AP human geo- unit 1 vocab

Cartography

The science and practice of making maps. (In my own words: drawing and designing maps.)

Toponym

A place name on Earth. (Ex: Athens, Rome, Brazil.)

Map Scale

The relationship between map distance and real-world distance. (Ex: a school map shows details, a world map removes detail.)

Projection

A method of showing Earth’s round surface on a flat map. (In my own words: making a flat version of the globe.)

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

A computer tool that collects, analyzes, and displays geographic data. (Ex: using satellites to track land use or city planning.)

Remote Sensing

Collecting Earth data from a distance, usually with satellites. (Ex: tracking hurricanes, forest fires, or farmland health.)

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GPS

A U.S. satellite system that gives exact location and navigation. (Ex: Google Maps directions.)

Distortion

When map features look bigger or smaller than they actually are. (Ex: Greenland looks huge on the Mercator map.)

Absolute Location

The exact position of a place (latitude/longitude or address). (Ex: 40°N, 74°W = New York City.)

. Relative Location

Where a place is compared to other places. (Ex: “near the mall,” “west of Chicago.”)

Latitude / Parallel

Horizontal lines running east–west, parallel to the equator.

What is the equator?

0° latitude line dividing Earth into Northern & Southern Hemispheres.

Longitude / Meridian

What are lines of longitude?
Back: Vertical lines running north–south, measuring east/west of Prime Meridian.

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Prime Meridian / GMT

0° longitude line (through Greenwich, England), starting point for world time zones.

International Date Line

About 180° longitude, where one calendar day changes to the next.

Time Zones

Regions of Earth that follow the same standard clock time.

Model

: A simplified version of reality used to explain and predict patterns.

Cartogram

A map that changes the size of areas based on data (ex: population).

Dot Map

A map where dots show the presence/amount of something (ex: COVID cases).

Choropleth Map

A map shaded with colors to show intensity (darker = more).

Isoline Map

A map that uses continuous lines to connect equal values (ex: weather maps).

Concentration

How features are spread out (clustered vs. dispersed). (Ex: houses in city vs. rural area.)

Concentration

How features are spread out (clustered vs. dispersed). (Ex: houses in city vs. rural area.)

Diffusion

The spread of ideas, people, culture, or things across space.

Accessibility

How easy it is to reach a place. (Ex: airports make a city more accessible.)

Connectivity

How places/people are linked through communication or transport.

Contagious Diffusion

What is contagious diffusion?
Back: Rapid, widespread spread of something (like memes, diseases).

Transnational Corporation

A company that operates in multiple countries (ex: Coca-Cola, Apple).

Sustainability

Using resources wisely so future generations can use them too.

52. Stimulus Diffusion

An idea spreads but gets changed/adapted. (Ex: McDonald’s menu in India).

Space-time Compression

Technology makes places feel “closer” (ex: texting across the world instantly).

Situation

A place’s location relative to other places.

Site

The physical characteristics of a location.

Relocation Diffusion

Spread of traits through people moving (ex: immigrants bringing food/language).

Place

A specific location with unique physical & human traits.

Hierarchical Diffusion

Spread from powerful/influential people or places to less influential ones.

Hearth

The place where something originates (ex: jazz in New Orleans).

Globalization

The worldwide interconnectedness of people, culture, and trade.

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Vernacular Region

: An area people believe exists, based on culture or identity (ex: “the South”).

Functional Region

An area organized around a central point (ex: Wi-Fi range, TV station).

Formal Region

An area where everyone shares one trait (ex: laws, language, political vote).

Expansion Diffusion

An idea spreads outward but stays strong at its origin. (Ex: K-pop in Korea & worldwide.)

Possibilism

The idea that humans shape their environment using culture & technology.

Environmental Determinism

The (discredited) idea that environment strictly shapes human behavior.

Distribution

The arrangement of things across Earth’s surface.

Distance Decay

The farther things are apart, the less they interact.

Density

The number of something in a given area (ex: people per sq. mile).

Culture

Shared beliefs, values, traditions, and lifestyles of a group.

Sequent Occupance

Successive cultures leaving marks on a place (ex: Rome’s ruins, modern city).

Sense of Place

Emotional connection people feel to a location.

Region

An area defined by common traits (ex: language, climate, politics).

Climate

The long-term average of weather in a region.

Cultural Landscape

Land shaped by human activity (ex: cities, farms, monuments).

Cultural Ecology

How humans interact with and adapt to their environment.