Glossary - Human Geography: People, Place and Culture - page 505

Minaret Tower attached to a Muslim mosque, having one or more
projecting balconies from which a crier calls Muslims to prayer.
Modernization model A model of economic development most
closely associated with the work of econ

Nomadism Movement among a defi nite set of places—often cyclic
movement .
Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) International organiza-
tions that operate outside of the formal political arena but that are nev-
ertheless infl uential in spearheading international initiatives on social,
economic, and environmental issues.
Non-material culture The beliefs, practices, aesthics, and values of a
group of people.
Nonrenewable resources resources that are present in fi nite quanti-
ties because they are not self-replenishing or take an extraordinarily long
time to replenish.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Agreement en-
tered into by Canada, Mexico, and the United States in December, 1992
and which took effect on January 1, 1994, to eliminate the barriers to
trade in, and facilitate the cross-border movement of goods and services
between the countries.
Nostratic (language) Language believed to be the ancestral language
not only of Proto-Indo-European , but also of the Kartvelian languages
of the of the southern Caucasus region, the Uralic-Altaic languages (in-
cluding Hungarian, Finnish, Turkish, and Mongolian), the Dravadian
languages of India, and the Afro-Asiatic language family.
Offi cial language In multilingual countries the language selected,
often by the educated and politically powerful elite, to promote internal
cohesion; usually the language of the courts and government.
Offshore With reference to production, to outsource to a third party
located outside of the country.
One-child policy A program established by the Chinese government
in 1979 to slow population growth in China.
Organic agriculture Approach to farming and ranching that avoids
the use of herbicides, pesticides, growth hormones, and other similar
synthetic inputs.
Outsource With reference to production, to turn over in part or in
total to a third party.
Oxygen cycle Cycle whereby natural processes and human activ-
ity consume atmoshperic oxygen and produce carbon dioxide and the
Earth's forests and other fl ora, through photosynthesis , consume car-
bon dioxide and produce oxygen.
Ozone layer The layer in the upper atmosphere located between 30
and 45 kilometers above the Earth's surface where stratospheric ozone is
most densely concentrated. The ozone layer acts as a fi lter for the Sun's
harmful ultraviolet rays.
Pacifi c Ring of Fire Ocean-girdling zone of crustal instability, vol-
canism, and earthquakes resulting from the tectonic activity along plate
boundaries in the region.
Pandemic An outbreak of a disease that spreads worldwide. See also
endemic .
Pangaea The primeval supercontinent, hypothesized by Alfred Wegener,
that broke apart and formed the continents and oceans as we know them
today; consisted of two parts—a northern Laurasia and a southern
Gondwana .
Participatory development The notion that locals should be en-
gaged in deciding what development means for them and how it should
be achieved.
Pastoralist Person involved in a form of agricultural activity that
involves the raising of livestock. Many peoples described as herders
actually pursue mixed agriculture, in that they may also fi sh, hunt, or
even grow a few crops. But pastoral peoples' lives revolve around their
animals.
Pattern The design of a spatial distribution (e.g. scattered or con-
centrated).

omist Walter Rostow. The mod-
ernization model (sometimes referred to as modernization theory) main-
tains that all countries go through fi ve interrelated stages of development,
which culminate in an economic state of self-sustained economic growth
and high levels of mass consumption.
Monoculture Dependence on a single agricultural commodity.
Monolingual states Countries in which only one language is spoken.
Monotheistic religion Belief system in which one supreme being is
revered as creator and arbiter of all that exists in the universe.
Montreal Protocol An international agreement signed in 1987 by
105 countries and the European Community (now European Union).
The protocol called for a reduction in the production and consump-
tion of chlorofl uorocarbons (CFCs) of 50 percent by 2000. Subsequent
meetings in London (1990) and Copenhagen (1992) accelerated the tim-
ing of CFC phaseout, and a worldwide complete ban has been in effect
since 1996.
Movement The fi fth theme of geography as defi ned by the
Geography Educational National Implementation Project ; the mo-
bility of people, goods and ideas across the surface of the planet
Multilingual states Countries in which more than one language is
spoken.
Multinational state State with more than one nation within its borders.

Multistate nation Nation that stretches across borders and across

states.
Mutual intelligibility The ability of two people to understand each
other when speaking.
Nation Legally, a term encompassing all the citizens of a state. Most
defi nitions now tend to refer to a tightly knit group of people possessing
bonds of language, ethnicity, religion, and other shared cultural attri-
butes. Such homogeneity actually prevails within very few states.
Nation-state Theoretically, a recognized member of the modern state
system possessing formal sovereignty and occupied by a people who see
themselves as a single, united nation . Most nations and states aspire to
this form, but it is realized almost nowhere. Nonetheless, in common
parlance, nation-state is used as a synonym for country or state.
Natural increase Population growth measured as the excess of live
births over deaths. Natural increase of a population does not refl ect ei-
ther emigrant or immigrant movements.
Natural resource Any valued element of (or means to an end using)
the environment; includes minerals, water, vegetation, and soil.
Neocolonialism The entrenchment of the colonial order, such as
trade and investment, under a new guise. See also postcolonialism .
Neolocalism The seeking out of the regional culture and reinvigora-
tion of it in response to the uncertainty of the modern world.
Networks Defi ned by Manuel Castells as a set of interconnected
nodes without a center.
Newborn mortality rate The number of infants who die within the
fi rst month of life per 1,000 live births.
New urbanism Outlined by a group of architects, urban planners, and
developers from over 20 countries, an urban design that calls for devel-
opment, urban revitalization, and suburban reforms that create walkable
neighborhoods with a diversity of housing and jobs.
Newly industrializing countries states that underwent industrializa-
tion after World War II and whose economies have grown at a rapid pace.
Nile River Valley Chronologically the second urban hearth , dating
to 3200 BCE.