Thinking Geographically 1.1

Vocabulary flashcards covering introductory geographical concepts, map types, location, scale, and map projections based on the Thinking Geographically 1.1 lecture.

Geography

The study of interactions between humans and the physical environment, often described as "the why of where."

Cartography

The science or practice of mapmaking.

Maps

$2D$ projections of the world or patterns used as important tools to organize observations.

Reference Maps

Maps people use to refer to for general information about places, such as political, physical, road, or plat maps.

Political Map

A type of reference map that shows human-created boundaries such as countries, states, and cities.

Physical Map

A type of reference map that identifies natural features like mountains, rivers, and deserts.

Road Map

A reference map designed to show highways and roads for navigation.

Plat Map

A reference map that shows the divisions of a piece of land and property lines.

Thematic Maps

Maps that show spatial aspects of information or of a specific phenomenon.

Choropleth Map

A thematic map that uses colors or shading to represent spatial data and variables.

Dot Distribution Map

A thematic map where dots are used to represent the presence or quantity of a phenomenon in a specific area.

Graduated Symbol Map

A thematic map that uses symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts or the magnitude of a variable.

Isoline Map

A thematic map with lines that connect points of equal value; a topographic map is a common type.

Cartogram

A map that distorts the size of geographic areas to represent a specific statistical variable.

Scale

The ratio between the size of things in the real world and the size of those same things on a map.

Small-scale maps

Maps that show a larger amount of area with less detail.

Large-scale maps

Maps that show a smaller amount of area with a greater amount of detail.

Latitude

The measurement of distance north or south of the equator.

Longitude

The measurement of distance east or west of the prime meridian.

Relative Location

Also known as situation; the description of where something is in relation to other things.

Connectivity

A measure of how well two locations are tied together by roads or other links.

Accessibility

How quickly and easily people in one location can interact with people in another location.

Absolute Location

Also known as site; the definitive place something occupies on Earth, typically measured using latitude and longitude (e.g., $(34.25 N, -84.21 W)$).

Absolute Distance

The exact physical measurement between two places in units like $miles$ or $feet$.

Relative Distance

The degree of nearness between places based on factors like time or money.

Elevation

The distance something is above sea level; it affects climate and the ability to grow crops.

Pattern / Distribution

The general arrangement or spread of a phenomenon over a specific area.

Clustered / Agglomerated

A distribution pattern where objects or phenomena are grouped closely together.

Linear Pattern

A distribution pattern where items are arranged in a line, such as along a rail map.

Dispersed Distribution

A pattern where phenomena are spread out far apart from each other.

Geometric Distribution

A pattern where things are arranged in a regular, geometric shape or grid.

Map Projections

The process of attempting to show the Earth's curved surface on a flat surface, which always results in some distortion.

Mercator Projection

A map designed for navigation where direction lines are straight, but land masses appear larger near the poles.

Peters Projection

A map used for spatial distributions where the sizes of land masses are accurate, but the shapes are distorted.

Conic Projection

Used mainly for midlatitude countries; size and shape are close to reality, but direction is not constant.

Robinson Projection

A general usage map with an oval shape that slightly distorts area, shape, size, and direction to look like a globe.