| A | B |
| globalization | modern communication pulling people into greater cultural and economic interaction |
| local diversity | unique traditions and practices |
| place | specific point on Earth distinguished by a distinctive combination of cultural and physical features |
| region | area of Earth distinguised by a distinctive combination of cultural and physical features |
| scale | relationship between portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole |
| space | physical gap or interval between two objects |
| cartography | science of mapmaking |
| projection | scientific method for transferring locations on Earth's surface to a flat map |
| interruption | hemispheres are separated into two pieces |
| remote sensing | acquisition of data from a satellite or other long distance method |
| toponym | name given to a place on Earth |
| site | physical character of a place |
| situation | location relative to other locations |
| region | area defined by one or more distinctive characteristics |
| cultural landscape | cultural, economic, and physical features of a place |
| formal region | everyone shares cultural, economic, or environmental characteristics (aka uniform group) |
| vernacular region | place people believe exists as a part of their cultural identity (aka perceptual) |
| culture | body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that constitute distinct tradition |
| environmental determinism | how the physical environment caused social development |
| climate | long-term average weather conditions |
| geomorphology | study of landforms |
| relief | difference in elevation |
| slope | steepness of hills |
| distribution | arrangement of a feature in space |
| density | frequency with which something occurs |
| concentration | extent of a feature's spread over space |
| pattern | geometric arrangement of objects in space |
| diffusion | process of spreading a characteristic across space over time from a hearth or node |
| relocation diffusion | spread of an idea through physical movement of people |
| hearth | central, or starting point, of an item's diffusion |
| node | central, or starting, point of an item's diffusion |
| demography | study of population characteristics |
| ecumene | portion of Earth with permanent settlement |
| arithmetic density | ratio of people to total land area |
| physiological density | ratio of people to arable land |
| agricultural density | ratio of farmers to arable land |