Pearson AP Human Geography Unit 1

Pearson AP Human Geography Unit 1

abiotic

composed of nonliving or inorganic matter

acculturation

the process of changes in culture that result from the meeting of two groups, each of which retains distinct cultural features

assimilation

the process by which a group's cultural features are altered to resemble those of another more dominant group

atmosphere

the thin layer of gases surrounding Earth

behavioral geography

the study of the psychological basis for individual human actions in space

biosphere

all living organisms on Earth, including plants and animals, as well as microorganisms

biotic

composed of living organisms

citizen science

scientific research by amateur scientists

climate

the long-term average weather at a particular location

concentration

the spread of something over a given area

conservation

the sustainable management of a natural resource

contagious diffusion

the rapid, widespread diffusion of a feature or trend throughout a population

cultural ecology

a geographic approach that emphasizes human-environment relationships

cultural landscape

an approach to geography that emphasizes the relationships among social and physical phenomena in a particular study area

culture

the body of customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits that together constitute a group's distinct tradition

density

the frequency with which something exists within a given unit of area

diffusion

the process of spread of a feature or trend from one place to another over time

distance decay

the diminished importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin

distribution

the arrangement of something across Earth's surface

ecology

the scientific study of ecosystems

ecosystem

a group of living organisms and the abiotic spheres with which they interact

environmental determinism

a nineteenth- and early twentieth-century approach to the study of geography that argued that the general laws sought by human geographers could be found in the physical sciences. Geography was therefore the study of how the physical environment caused human activities

expansion diffusion

the spread of a feature or trend among people from one area to another in an additive process

formal region

an area in which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics; also known as a uniform region.

nodal region

an area organized around a node or focal point

geographic information science

the development and analysis of data about Earth acquired through satellite and other electronic information technologies

geographic information system (GIS)

a computer system that stores, organizes, analyzes, and displays geographic data

geography

the study of where things are found on Earth's surface and the reasons for the locations

geotagging

identification and storage of a piece of information by its precise latitude and longitude coordinates

Global Positioning System (GPS)

a system that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers

Greenwich Mean Time

the time in the zone encompassing the prime meridian, or 0° longitude

hearth

the region from which innovative ideas originate

hierarchical diffusion

the spread of a feature or trend from one key person or node of authority or power to other persons or places

humanistic geography

the study of the different ways that individuals form ideas about place and give those places symbolic meanings

hydrosphere

all the water on and near Earth's surface

international date line

an arbitrary line approximately along the 180th meridian designated as the place where each calendar day begins

latitude

the numbering system used to indicate the location of parallels drawn on a globe and measuring distance north and south of the equator (0°)

lithosphere

Earth's crust and a portion of upper mantle directly beneath the crust

location

the position of anything on Earth's surface

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 (0°)

map

a two-dimensional, or flat, representation of Earth's surface or a portion of it

mashup

a map that overlays data from one source on top of a map provided by a mapping service

mental map

a representation of a portion of Earth's surface based on what an individual knows about a place that contains personal impressions of what is in the place and where the place is located

meridian

an arc drawn on a map between the North and South Poles

network

a chain of communication that connects places

nonrenewable resource

something produced in nature more slowly than it is consumed by humans

parallel

a circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at right angles to the meridians

participatory GIS

community-based mapping, representing local knowledge and information

pattern

the geometric or regular arrangement of something in a particular area

place

a specific point on Earth, distinguished by a particular characteristic

polder

land that the Dutch have created by draining water from an area

possibilism

the theory that the physical environment may set limits on some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives

poststructuralist geography

the study of space as the product of ideologies or value systems of ruling elites

preservation

the maintenance of resources in their present condition, with as little human impact as possible

prime meridian

the meridian, designated as 0° longitude, that passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England

projection

a system used to transfer locations from Earth's surface to a flat map

region

an area of Earth distinguished by a unique combination of trends or features

relocation diffusion

the spread of a feature or trend through bodily movement of people from one place to another

remote sensing

the acquisition of data about Earth's surface from a satellite orbiting the planet or from other long-distance methods

renewable resource

something produced in nature more rapidly than it is consumed by humans

resource

a substance in the environment that is useful to people, is economically and technologically feasible to access, and is socially acceptable to use

scale

generally, the relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole

site

the physical character of a place

situation

the location of a place relative to another place

space

the physical gap or interval between two objects

space-time compression

the reduction in time it takes to diffuse something to a distant place as a result of improved communication and transportation systems

spatial association

the relationship between the distribution of one feature and the distribution of another feature

stimulus diffusion

the spread of an underlying principle even though a specific characteristic is rejected

sustainability

the use of Earth's renewable and nonrenewable natural resources in ways that do not constrain resource use in the future

syncretism

the combining of elements of two groups into a new cultural feature

toponym

the name given to a portion of Earth's surface

transnational corporation

a company that conducts research, operates facilities, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters or shareholders are located

uneven development

the increasing gap in economic conditions between the core and peripheral regions as a result of the globalization of the economy

vernacular region

an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity; also known as a perceptual region

volunteered geographic information

creation and dissemination of geographic data contributed voluntarily and for free by individuals