AP Human Geography - Maps & Spatial Organization

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from AP Human Geography related to maps and spatial organization.

Spatial Patterns and Organization

The arrangement of human society influenced by political, historical, cultural, and economic factors.

Cartography

The art and science of map-making.

Reference Maps

Maps designed for people to refer to for general information about places.

Thematic Maps

Maps that show spatial aspects of information or phenomena.

Absolute Location

The precise spot where something is according to a system, often using latitude and longitude.

Relative Location

Where something is located in relation to other things.

Map Projection

The process of depicting the curved surface of the Earth on a flat surface.

Cylindrical Projection

A type of map projection where a flat sheet of paper is wrapped around the globe.

Mercator Projection

A cylindrical projection useful for navigation but distorts sizes near the poles.

Goode-Homolosine Projection

A composite projection that preserves area and shape but interrupts oceans.

Map Scale

The ratio between the size of things in the real world and the size on the map.

Distortion

In map projections, the inaccuracies that occur in shape, area, distance, and direction.

Iso map

Uses lines that connect points of equal value to represent variations in data.

Choropleth Map

A thematic map that uses colors or patterns to represent statistical data.

Graduated Symbol Map

A map that uses symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of something.

Dot Density Map

A map that shows the distribution of a phenomenon using dots.

Elevation

The height above or below a fixed reference point, often sea level.

Clustering

The grouping of a phenomenon in a specific area.

Dispersal

The scattering of a phenomenon across a territory.