the maximum number of people that a given territory can support sustainably with food, water, and other essential resources

the long-term balance of temperature and precipitation that characteristically prevails in a particular region

the amount of biologically productive land and sea area needed to sustain a person at the current average standard of living for a given population

an ideology, based largely on the writings of the German revolutionary Karl Marx, that calls on workers to unite to overthrow capitalism and establish an egalitarian society in which workers share what they produce; as practiced, communism was actually a socialized system of public services and a centralized government and economy in which citizens participated only indirectly through Communist Party representatives

a term usually used to describe economic changes such as the greater productivity of agriculture and industry that lead to better standards of living or simply to increased mass consumption

a political system that subordinates individual freedom to the power of the state or of elite regional and local leaders

the practice of producing food through animal husbandry, or the raising of animals, and the cultivation of plants

the triangular-shaped plain of sediment that forms where a river meets the sea

the social groups and traditions that function independently of the state and its institutions to foster a sense of unity and an informed common purpose among the general population

the entirety of the Earth’s integrated physical spheres, with humans and other impacts included as part of nature

the process of developing plants and animals through selective breeding to live with and be of use to humans

an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and distribution of goods, driven by the profit motive and characterized by a competitive marketplace

the transition toward political systems that are guided by competitive elections

the ratio of total deaths to total population in a specified community, usually expressed in numbers per 1000 or in percentages

the change from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates that usually accompanies a cluster of other changes, such as change from a subsistence to a cash economy, increased education rates, and urbanization

the number of births per 1000 people in a given population, per unit of time (usually per year)

an economic system that tends to be urban but may be rural, in which skilled workers, well-trained specialists, and even farm laborers are paid in money

a slow shifting of climate patterns due to the general cooling or warming of the atmosphere

geographers who specialize in depicting geographic information on maps

all the ideas, materials, and institutions that people have invented to use to live on Earth that are not directly part of our biological inheritance

the ability of a state to consistently supply a sufficient amount of basic food to the entire population

the process by which fragmented rock and soil are moved over a distance, primarily by wind and water

all aspects of the economy that take place in official channels

those countries in the European Union that use the euro currency

the unrestricted international exchange of goods, services, and capital

the body of science that supports multiple spatial analysis technologies and keeps them at the cutting edge

a group of people who share a common ancestry and sense of common history, a set of beliefs, a way of life, a technology, and usually a common geographic location of origin

the warming of the Earth’s climate as atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases increase

the socially assigned roles for males and females

the strategies that countries use to ensure that their own interests are served in relations with other countries

trade that values equity throughout the international trade system; now proposed as an alternative to free trade

the deliberate destruction of an ethnic, racial, or political group

in agriculture, the practice of splicing together the genes from widely divergent species to achieve particular desirable characteristics

the flat land along a river where sediment is deposited during flooding

out-migration from a place or country (see also migration)

the deliberate removal of an ethnic group from a particular area by forced migration

the ways a particular social group defines the differences between the sexes

the worldwide system in which goods, services, and labor are exchanged

mining, forestry, and agriculture

the level of geography that encompasses the entire world as a single unified area

the total production of goods and services in a country in a given year, divided by the mid-year population

increases in food production brought about through the use of new seeds, fertilizers, mechanized equipment, irrigation, pesticides, and herbicides

the distance in degrees north or south of the equator; lines of latitude run parallel to the equator, and are also called parallels

the study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of the Earth’s surface

the various ways of showing the spherical Earth on a flat surface

minimum wages high enough to support a healthy life

in-migration to a place or country (see also migration)

processing, manufacturing, and construction

a series of innovations and ideas that occurred broadly between 1750 and 1850, which changed the way goods were manufactured

the distance in degrees east and west of Greenwich, England; lines of longitude, also called meridians, run from pole to pole (the line of longitude at Greenwich is 0° and is known as the prime meridian)

all aspects of the economy that take place outside official channels

the total market value of all goods and services produced within a particular country’s borders and within a given year, divided by the number of people in the country

the growth of worldwide linkages and the changes these linkages are bringing about

an amendment to a United Nations treaty on global warming, the Protocol is an international agreement, adopted in 1997 and in force in 2005, that sets binding targets for industrialized countries for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases

gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, released into the atmosphere by human activities, which become harmful when released in excessive amounts

the movement of people from one place or country to another, often for safety or economic reasons

the level of geography that describes the space where an individual lives or works; a city, town, or rural area

physical features of the Earth’s surface, such as mountain ranges, river valleys, basins, and cliffs

a small box somewhere on a map that provides basic information about how to read the map, such as the meaning of the symbols and colors used

various measures of the extent to which people are able to obtain a healthy and socially rewarding standard of living in an environment that is safe and sustainable

the scientific theory that the Earth’s surface is composed of large plates that float on top of an underlying layer of molten rock; the movement and interaction of the plates create many of the large features of the Earth’s surface, particularly mountains

a society in which many culture groups live in close association

geographers who study the interactions among development, politics, human well-being, and the environment

the amount that the local currency equivalent of U.S.$1 will purchase in a given country

an economic sector of the economy that is based on extraction (see also extraction)

a business organization that operates extraction, production, and/or distribution facilities in multiple countries

the tectonic plate junctures around the edges of the Pacific Ocean; characterized by volcanoes and earthquakes

a sector of the economy that is based on intellectual pursuits such as education, research, and IT (information technology) development

the study of the Earth’s physical processes: how they work and interact, how they affect humans, and how they are affected by humans

the proportion that relates the dimensions of the map to the dimensions of the area it represents; also, variable-sized units of geographical analysis from the local scale to the regional scale to the global scale

a social or political construct that is based on apparent characteristics such as skin color, hair texture, and face and body shape, but that is of no biological significance

the rights and capacities that support individual and collective liberty and public participation in political decision making

dew, rain, sleet, and snow

associations outside the formal institutions of government in which individuals, often from widely differing backgrounds and locations, share views and activism on political, social, economic, or environmental issues

a wind pattern in which in summer months, warm, wet air coming from the ocean brings copious rainfall, and in winter, cool, dry air moves from the continental interior toward the ocean

the rate of population growth measured as the excess of births over deaths per 1000 individuals per year without regard for the effects of migration

rainfall produced when a moving moist air mass encounters a mountain range, rises, cools, and releases condensed moisture that falls as rain

a unit of the Earth’s surface that contains distinct patterns of physical features and/or distinct patterns of human development

conditions, such as political instability or economic changes, that encourage (push) people to leave rural areas, and urban factors, such as job opportunities, that encourage (pull) people to move to the urban area

a graph that depicts the age and sex structures of a political unit, usually a country

the water used to produce a product, such as an apple or a pair of shoes

an economic sector of the economy that is based on industrial production (see also industrial production)

a composite measure reflecting the degree to which there is inequality in achievements between women and men in three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment, and the labor market. A high rank indicates that the genders are tending toward equality

an assembly of 193 member states that sponsors programs and agencies that focus on economic development, general health and well-being, democratization, peacekeeping assistance in “hot spots” around the world, humanitarian aid, and scientific research

the effort to improve current standards of living in ways that will not jeopardize those of future generations

farming that meets human needs without poisoning the environment or using up water and soil resources

an economic sector of the economy that is based on services (see also services)

a global institution made up of member countries whose stated mission is to lower trade barriers and to establish ground rules for international trade

an economy in which families produce most of their own food, clothing, and shelter

the process whereby cities, towns, and suburbs grow as populations shift from rural to urban livelihoods

the physical or chemical decomposition of rocks by sun, rain, snow, ice, and the effects of life-forms

the average number of children that women in a particular population are likely to have at the present rate of natural increase

the short-term and spatially limited expression of climate that can change in a matter of minutes

an index that calculates a country’s level of well-being, based on a formula of factors that considers income adjusted to PPP, data on life expectancy at birth, and data on educational attainment

densely populated area characterized by crowding, run-down housing, and inadequate access to food, clean water, education, and social services

sales, entertainment, and financial services

the flow of goods, people, services, or information across space and among places

the biological category of male or female; does not indicate how males or females may behave or identify themselves

all the water a person consumes, including both virtual water and the water they consume directly

the arrangement of a phenomenon across the Earth’s surface