surrounding areas.  These features may be either physical or human.

©Natasha Bochkov, M.C.S., Martin Bayes, Ph.D., and Donna LaRoche, M.Ed.

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