1-2 AP Human Vocab

This flashcard set is derived from a list of unit one AP Human Geography Vocab. The name is deceiving, it's not actually Unit 1 AND 2, I just don't want to change it.

Human Geography

The study of the relationship between people and their environments, focusing on how human culture interacts with the natural environment and the way locations and places can affect individuals and societies.

Reference Maps

Maps that show the location of the geographical features of an area, helping to identify where specific places are without additional thematic information.

Thematic Maps

Maps that emphasize specific themes or data, such as population density or climate, rather than just geographical features.

Chloropleth Map

A type of thematic map that uses different shades or colors to represent data values, such as population density or economic indicators, across geographic areas.

Cartogram map

A thematic map that distorts the size of geographic areas based on the value of a particular variable, such as population or economic data.

Dot Map

A type of thematic map that uses dots to represent the presence or frequency of a particular phenomenon within a given area, helping to visualize spatial distribution.

Graduated (proportional)

symbol map that uses varying sizes of symbols to represent data values across geographic areas.

Isoline Map

A thematic map that uses lines to connect points of equal value, such as temperature or elevation, illustrating gradual changes across a landscape.

Flow Line Map

A type of map that uses arrows of varying thickness to show the direction and volume of movement of people, goods, or information between locations.

Absolute Location

the exact position of a place on the Earth's surface, usually expressed in coordinates of latitude and longitude.

Longitude

the geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface, measured in degrees from the Prime Meridian.

Latitude

the geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the Earth's surface, measured in degrees from the Equator.

Symbol Map

A thematic map that uses symbols to represent data or information about a specific geographic area, allowing for visual comparison of different locations.

Clustering

the arrangement of objects in a specific area, indicating concentration or grouping patterns in spatial data.

Dispersal

the pattern of spacing among individuals within a given area, indicating how they are spread out or scattered.

Elevation

the height above a given level, often sea level, which is used to describe the topography of a geographic area.

Place

a specific point on Earth distinguished by its unique characteristics, including physical, cultural, and social attributes.

International Date Line

an imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole, primarily along the 180th meridian, where the date changes by one day when crossed.

Prime Meridian

the meridian at 0 degrees longitude, which divides the Eastern and Western Hemispheres and is the reference line for Greenwich Mean Time.

Relative Location

the position of a place in relation to other locations, often described using distance, direction, or landmarks.

Map Projection Distortions

the inaccuracies that occur when representing the three-dimensional Earth on a two-dimensional map, affecting area, shape, distance, and direction.

Goode’s Interrupted Projection

a map projection that minimizes distortion by using a series of interruptions, particularly useful for displaying global data.

Mercator Projection

a cylindrical map projection that distorts size and shape, especially near the poles, but preserves angles and direction, making it useful for navigation.

Robinson Projection

a map projection that attempts to balance the distortions of area, shape, distance, and direction, creating visually appealing representations of the entire world.

Azimuthal Projection

a map projection that represents the earth's surface from a specific point, preserving direction from that point, often used for polar regions.

Gall-Peters Projection

a cylindrical map projection that emphasizes area by maintaining proportional sizes of landmasses, resulting in distortion of shape and angles.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

a framework for gathering, managing, and analyzing spatial and geographic data, often used in mapping and spatial analysis.

Global Positioning System

a satellite-based navigation system that provides location and time information anywhere on Earth.

Remote Sensing

the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact, typically through satellite or aerial imagery.

Census

the systematic enumeration and collection of data about a population, often used for demographic analysis.

Distance Decay

the concept that geographical distance affects the interactions and connections between people, with closer locations having stronger relationships than those further apart.

Time-Space Compression

the phenomenon where advancements in technology and communication reduce the time it takes for people and information to travel across distances, leading to increased interconnectedness.

Friction of Distance

emphasizes that greater distances typically require more time and resources to traverse, impacting social and economic exchanges.

Sustainability

a concept that refers to the use of natural resources in a way that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Environmental Determinism

Environmental Determinism is the theory that human behaviors, cultures, and societal developments are shaped and constrained by the physical environment.

Possibilism

The concept that the natural environment places constraints on human activity, but humans can adapt to some environmental limits while modifying others using technology.

Scale

the relationship between the distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the ground

Scales of Analysis

The 4 most common types of scales of analysis in AP Human Geography are local, national, regional, & global.

Scale of Inquiry

Scale of inquiry is asking what is the best scale of analysis to use for a topic.

