AP Human Geography Unit 1 Key Terms

Absolute Distance

Absolute distance is a fixed measurement that does not vary regardless of context or perspective.

Absolute Location

The exact position of an object with specific coordinates

Accessibility

The relative ease with which a destination may be reached from some other place

Aggregation

To come together into a mass, sum, or whole

Connectivity

The degree of economic, social, cultural, or political connection between two places

Coordinate System

a standard grid, composed of lines of latitude and longitude used to determine the absolute location of any object, place, or feature on Earth’s surface

Cultural Ecology

The study of interactions between societies and the natural environment they live in

Cultural landscape

The human modified natural landscape specifically containing the imprint of a particular culture or society

Distance decay effect

The further apart phenomena are- the less likely they are to interact

Expansion diffusion

the spread of ideas or innovation to surrounding areas through contact and exchange

Friction of Distance

A measure of how much absolute distance affects the interaction between two places

Geographic scale

How zoomed in or zoomed out- the scale at which a geographer studies phenomena

hierarchical diffusion

A type of diffusion in which something is transmitted between places because of physical or cultural community between those two places

Relocation diffusion

the diffusion of ideas innovation and behavior and so on from one place to another through migration

Resolution

A maps smallest unit

Site

The absolute location of a place described by local relief and other cultural or physical characteristics

Spatial perspective

Phemonena- where is it? Why it happens? Is it related to phenomena in other places?

Sustainability

The concept of using earth’s resources in a such a way of prioritizing our current needs whilst looking the needs of the future generations

Thematic layers

Individual maps of specific features overlaid on one another in a GIS system

Time-space compression

shrinking between places as technology increases interaction

International Date Line

The line of longtitude that marks where each new day begins, centered on the 180th meridian

latitude

The angular distance North or south of the equator, defined by lines of latitude or parallels

longitude

the angular distance east or west of the prime meridian defined by lines of longitude or meridians

meridian

a line of longitude that runs North south. ALl lines of longitude are equal in length and intersect at the poles

Parallel

An east-west line of latitude that runs parallel to the equator and that marks distance North or south of the equator

prime meridian

an imaginary line in green which England marking 0 degrees line of longitude

Mercators

Pros: Accurate direction and lat/long

Cons: Inaccurate land massses

Peters

Pros: Accurate land mass

Cons: Inaccurate shapes especially near poles

Conic

Pros: Lines of longitude converge ( they start far apart and pinch together near the North and South Poles)
Curved lines of latitude

Accurate size and shape

Cons:

Inaccurate direction, lines of longitude should only converge at one pole

Robinson

pros: No major distortion, oval shape like a globe

cons: SADD all inaccurate