AP Human Geo Unit 1.2 Vocab

qualitative

involving data that is descriptive of a research subject and is often based on people’s opinions

quantitative

involving data that can be measured by numbers

census

an official count of the number of people in a defined area, such as a state

geographic information system (GIS)

a computer system that allows for the collection, organization, and display of geographic data for analysis

topography

the representation of Earth’s surface to show natural and human-made features, especially their relative positions and elevations

remote sensing

collecting or analyzing data from a location without making physical contact

global positioning system (GPS)

a network of satellites that orbit Earth and transmit location data to receivers, enabling users to pinpoint their exact location

cartographers

a person who creates maps

absolute distance

distance that can be measured using a standard unit of length

relative distance

distance determined in relation to other places or objects

absolute direction

the cardinal directions north, south, east, and west

relative direction

direction based on a person’s perception, such as left, right, up, or down

map scale

the relationship of the size of the map to the size of the area it represents on Earth’s surface

reference map

a map that focuses on the location of places

thematic map

any map that focuses on one or more variables to show a relationship between geographic data