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AP Human Geography Unit 1 (Thinking Geographically) Vocabulary Test
Map
A two-dimensional representation of Earth’s surface or a portion of it.
Cartography
The science of making maps.
Scale
The relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole.
Projection
A system used to transfer locations from Earth’s surface to a flat map.
Mercator Projection
A projecton where longitutde and latitude is shown at right angles. It preserves the shape of the map but distorts the size massively.
Peters Projection
A projection that preserves size but distorts shape.
Robinson Projection
A projection that preserves the size and shape of continents but distorts polar areas. Often used in atlases.
Goode Projection
An interrupted projection that removes much of the oceans to preserve size and shape of continents; used in thematic maps.
Meridians
Arcs drawn on a map between North and South poles.
Parallels
Circles drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at right angles to the meridians.
Longitude
The numbering system used to indicate the location of meridians drawn on a globe and measuring distance east and west of the prime meridian.
Latitude
The numbering system used to indicate the location of parallels drawn on a globe and measuring distance north and south of the equator.
Prime Meridian
The meridian designated as 0 degrees longitude that passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwhich, England.
Equator
An imaginary line dividing Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
International Date Line
An arc that mostly follows 180 degrees longitude, affecting time zones.
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
The time in the zone encompassing the prime meridian.
GPS
Geographic Positioning System that determines precise positions on Earth.
GIS
Geographic Information System that stores and analyzes geographic data.
Remote sensing
The acquisition of data about Earth’s surface from satellites or long-distance methods.
Place
A specific point on Earth distinguished by particular characteristics.
Sense of Place
Emotional connections individuals form with specific locations.
Placelessness
The loss of a place’s unique identity due to popular culture and globalization.
Absolute Location
A point defined using coordinates like latitude and longitude.
Relative Location
The location of a place compared to a known place or feature.
Toponym
The name given to a portion of Earth’s surface.
Site
The physical character of a place.
Situation
The location of a place relative to another place.
Formal Region
An area where everyone shares one or more distinctive characteristics.
Functional Region
An area organized around a node or focal point.
Vernacular Region
An area believed to exist as part of cultural identity.
Mental Map
A representation of Earth’s surface based on personal knowledge and impressions.
Spatial Association
The relationship between the distribution of one feature and another.
Globalization
Actions that involve the entire world, making something worldwide in scope.
Distribution
The arrangement of something across Earth’s surface.
Density
The frequency of something within a given unit of area.
Concentration
The spread of something over a given area.
Clustered Spatial Pattern
When things are grouped together on Earth’s surface.
Dispersed Spatial Pattern
When things are spread out on Earth’s surface.
Hearth
The region from which innovative ideas originate.
Relocation Diffusion
The spread of a feature through bodily movement of people from one place to another.
Hierarchical Diffusion
The spread of a feature from one key person of authority or node to others.
Contagious Diffusion
The rapid spread of a feature throughout a population.
Stimulus Diffusion
The spread of an underlying principle while rejecting specific characteristics.
Distance decay
The diminished importance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin.
Time-space compression
The decrease in time and relative distance between places.
Koppen System
A system categorizing climate zones based on local vegetation.
Sustainability
The use of resources in ways that do not constrain future resource use.
Environmental Determinism
The study of how the physical environment influences human activities.
Possibilism
The theory that the physical environment sets limits (environment in control), but humans can adjust and choose actions.
Probabilism
The idea that the environment sets limits, but humans have choices within those limits.
Poststructuralist Geography
The study of space influenced by ideologies of ruling elites.
Humanistic Geography
The study of how individuals form ideas about place and assign symbolic meanings.
Behavioral Geography
The study of the psychological basis for individual human actions in space.
Conservation
The sustainable management of a natural resource.
Preservation
The maintenance of resources in their present condition with minimal human impact.
Quantitative
Involving numbers and data.
Qualitative data
Involving words and descriptive characteristics.
Accessibility
The ease of reaching certain locations from others.
Connectivity
The relationships among people and objects across space.
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