AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY UNIT 1 VOCAB

Place

Place

Specific point on Earth, distinguished by a particular characteristic

Every place has its own unique location

Space

refers to the physical gap or interval between two objects or places

Scale

relationship between PORTION of earth being studied and earth as a WHOLE

ex. national, global, local

scale of analysis

the relative size of the map or lens we choose to use to observe geographical phenomena

Region

area on earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristic.

• Can be cultural, geographical, or both.

• ex: latin america, sub-saharan africa

Absolute Location

Position on Earth's surface using the coordinate system of longitude (that runs from North to South Pole) and latitude (that runs parallel to the equator)

Relative Location

the relationship of a place to other places

Cartography

the science of mapmaking

Choropleth

a thematic map in which areas are shaded or patterned in proportion to the measurement of the statistical variable.

Isoline

connects with lines all the places that have particular values

• ex: topographic map

Reference maps vs. Thematic maps

reference maps contain places and regions you can visit inside a country while thematic maps all have themes

reference map

contains places and regions you can visit inside a country

• shows us where in the world something is

thematic maps

have themes such as temperature or religions in a region

GIS

Geographic Information System

A computer system that stores, organizes, analyzes, and displays geographic data.

• Each type is stored in a layer. Can superimpose layers on top of each other to compare data

• Data is acquired through photogrammetry, remote sensing, and many other ways

GPS

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

Photogrammetry

the process of making surveys and maps through the use of aerial photographs

Remote Sensing

A method of collecting data or information through the use of instruments that are physically distant from the area or object of study.

Distance Decay

as the distance between two places increases, the interaction between those two places decreases

Time-space compression

The reduction in the time it takes to diffuse something to a distant place, as a result of improved communications and transportation system

Density

Frequency- how often does something occur in a given area

Concentration

how close or far apart things are in a given area

Pattern

arrangement of objects in space

• Could be a geometric, linear, or irregular.

• How things are arranged on the ground-street grids

Network

chain of communication/interaction that connects places

• help explain phenomena such as travel patterns, and diffusion (spread) of religions, languages, all other ideas.

Cultural Landscape

Combination of physical, economic, and cultural features that define an area may determine how we “make up” regions.

Formal/Uniform Regions

Regions with distinct, defined areas that cannot be debated. Formally agreed upon regions.

Ex: Saharan Africa, Middle East

Functional/Nodal Regions

focused on a center point that connects other areas culturally and/or economically

Ex: Wall Street, Down the shore, School district 

Vernacular/Perceptual Regions

No distinct political/ drawn boundaries

Ex: North/South/Central Jersey

Sustainability

the use of earth’s resources in ways that ensure their availability in the future

Renewable vs. Non-Renewable resources

Renewable: a natural resource which will replenish to replace the portion depleted by usage and consumption

Non-renewable: a natural resource that cannot be readily replaced by natural means at a pace quick enough to keep up with consumption

Cultural Ecology

The study of human-environment relationships

Environmental Determinism

you are a product of the world around you- it determines how you act and behave

• Most modern geographers, BUT NOT ALL, reject this

Environmental Possibilism

we can alter things around us to live the way we want to live

Why/how maps get distorted; reliability of maps

• because of their scale.

• When trying to make a map of the entire world, many details can be left out

• Different map projections often mess up the shape, distance, and relative size of areas

  • ex: the Mercator projection. 

why is every map different

• they don’t all use the same scale to project areas.

• All project the size of the Earth in a different way, making them all different.

• Some (thematic) are also used for completely different things like showing how much of something is in an area.

mercator pros and cons

it is good for sailing; however, it is still disproportionate

Robinson map

Shows the entire world at once but compromises both area and angles, especially at the poles

Goode map

provides an effective alternative to portraying global area relationships on the Mercator map and number of map projections is limitless; but, its distorted in terms of shape, distance, direction, or land area and impractical because of cutouts

Winkel map

Reasonably accurate shapes and sizes of countries but land masses closer to the poles still enlarged

Gall-Peters map

The only ‘area-correct’ map of its time, longitude and latitude is very accurate; but, Galled the cartographic community in the 1980s and not PERFECTLY accurate

Importance of geographic data & its influence on decision making

used at all scales for personal, business and organizational, and governmental decision making purposes

ex: census data and satellite imagery

global scale of analysis

shows the world at one level of data, usually not that useful (almost impossible to use)

ex: climate change

regional scale of analysis

shows data by continents or world regions

Ex: Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa

national scale of analysis

shows data for one or more countries

local scale of analysis

shows data at subnational level

Ex: states within the United States

ratio scale

example: 1:500,000 → 1 unit on the map (given by the key of the map… could be an inch, cm, foot, etc.)= 500,000 of the same unit on Earth itself

written scale

describes the scale in words.

ex: 1 centimeter equals 1000 miles

graphic scale

includes a bar line marked to show distance on the Earth’s surface. Need to measure with a ruler, a straightedge or even your fingers!

Larger vs. smaller ratio scales; usefulness of “zoomed in” or “zoomed out” maps

• Maps at smaller scales (more zoomed out)  are ideal for global & regional levels of analysis

• Maps at larger scales (more zoomed in) are ideal for local scale of analysis

factors that make up cultural landscapes

Trees, buildings, pathways, site furnishings, water bodies – basically any element that expresses cultural values and the history of a site.

global regions

ex: Latin America, Eastern Asia, Indian subcontinent, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, etc. 

national regions

ex: Northwest/New England, Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, West

local regions

Could be counties of NJ. Or, on an even smaller scale, regions of Bergen County itself! (example: Northern/Southern Bergen county.)

How humans interact with their environments AND factors that determine this 

• Sustainability, use of natural resources, and land use all display

• Humans…

  • Adapt to their environment

  • Modify their environment if needed

  • Depend on the environment 

3 pillars of sustainability

Environment: → conservation/preservation

Social: → consumer (human) choices about which resources to use and how

Economic: → do the price of goods that humans pay reflect their environmental costs? (ex: oil)