Priority Academic Student Skills

Front 1

The location of a point on earth's surface which can be expressed by a grid reference (i.e., latitude and longitude)-

Back 1

absolute location

Front 2

before the Common Era; the culturally neutral equivalent of B.C (before Christ) used extensively by world historians and social scientists.

Back 2

B.C.E.

Front 3

first ten amendments to the Constitutiton which limit governmental power and outline basic rights and liberties of individuals.

Back 3

Bill of Rights

Front 4

very large ecosystems made up of specific plant and animal communities interacting with the physical environment (climate and soil). They are usually identified with th ecimate and climax vegetation of large areas of the earth's surface.

Back 4

biomes

Front 5

the limit or extent within which a system exists or functions, including a social group, a state, a country, or physical feature.

Back 5

boundary

Front 6

the Common era the culturally neutral equivalent of A.d. (Anno domini: in the year of our Lord) used extensively by world historians and social scientists.

Back 6

C.E.

Front 7

constitutional mechanisms that authorize each branch of government to share powers with the other branches and thereby check their activities.

Back 7

checks and balances

Front 8

member of a political society who owes allegiance to and is entitled to participation in and protection by and from the government.

Back 8

citizen

Front 9

a representation of some part of the earth's surface using lines along which all points are of equal elevation above or below a fixed point, usually sea level.

Back 9

contour map

Front 10

learned behavior of a people, which includes their belief systems and languages, their social relationships, their institutions and organizations, and their material goods (i.e., food, clothing, buildings, tools and machines).

Back 10

culture

Front 11

form of government in which political control is exercised by all the people, either directly or through their elected representatives.

Back 11

democracy

Front 12

the study of population statistics, changes, and trends based on various measures of fertility (adding to a population), mortality (subtracting from a population), and migration (redistribution of a population).

Back 12

demography

Front 13

the spread of a desert condition in arid and semiarid regions resulting form a combination of climatic changes and increasing human pressures, such as overgrazing, removal of vegetation, and cultivation of marginal land.

Back 13

desertification

Front 14

an area of the world that is changing from uneven growth to more constant economic conditions, and that is generally characterized by low rates of urbanization, relatively high rates of infant mortality and illiteracy, and relatively low rates of life expectancy and energy use.

Back 14

developing country

Front 15

form of political organization in which governmental power is divided between a central government and territorial subdivisions (e.g., among the national, state, and local governments).

Back 15

federalism

Front 16

a geographic database that contains information about the distribution of physical and human characteristics of places or areas. In order to test hypotheses, maps of one characterization or a combination can be produced from the database to analyze the date relationships. The system collects data about places on earth, stores it, and manipulates the information on command to answer questions and solve problems.

Back 16

geographic information system (GIS)

Front 17

doctrine that permits federal courts to declare unconstitutional acts of Congress, the executive, and the states.

Back 17

judicial review

Front 18

locations having distinctive characteristics which give them meaning and character, and distinguish them from other locations.

Back 18

places

Front 19

the theory that the earth's surface is composed of rigid slabs or plates is theoretically responsible for present-day configurations of continents, ocean basins, and major mountain ranges and valley systems.

Back 19

plate tectonics

Front 20

any group that seeks to elect government officials under its label.

Back 20

political party

Front 21

an area with one or more common characteristics of features, which give it a measure of homogeneity and make it different from surrounding areas.

Back 21

region

Front 22

information gathering about the earth's surface from a distance (usually referring to the use of aerial photography or satellite images).

Back 22

remote sensing

Front 23

an aspect of the physical environment that people value and use to meet a need for fuel, food, industrial product, or something else of value.

Back 23

resource

Front 24

principle that every member of a society, even a ruler, must obey the law.

Back 24

rule of law

Front 25

on maps the relationship or ration between a linear measurement on a map and the corresponding distance on the earth's surface. For example, the scale 1:1,000,000 means one unit (mile or kilometer) on the map and represents 1,000,000 similar units on the earth's surface. Also refers to the size of places or regions being studies. For example, is one looking at something at a local scale, regional scale, national scale, or globally?

Back 25

scale

Front 26

division of governmental power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision making.

Back 26

separation of powers

Front 27

the specific place where something is located, including its physical setting (e.g., on a flood plain).

Back 27

site

Front 28

the general location of something in relation to other places or features of a larger region (e.g., in the center of a group of cities).

Back 28

situation

Front 29

ultimate, supreme power in a state which, in the United States, rests with the people.

Back 29

sovereignty

Front 30

a map representing a specific spatial distribution theme, or topic (e.g., population density, cattle production, or climates of the world).

Back 30

thematic map