CNS World Studies Hybrid 2014-15

Economic & Environmental Geography

Economic Geography
Economic Development
Sectors of the economy (primary, secondary, and tertiary): Primary sector: making direct use
of natural resources. Secondary: manufactures goods. Tertiary: Produces services. (Agriculture,
fishing, mining. Secondary takes output of first & manufactures. Tertiary service not end
products/intangible goods)
Economic Base Model: Used to understand regional economic growth and development
(Circular flow model, Keynesian model)
Subsistence economies: Non-monetary economy that relies on natural resources to provide for
basic needs through hunting, gathering, and subsistence agriculture (ancient societies)
Development (social vs. economic): Social- putting people at the center of development process
(developing to benefit people) Economic- development that promotes the standard of living and
economic health of an area (causing changes in the economy)
Categories of wealth (More Developed Countries (MDC) vs. Least Developed Countries
(LDC)): MDC: per capita income is high, capital is readily available, wealth within individual
countries is relatively evenly distributed. (In Canada 10% of population owns 24% of the
national wealth) For LDC: per capita income is low and capital is scarce. Wealth is unevenly
distributed. (In Gabon 1% of the population owns 56% of the total wealth)
The Human Development Index (HDI): Composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and
per capita income indicators, which is used to rank countries into four tiers of human
development. (Top of the list is Norway, Australia, New Zealand, United States, and Ireland)
The north/south split: Difference between the rich and poor countries of the world, shown by
peoples standard of living and by the level of industrial economic development. (America vs.
Africa)
Fair Trade movement: help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions
and promote sustainability.
Micro-lending (Grameen Bank): the lending of very small amounts of money at low interest.
(often give to start-up companies)
Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) impact on development issues: NGOs are
generally nonprofit organizations that work to benefit the environment or other world problems (
Formal vs Informal Economy: Formal economy is an official economy, recognized by the
government. (high profile company) the informal economy is neither taxed nor monitored by any
form of government (flee market)
Digital Divide: the gulf between those who have ready access to computers and the internet and
those who do not. (difference between developed and least developed countries)
Foreign Direct Investment: controlling ownership in a business enterprise in one country by an
entity based in another country.
Technology transfer: the transfer of technology from the originator to secondary user.
(transferring outdated technological devices, such as computers, from developed to less
developed nations.)
Debt crisis: A period of in which countries faced the collapse of financial institutions (America
in 2009 with the Great Recession)
Primary Activities Agriculture & Mining

CNS World Studies Hybrid 2014-15

Economic & Environmental Geography

Agriculture: the science of practice of farming (growing & harvesting crops, and rearing
animals to provide for a group of people)
Commercial agriculture: Farming that provides products for sale (Large-scale farms)
Subsistence agriculture: Farming that provides food for the farmer and his family (small,
family farms)
Agricultural Revolutions: period of transition that occurs when discoveries, inventions or new
technologies change production (mechanical agricultural revolution)
Extensive vs. Intensive subsistence agriculture: Extensive use of large amounts of land with
minimal labor per land unit (pastoral nomadism and shifting cultivation) Intensive any kind of
agriculture activity that involves effective and efficient use of labor on small plots of land to
maximize crop yield.
Extensive vs. Intensive commercial agriculture: Extensive- an agricultural system
characterized by low units of labor per land unit area. Intensive being effective and efficient
with the use of labor and land area
von Thunen model of agricultural production: Explains and predicts agricultural land use
patterns. (Predicts more intensive rural land use)
Green Revolution and benefits and drawbacks: a large increase in crop production in
developing countries achieved by the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yield crop varieties.
Benefits include the ability to produce more food and growing plants that are resistant to various
diseases. Drawbacks include the need to repurchase sterile seeds every year and industrial
farming equipment is expensive.
Agribusiness: group of industries dealing with agricultural produce and services
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): organism whose genome has been altered so its
DNA contains one or more genes not normally found there (Some types of corn)
Monoculture: the cultivation of a single crop in a given area (Iowa and corn)
Examples of Globalization of agriculture: High food prices in 2008, causing some nations to
limit or ban certain food items that are being traded in the world market.
Sustainable agriculture: the production of food, fiber or other plant/animal products using
farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal
welfare. (most small-scale farms practice sustainable agriculture.)
Aquaculture: the rearing of aquatic animals or cultivation of aquatic plants for food (fish farms)
Secondary Activities Manufacturing & Production
The Industrial Revolution (definition, origin, growth, and diffusion): Period of major
industrialization. It took place during the late 1700s and early 1800s. It began in Great Britain,
but rapidly spread throughout the entire world over the 50 years after the initial start.
Manufacturing regions of the World/US: Areas of the world where manufacturing activities
have clustered together. US: Great Lakes. World: SE Brazil, Central England, Tokyo.
Fordism: notion of modern economic and social system based on an industrialized and
standardized form of mass production (Ford production in the 20s)
Bulk gaining vs. bulk reducing industries (examples and applications): Bulk-gaining: an
industry where the products increase in size or weight during manufacturing (soft drink bottling).
Bulk-reducing: an industry whose products decrease in size or weight during manufacturing (car
manufacturing)
Site factors of industrial location: Industries require cheap, flat land on which to build
factories.

