AP Human Geography Unit 1

Cartography

the science and art of drawing maps

Toponym

a place name

Global Grid System

a pattern formed on a map or globe, by lines of latitude (parallels) and lines of latitude (meridians)

Latitude / Parallels

distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees

Longitude / meridians

Distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees

Equator

an imaginary line drawn around the earth equally distant from both poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres and constituting the parallel of latitude 0°.

Prime Meridian

The meridian, designated at 0° longitude, which passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England.

International Date Line

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

Reference map

maps that emphasizes the location of places (without data attached).

Examples of reference maps

Political map, Physical map, Road Map

Political map

a map that shows the names and borders of countries

physical map

a reference map that shows land and water features

road map

before Google Maps, a map for drivers that showed the highways of an area. Boomers like them.

Thematic maps

a map that displays not only locations but maps a topic or theme of information with the location

types of thematic maps

Isoline, Chloropleth, Dot Distribution, cartogram, graduated symbol

Chloropleth Map

A thematic map that uses tones or colors to represent spatial data as average values per unit area.

Isoline Map

A thematic map with lines that connect points of equal value.

Dot Distribution Map

A map where dots are used to demonstrate the frequency or intensity of a particular phenomena

Cartogram Map

A map in which the shape or size is distorted in order to demonstrate a variable such as travel, population or economic production

graduated symbol map

A map with symbols that change in size according to the value of the attribute they represent.

Projection

a method of taking a 3D object and putting in on a 2D plane

Mercator Projection

a map projection of the earth onto a cylinder. Distorts the land area at the poles

Gall-Peters Projection

equal area projection that distorts the shape of land masses (looks stretched out)

Robinson Projection

A projection that maintains overall shapes and relative positions without extreme distortion. Most classrooms use this projection.

Scale

the relationship between the distance on the ground and the corresponding distance on a specific map

Absolute location

describing where something is using the exact site on an objective coordinate system

Relative location

describing the position of a place as compared to (or relative to!) another landmark

Absolute distance

describing how far a distance is quantitative units of distance (miles, kilometers, etc.)

Relative distance

describing the distance between locations using qualitative terms or non-traditional measurements of distance (one hour north of)

place

A specific point on Earth distinguished by particular characteristics.

location, site, and situation

the three different aspects of a place

site

The physical character of a place, including its geographic characteristics. For example the site of Istanbul includes the fact that it is on a land bridge connecting Asia and Europe, and also a water bridge (strait) connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean

location

the specific position of a place on Earth's surface

situation

the location of a place relative to the places that are around it- example: the situation of New Jersey is that it is part of a highly populated and connected area on the East Coast of the US

GIS (Geographic Information Systems)

software that captures, manages, analyzes, and displays data that is collected geographically

GPS (Global Positioning System)

a system that measures distance from a series of satellites to determine location on the planet

Remote sensing

the science of making measurements of the earth using sensors on airplanes or satellites

Geospatial

relating to data that is specific to one location

Quantitative data

objective data that is fact based, usually measurable and usually expressed in numbers

Census

an official count of individuals in a population (in the USA, it happens every 10 years)

Qualitative data

subjective information that is opinion based, is usually descriptive, and often expressed as text

Case study

detailed observations that provide insight into a group of people in a specific area

3 Types of Distribution

density, concentration, and pattern

Density

the number of things divided by the measurement of area

Concentration

how closely packed together objects are

pattern

any regular geometric arrangement that a geographer can identify to how a characteristic is distributed

Cultural Landscape

the title of our textbook and more importantly, the visible changes that humans make to the enviroment including buildings, crops, and signs

Culture

the social heritage of a group or their way of life - major components are language, religion, ethnicity, food, and roles

Hearth

a source of culture (where a culture began). For example, the US is the hearth of fast food

Diffusion

a feature or idea that is spread from its originating place, outward

Contagious diffusion

when a cultural trend is transmitted from person to person from an original source to numerous others, similar to a virus or viral video

Stimulus diffusion

when a feature or idea spreads, but is changed by those adopting the idea

Relocation diffusion

the physical spread of a feature or trait by people migrating

Hierarchical diffusion

the spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places

Expansion diffusion

a trend is spread from its originating place, outward

Distance decay

the idea that the interaction between two places declines as the distance between them increases

Region

a place larger than a point and smaller than a planet that is grouped together because of a measurable or perceived common feature

Formal region

a region that is based entirely on something that can be identified and documented or measured - all government areas are this because they share a government

Functional region

a region based around a node or focal point - terrestrial radio broadcasts are an example of this

Vernacular/perceptual region

an area that shares a common qualitative characteristic, it's only a region because people believe it's a region

Friction of distance

a metaphor that explains that effort must be used to overcome distance

Globalization

worldwide integration and development which results in the expansion of international cultural, economic, and political activities

Infrastructure

the basic facilities and installations that help a government or community run, including roads, schools, phone lines, sewage treatment plants and power generation

Natural resource

a physical material constituting part of Earth that people need and value

Scale of analysis

how zoomed in or out you are when looking at geographic data

Spatial

it's not as complicated as it sounds - a fancy word for describing how things are organized in space

Spatial distribution

arrangement of a phenomenon across the Earth's surface

Spatial Interaction

the flow of goods, people, or information among places, in response to localized supply and demand

Gravity Model of Spatial Interaction

the most important model in geography - (population1 x population2)/distance squared - the interconnectedness of 2 places depends on their distance and population

Temporal

relating to time

Sustainability

the goal of the human race reaching equilibrium with the environment; meeting the needs of the present without while also leaving resources for future generations

Time-space compression

the idea that the world feels smaller than it used to because of increased technology in transportation and communication

Uneven development

unequal distribution of people, resources, and wealth within a region

Environmental determinism

the belief that a physical environment is THE reason that some societies are strong while others are weaker

Environmental possibilism

the belief that a physical environment plays a role in the development of a society, but is NOT the ONLY factor at work

Sub-Saharan Africa

a geographic and cultural region located to the south of the world's largest desert

Middle East

the historical name for Southwest Asia, including Iran, Iraq, the Eastern Mediterranean (Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel) and the Arabian Peninsula

Southwest Asia

previously known as "the Middle East", it includes Iran, Iraq, the Eastern Mediterranean (Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel) and the Arabian Peninsula

Latin America

a geographic and cultural region that includes South America, Central America, and Mexico, as well as the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. Generally Spanish or Portuguese speaking and predominantly Catholic

Southeast Asia

the region south of China and east of India, composed of islands and peninsulas. Some Buddhist countries but also influenced by Islam

South Asia

the region south of the Himalayas, composed of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Primarily Hindu and Muslim. Nepal and Bhutan are Buddhist

Central Asia

the "stans". Many are predominantly Muslim and many are former republics of the Soviet Union

East Asia

Contains China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia

East Africa

Region of Africa considered to include Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi,Ethiopia & Somalia.

West Africa

a region of Africa that is close to the coast and includes Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal among other countries

North Africa

Region of Africa comprising the modern countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Culturally Muslim and ethnically Arab

Central Africa

Region of Africa that straddles the Equator and is drained largely by the Congo River system. Includes, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo among others

Southern Africa

A region including Namibia, Botswana Angola, Republic of South Africa, Zimbabwe