Movement in Geography
Urbanization
Migration
Globalization and Trade
Infrastructure
Definition: The basic physical and organizational structure of a society.
Examples: Education, transportation, electricity/energy sources, health care, sewer systems,etc.
Types of Cities
Megacity: A city with a population of more than 10 million
Examples: New York City (18 mil), Tokyo (38 mil)
Primate Cities: A city whose population is at least twice the population of the second largest city in a country.
Examples: Paris, London, Mexico City
(Also the political, cultural, and economic center of a country.
Suburbs: A residential area outside a city.
Trade
What is Traded?
Vocab
Balance of Trades: The difference between exports and imports (Exports minus Imports)
Exports: Things that are sent from a country
Imports: Goods that come into a country
Globalization
- How countries and people of the world interact and integrate
- Interaction between different regions and people
Examples
Goods such as food and objects
Services such as banking or legal services.
Money/investments can be traded
Why Trade?
Scarcity: Not enough stuff made in a single place
Specialization: A country focuses on making one thing. (Usually makes it the best.)
Comparative advantage: Countries specialize in making goods or services so they have a comparative advantage.
People traveling to different countries
Trade
Communication
Transportation
Pros and Cons of Trade:
Pros:
Improved standard of living/more stuff
Cheaper products
Job creation
Exposure to new ideas and products.
Opportunity for increased cooperation between counties.
People in a country get more stuff
Items cost less because they were made in a different country
More people get jobs exporting and importing things
Example: People can get exposed to new fashion trends in other counties
With counties trading more, they work together more which can lead to more friendliness between the countries.
Cons:
Domestic Job loss
Loss of economic independence
Exploitation of people and resources.
Increased political tensions
Since things are being made in other countries, they don't need to make those things in their own country, so people loose jobs.
If a country is dependent on other countries for a certain item and then the two countries stop trading, the dependent country won't know what to do.
People in poorer countries can be taken advantage of: work for too little, bad working conditions, etc. environmental degradation can also occur if the environment is exploited.
Trading can cause some countries to have increased political tensions if they refuse to trade or if the countries weren't friendly towards each other to begin with.
Commodity: A raw material or primary agricultural product that can be bought or sold
GDP(Gross Domestic Product): The value of how much stuff a country produces.
Choke points: Narrow points where boats go through. (Canals)
Urban Sprawl around periphery
Growth along transportation axes
Satellite development
New city center
Push and Pull Factors in Urban Geography
Push (push people out of rural areas):
Lack of economic opportunity (jobs)
Lack of health care
Lack of education opportunities.
Pull (pull people to urban areas)
More economic activity
Family ties
Excitement (particularly for young people)
Gentrification
Renewal/ revitalization.
Reasons for Migration:
Job opportunities
Escaping persecution
Family ties
Urban Migration : push and pull factors (see Migration)
Impacts of rural to urban migration
Impact on rural areas:
Brain Drain: more educated and ambitious people leave
Impacts on urban areas:
Challenges to infrastructure: too many people
Refugees
Refugees migrate to other countries to escape something in their own country.
Education
Asylum Seekers: Asylum Seekers are refugees who have filed a claim for asylum, but it hasn't been approved yet.
Asylum: A shelter for people who were forced to leave their home country.