CNS World Studies Hybrid 2014-15

Economic & Environmental Geography

Situational factors of industrial location: location factors related to the transportation of

materials into and from a factory
Just-in-time manufacturing: strategy to increase efficiency and decrease waste by receiving
goods only as they are needed in the production process.
Maquiladoras: A factory in Mexico run by a foreign company and exporting its products to the
country of the company
Agglomeration/ Deglomeration: agglomeration- snowballing geographical process by which
secondary and service industrial activities become clustered in cities (Industrial centers)
Deglomeration- the process of industrial deconcentration in response to technological advances
and/or increasing costs.
Export-Processing Zones (EPZs) & Special Economic Zones (SEZs): EPZ- areas within
developing countries that offer incentives and a barrier-free environment to promote economic
growth. SEZ- designated areas in countries that possess special economic regulations that are
different from other areas in the same country.
Rise of Chinese economy: from 1978 to 2013 GDP growth has risedn from 9.5% to 11.5% a
year. Theyve experienced an increase in total factor productivity. They export products to a
majority of the world, and its seen as an engine of growth for all of Asia.
Outsourcing (examples and reasons): contract work abroad Nike being produced in China.
Low labor costs.
Deindustrialization: decline in industrial activity in a region or economy (during an economic
recession)
Tertiary Activities Services & the Knowledge Economy
Economies of scale: proportionate saving in costs gained by an increased level of production
Footloose industry: industry that can be placed and located at any location without effect from
resources or transport.
International division of labor: occurs when the process of production is no longer confined to
national economies. (incorporating both developed and underdeveloped nations into the global
economy)
Multiplier effect: increase in final income arising from any new injection of spending. (depends
on marginal decisions to consume, or save)
Outsourcing/Offshoring: contracting work abroad, basing a companies processes or services
overseas. Used for lower labor costs (Nike)
Postindustrial: relating to an economy that no longer relies on heavy industry. (Japan)
Transnational corporation: Companies that operate in several countries (building a factory or
shop aborad)
Threshold/range: The magnitude or intensity that much be exceeded for a result to occur (The
lowest and highest amounts possible)
Environmental Geography
Sustainable Development: economic development that is conducted without depletion of
natural resources (solar panel use)
Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Resources: Resource that can or will be replenished naturally
(Wood, solar energy) Resources that cannot be readily replaced by natural means on a level equal
to its consumption (fossil fuels)

CNS World Studies Hybrid 2014-15

Economic & Environmental Geography

Industrial pollution issues (air and water pollution): Disrupting the health of ecosystems
located in water and on land. This includes human life as well as animal and plant ecosystems.
Many water resources have been rendered useless for humans and wildlife at this point due to
pollution.
Global warming: A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earths atmosphere
(generally attributed to the greenhouse effect.)
Acid rain: rainfall made sufficiently acidic by atmospheric pollution that causes environmental
hard. (comes from burning of fossil fuels)
Biodiversity: variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Alternative energy: energy generated in ways that do not deplete natural resources or harm the
environment (Solar energy)
Kyoto Protocol: international treaty among industrialized nations that sets mandatory limits on
greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon emissions: release of carbon in the atmosphere (burning fossil fuels)
Carbon trading: a system by which countries and organizations receive permits to produce a
specified amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.