Nature-Culture
Complex relationship between people and the physical environment
Cultural Ecology
The study of the relationships between the physical environment and culture
Environmental Determinism
Belief that cultures are directly, or indirectly, shaped by the physical environment
Possibilism
Belief that humans, rather than the physical environment, are the primary active force; that any environment offers a number of different possible ways for a culture to develop, and that the choices among these possibilities are guided by cultural heritage
Environmental Perception
Belief that culture depends more on what the people perceive the environment to be than the actual character of the environment
Natural Hazards
An inherent danger present in a given habitat
Organic View of Nature
View that humans are part of nature
Mechanistic View of Nature
View that humans are separated from nature and holds dominion over it
Ecofeminism
View that women are inherently better environmental preservationists than men
Cultural Landscape
The artificial landscape, the visible human imprint on the Earth
Symbolic Landscapes
Landscape that expresses the values, beliefs, and meanings of a particular culture
Settlement Forms
The spatial arrangement of buildings, roads, towns, and other features that people construct while inhabiting an area
Nucleation
A relatively dense settlement form
Dispersed
A type of settlement form in which people live relatively distant from each other
Land-Division Patterns
The spatial patterns of different land uses
