AP HuGe Unit 1 Vocab

physical geography

the branch of geography dealing with natural features and processes

Census

the official count of a population every 10 years

human geography

The study of where and why human activities are located where they are

absolute location

Exact location of a place on the earth described by global coordinates

latitude

the distance in degrees north or south of the equator

equator

the imaginary center line of latitude that divides the northern and southern hemispheres.

longitude

Distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees

prime meridian

0 degrees longitude - passes through Greenwich, England

International Date Line

the line of longitude that marks where each new day begins, centered on the 180th meridian

Relative Location

the regional position or situation of a place relative to the position of other places

connectivity

the degree of linkage between locations from one another

accessibility

the relative ease with which a destination may be reached from some other place

place

A specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular character.

region

An area distinguished by a unique combination of trends or features.

site

The physical character of a place

situation

the location of a place relative to other places

toponym

name given to a portion of Earth's surface

distance

The length of a path between two points

proximity

nearness in space, time, or relationship

time-space compression

term for the reduction in time it takes for something to diffuse to a distance place

spatial interaction

movement of people, goods, info, etc between different places

friction of distance

the increase in time and cost that usually comes with increasing distance

distance-decay

contact diminishing with increasing distance and eventually disappear.

density

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

distribution

The arrangement of something across Earth's surface.

environmental determinism

the idea that human behavior is controlled by the physical environment

possibilism

the idea that the constraints caused by the physical environment can be overcome (usually with technology)

field observation

a study of a phenomenon in a natural setting

built environment

man-made or constructed parts of a landscape or area

Sustainability

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

patterns

recurring characteristics or events

map scale

the way the map communicates the ratio of its size to the size of what it represents

scale of analysis

amount of territory that a map represents; i.e., global scale is whole earth, local scale is small region

political map

A map showing units such as countries, states, provinces, districts, etc.

physical map

A map that shows mountains, hills, plains, rivers, lakes, oceans, etc.

thematic map

A map that shows a particular theme

a map that shows specialized information

choropleth map

A map that uses differences in shading or coloring to indicate statistical ranges.

dot distribution map

each dot represents an identical unit and conveys data by amount present

graduated symbol map

Contain symbols varying in size to show relative quantitative values

isoline map

map line that connects points of equal or very similar values

topographic map

A map that shows the surface features of an area.

cartogram

a type of map used to present statistical info - stretch

map projection

a way of representing the spherical Earth on a flat surface

Mercator map projection

accurately shows shape and direction, but distorts distance and size of land masses; used for navigation across and ocean

Robinson projection

The lines of latitude and longitude almost intersect at right angles except near edges.

Useful projection for display of oceans but land masses are distorted.

formal region (uniform or homogenous)

a group of places that have similar attributes, for example, a political region

functional region (nodal)

Consists of a central place and the surrounding places affected by it

perceptual region (vernacular)

a region defined by popular feelings and images rather than by objective data.

remote sensing

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

Geographic Information System (GIS)

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

quantitative data

Information obtained by counting or measuring

qualitative data

Information describing color, odor, shape, or some other physical characteristic