Unit 1: Thinking Geographically

AP Human Geography

quantitative data

numeral data

qualitative data

observation based

spatial patterns

the absolute distance measured in feet or miles

relative distance

type of spatial pattern, measures the cultural, political, and social similarities between two places

absolute (cardinal) directions

type of spatial pattern, uses north, south, east, or west

relative direction

type of spatial pattern, describes a place in relation to another

clustering and dispersal

type of spatial pattern, shows how close/far things are from each other

elevation

measures height from sea level

large scale map

zoomed in and detailed

small scale map

zoomed out and less detailed (general)

reference map

designed to give general information about places

thematic map

shows geographic data

choropleth (thematic map)

visualizes data in different colors

cartogram (thematic map)

distorts the size of geographic shape to show difference in data

graduated symbol/proportional (thematic map)

uses different sized circles to represent data

dot distribution (thematic map)

uses dots to represent the location of different data points

isoline map (thematic map)

lines to show change in data (elevation)

all map are _________ in some way

distorted

usage and pros and cons: mercator

used for navigation

p: directions show accurately (latitude and longitude)

c: land near north and south poles are distorted

pros and cons: peters

p: land size is accurate

c: land shape (width) is distorted

pros and cons: goode homolosine

p: shapes are accurate

c: oceans are separate

usage and pros and cons: polar

views the world from the north or south pole

p: directions are accurate

c: land distorted away from the center

robinson map

has some distortion on all parts and is used my most geographers (combination of mercator and peters)

what are examples of geospatial technology?

global positioning system: collaboration of satellites that orbit the earth and your phone to track location

geographic information system: software used to analyze geographic data and answer research questions

remote sensing

satellite: visualize population patterns

arieal: learn details about a location

absolute location

a precise geographical location that uses latitude and longitude coordinates

relative location

describes location in reference to another

absoute distance

measured in feet or miles

what is relative distance measured in?

time or money

distance decay

the farther away things are the less connected they will be

time space compression

the distance between two places measured by time or money it costs to travel between them

what are some examples of non renewable and renewable resources?

non renewable: fossil fuels

renewable: trees

environmental determinism

that our environment determines our culture

why did the europeans use environmental determinism?

to justify them conquering africa and asia because they believed tropical environments were underdeveloped.

scale of analysis

how much of the world we are studying

what are the four types of scales of analysis?

global: whole planet

national: a country

regional: large chunks (regions)

local: states/cities

region

an area of land that has at least one unifying factor

formal region

geographic area linked by common traits

functional/nodal region

area oriented around a focal point

perceptual/vernacular region

defined by peoples shared beliefs and feelings (borders are vague)