Regional Boundaries

Regional boundaries are where the territory of one region ends and the territory of the next region begins.

Formal (uniform) Region

Formal regions are uniform or homogeneous areas where everyone in that region shares common attributes or traits like language, climate or political system. Formal regions are primarily used to determine and outline political, cultural and economic regions.

Functional (Nodal) Region

A functional region is also called a nodal region because it is defined by a social or economic function that occurs between a node or focal point and the surrounding areas.

Perceptual (Vernacular) Region

A perceptual or vernacular region is defined by feelings and prejudices that may or may not be true. It can also be an idea of a person's mental map.

Built Landscape

an area of land represented by its features and patterns of human occupation and use of natural resources.

Cultural Landscape

A cultural landscape is the visible imprint of human activity on the natural environment, showcasing the interplay between culture and nature. This concept illustrates how human practices, beliefs, and values shape the physical environment, reflecting aspects like architecture, agriculture, and land use.

Carl Sauer

The idea of “cultural landscapes” is most closely associated with the geographer Carl Sauer, who first defined them. Sauer argued that all regions of the Earth were impacted by human behavior and had been altered by human interaction, he also believed that cultural landscapes were the most important branch of geographic inquiry.

Time Zones

Time zones are separated by approximately 15 degrees longitude. Since there are 24 hours in 1 day, there are 24 time zones on Earth. As the Earth completes one full rotation of 360 degrees in 24 hours, the distance between time zones in degrees can be found by dividing 360 degrees by 24 time zones.

Toponym

A toponym is a name given to a place or geographic feature, often reflecting the culture, history, or characteristics of that location.

Sequent Occupancy

The notion that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape.

More Developed Country (MDC)

a nation that has achieved a high level of economic growth and advanced technological infrastructure, resulting in a high standard of living for its citizens.

Less Developed Country (LDC)

nations with a lower level of industrialization, lower standards of living, and lower Human Development Index (HDI) scores compared to developed countries.

Emerging Economy

a nation that is transitioning from a low income, less developed status to a more advanced economic position.

Globalization

The expansion of economic, political, and cultural processes to the point that they become global in scale and impact.

Interdependence

the mutual reliance between countries, regions, or communities where each party depends on the others for resources, goods, and services.

Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory (Dependency Theory)

Dependency theory suggests that core countries, which are rich, take resources from peripheral countries, which are poor.

Core/Semi-Periphery/Periphery

Core countries are wealthy, militarily strong, and hold significant social power and colonial power. Peripheral countries are poor, have exploitable resources, and do not possess great social stability or government. Semi-peripheral countries have some of the characteristics of core and peripheral countries.

Five Themes of Geography

location, place, region, movement, and human-environment interaction.

Eratosthenes

Ancient Greek mathematician and geographer who is notable for determining the circumference of the Earth using geometry.

Expansion Diffusion

Expansion diffusion is when innovations spread to new places while staying strong in their original locations

Hierarchal Diffusion

when an idea spreads by passing first among the most connected individuals, then spreading to other individuals.

Stimulus Diffusion

often occurs when a dominant culture introduces an idea or technology to a less dominant culture, which then modifies it based on local customs

Contagious Diffusion

involves the rapid spread of cultural traits directly through personal interactions within a population, regardless of social hierarchy

Relocation Diffusion

occurs when people move from their original location to another and bring their innovations with them.

Hearth

the geographic origin or center where a particular cultural trait, innovation, or practice begins and then spreads to other areas.

Site

Site refers to the physical and natural characteristics of a place, such as its terrain, climate, and resources

Situation

while situation describes the location of a place relative to other places and its connectivity to them.

Spatial Information

providing insights into land use patterns, population density, and infrastructure development.

Qualitative Data

data representing information and concepts that are not represented by numbers

Quantitative Data

measures of values or counts and are expressed as numbers

Density

A measurement of how many people or structures occupy a given area, typically expressed as units per acre or square mile.

Pattern

recurring characteristics or trends that can be observed in geographic data, reflecting spatial relationships and distributions

Syncretism

the blending of different beliefs, practices, and cultural elements to form a new, cohesive system.

Assimilation

the process through which individuals or groups from one culture adopt the customs, values, and behaviors of another culture, often leading to a loss of their original cultural identity.

Acculturation

The adoption of cultural traits, such as language, by one group under the influence of another.

Concentration

the spatial distribution of individuals within a specific area, indicating how densely populated certain locations are compared to others.