1.1 AMSCO Unit 1 Chapter 1 Terms

Spatial Patterns

The general arrangements of things being studied and the repeated sequences of events, or processes, that create them.

What is one of the most important tools used by Geographers

Maps

How are maps essential?

Help to organize information

Political maps

Show locations such as countries + boundaries

Physical Maps

Show natural features

Road maps

Show highways, streets, and alleys

Platte maps

Show property lines and details of land ownership

What are thematic Maps?

Show spatial aspects of information

Choropleth maps

Use different colors to show locations and quantitative data (like percentage of people who speak English)

(Greater intensity of color means the more of something there is)

Dot distribution maps (+dot density)

Show specific location of something across a map, each dot representing a specified quantity (a dot can stand for a school or millions of people who own dogs)

**Dots must be the same size

Graduated Symbol (Proportional symbol maps)

Use symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of something, the map key is used to know the exact amount.

Isoline maps (Isometric maps)

(First common, Elevation maps, second common, weather)

Use lines that connect points of equal value to depict variations in the data across space. Where lines are close, there is rapid change, and when the lines are farther apart, the phenomenon is relatively the same. The most common type of isoline maps are topographic maps.

Cartogram

Sizes of countries are shown according to some specific statistic. Useful since they allow for data to be compared like a graph.

Scale

It’s the ratio between the size of things in the real world and the size of those same things on the map.

Three types of scale

Cartographic, geographic, scale of data represented on the map

Cartographic scale

The way the map communicates the ratio of its size to the size of what it represents

Small-scale maps

Show a larger amount of area with less detail (Earth at night)

Large-scale maps

Smaller amount of area with a greater amount of detail (North America at night)

Spatial patterns

They’re the general arrangement of phenomena on a map.

Absolute location

It’s the precise spot where something is according to a system

Latitude and longitude

The TWO global grid lines used to pinpoint absolute location

Latitude

Distance north or south of the equator

Equator

Imaginary line that circles the globe exactly halfway between the North and South poles

Longitude

Distance east or west of the prime meridian

Prime Meridian

 An imaginary line that runs from pole to pole through Greenwich, England

What degree is the Prime Meridian?

Zero degrees longitude

International Date Line

Line that follows the prime meridian but makes deviations to accommodate international boundaries

Relative location

A description of where something is in relation to other things

Direction

Used in order to describe where things are in relation to each other. Cardinal directions or intermediate directions (southeast, southwest) are used to describe directions.

Can relative location change?

Over time and as accessibility changes

Can absolute value change?

No, stays the same

Distance

A measurement of how far or how near things are to one another

Absolute distance

Usually measured in terms of feet, miles, meters, or kilometers

Relative distance

Indicates the degree of nearness based on time or money and is often dependent on mode of transportation/travel.

Elevation

The distance of features above sea level, usually in feet or meters

Distribution

The way a phenomenon is spread out over an area; a description of the pattern of where specific phenomena are located.

6 types of distribution patterns

Clustered, circular, geometric, linear, random, dispersed

Purpose of a map projection

The process of showing a curved surface on a flat surface

Mercator projection purpose

Designed for navigation since the lines of directions are straight and easy to follow (weakness on global scale, land masses appear larger as you move north or south from the equator)

Strength of the Peters projection

Sizes of land masses are accurate

 Distortion of the conic projection

Direction is not constant, on a world map, longitude lines converge at only one pole.

Four distortions in the Robinson projection

Area, size, shape, direction