APHUG AP Exam

reference maps

maps design for people to refer to general information about places.

• Two main types are political and physical

Thematic Mpas

maps used as a communications tool that ell us how human activites are distributed

Spatial Patterns represented on a map

• Absolute and relative distance

• Clustering: bunched together

• Dispersal: spread out

• Elevation: height

Mercator map

Shape and directions of countries are fairly accurate but greatly distorted toward poles.

Robinson Map

Everything is distorted in small amounts

Goode Map

Continent sizes are accurately portray, but directions and distance aren’t accurate

Gall peters map

shape of countries especially near the equator are distorted

Geospatial Data

all information including physical features and human activites

Geographic Information System(GIS)

a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface

GPS(Geographic Positioning System)

a system that uses data from satellites to pinpoint a location on earth and help people find their way to a destination

Remote sensing

refers to the process of taking pictures of the earths surface from satellites to provide a greater understanding of the earths geography over large distances

• spatial information can come from written accounts in the form of field observations, media reports, travel narratives, policy documents, personal interviews, landscape analysis, and photographic interpretation.

Census data

an official count of individuals in a population (in the US it happens every year)

Absolute location

The precise spot where something is located

Relative location

Where something is in relation to other things

Space

Extent of a area and can be in a relative and absolute sense

Place

refers to the specific human and physical characteristics of a location

Distance decay

A geographical term which describes the effect of distance on cultural or spatial interactions

Time-space compression

the increasing sense of connectivity that seems to be bringing people closer together even though the distances are the same

Pattern

The geometric or regular arrangement of something in an area

Scale

The relationship between the distance on the ground and the corresponding distance on a specific map - also a concept describing how zoomed in your are while studying a geographic trait

Sustainability

the goal of the human race reaching equilibrium with the environment; meeting the needs of the present while also leaving resources for future generations

Natural resources

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

Environmental determinism

how the physical environment cause social development

Possibilism

the physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment

Scale of Analysis

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

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 on quantitative data - 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 Region

a region that shares a common qualitative characteristic, its only a region because people believe its a region