APHG Vocabulary (UNIT 1)

Physical Geography

the study of spatial characteristics of various natural elements of the physical environment

Human Geography

the study of spatial characteristics of humans and human activities

Four-Level Analysis

Four-Level Analysis is a framework for analyzing different sources of data. Level 1 is comprehension, Level 2 is identification, Level 3 is explanation, and Level 4 is prediction.

Analyze

to break down into parts and study each part carefully

Theory

a system of ideas and concepts that attempt to explain and prove why or how interactions have occurred or will occur in the future.

Concepts

key vocabulary, ideas and building blocks geographers use to describe our world

Processes

a series of steps or actions that explain why or how geographic patterns occur

Models

representations of reality or theories about reality, to help geographers see general spatial patterns, focus on the influence of specific factors and understand variations from place to place

Spatial Models

spatial models look like stylized maps, and illustrate theories about spatial distributions

Nonspatial Models

nonspatial models illustrate theories and concepts using words, graphs, or tables. They often depict changes over time rather than across space with more accuracy than spatial models

Time-Distance Decay

things, such as cities, near each other are more closely connected or related than things that are far apart

Spatial Patterns

the general arrangement of things being studied

Networks

a set of interconnected entities, sometimes called nodes

Quantitative Data

any information that can be measured and recorded using numbers

Geospatial Data

both quantitative and spatial data as one. there is a geographic location component and is often used with geographic information systems

Qualitative Sources

sources that are not usually represented by numbers

Scales of Analysis

scale analysis is a geographers ability to look at topics at a local, regional, country, or global scale

Reference Maps

maps designed for people to hold easy access for general information about a place

Political Maps

designed to show and label human-created boundaries and designations

Physical Maps

designed show and label natural features

Road Maps

designed to show and label highways, streets and alleys

Plat Maps

designed to show and label property lines and details of land ownership

Thematic Maps

maps designed to show spatial aspects of information or a phenomenon

Choropleth Maps

maps that use various colors, shades of a color or patterns to show location and distribution of spatial data

Dot Distribution Maps

maps that use dots in order to show the specific location and distribution of something across an area, with each dot representing a specific quantity

Graduated Symbol Maps

maps that use different symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of something. larger sizes indicate more, and smaller sizes indicate less.

Isoline Maps

also called isometric maps, isoline maps use lines that connect points of equal value to depict variations in the data across space. Lines close together = rapid change, lines far apart = slower change

Topographic Maps

the most common types of isoline maps, with points of equal elevation connected

Cartogram

a “map” where the sizes of countries (or states, counties or other areal units) or displayed according to some specific statistic. the actual sizes of areas are distorted to better show the information

Scale

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

Cartographic Scale

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

Small-Scale Maps

a map that shows a large area with less detail

Large Scale-Maps

a map that shows a smaller area with more detail

Absolute Location

the precise spot where something is according to a system, most commonly longitude and latitude

Latitude

the distance north or south of the equator

Equator

an imaginary line that circles the globe at exactly 0 degrees latitude

Longitude

the distance east or west of the prime meridian

Prime Meridian

an imaginary line that runs from pole to pole at exactly 0 degrees longitude

International Date Line

a line that is located roughly along the prime meridian but makes deviations to accommodate the system

Relative Location

a description of where something is in relation to other things

Connectivity

how well two locations are tied together by roads or other link

Accessibility

how quickly and easily people in one location can interact with people in another location

Direction

used in order to describe where things are in relation to each other

Distance

a measurement of how far or near things are to one another

Absolute Distance

a distance measured in terms of feet, miles, meters, or kilometers

Relative Distance

indicates the degree of nearness based on time or money and is often dependant on the mode of travel

Elevation

the distance of features above sea level, usually measured in feet or meters

Distribution

the way a phenomenon is spread out over an area

Patterns

the general arrangement of things, in the distribution of phenomena across space that gives clues about causes or effects of the distribution

Clustered / Agglomerated

phenomena arranged in a group or concentrated area

Linear

phenomena arranged in a straight lineDispersed

Dispersed

phenomena aree spread out over a large area

Circular

phenomena are equally spaced from a central point, forming a circle

Geometric

phenomena are in a regular arrangement

Random

phenomena appear to have no order to their position

Spatial Approach

considerment of the arrangement of the phenomena being studied across the surface of the earth

Space

the area between two phenomena

Location

the identification of where certain phenomena are located

Place

the specific human and physical characteristics of a location

Region

a group of places in the same area that share a characteristic

Site

the characteristics at the immediate location of a place

Situation

the location of a place relative to its surroundings and its connectivity to other places

Sense of Place

the perception of a place based off beliefs and feelings

Toponyms

locations designated using place names

Time-Space Compression

the shrinking of “time-distance,” or relative distance, between locations because of improved methods of transportation and communication

Spatial Interaction

the contact, movement, and flow of things between locations

Flow

the patterns and movement of ideas, people, products and other phenomena

Friction of Distance

when things are further apart, they tend to be less connected

Distance Decay

the inverse relationship between distance and connection

Spatial Association

matching patterns of distribution; indicates that two or more phenomena may be related or associated with one another

Human Environmental Interaction

the connection and exchange between humans and the natural world

Natural Resource

all items that occur in the natural environment that people can use

Renewable Natural Resource

theoretically unlimited resource that will not be depleted based on the usage from people

Non-Renewable Natural Resource

resources that are limited and can be exhausted by human use

Sustainability

using resources in a way that allow their use in the future while minimizing the negative effects on the environment

Land-Use

the study of how land is utilized, modified and organized by people

Built Environment

the physical artifacts that humans have created and that form part of the landscape, in their understanding of land use

Cultural Landscape

anything built by humans in different places that pertain to their culture

Cultural Ecology

the study of how humans adapt to the environment

Environmental Determinism

the belief that land-forms and climate are the most powerful forces shaping human behavior and societal development while ignoring the influence of culture

Possibilism

a view that acknowledges limits on the effects of the natural environment and focuses more on the role that human culture plays

Geographic Scale

the area of the world being studied

Global Scale

a map showing the entire world

World Regional Scale

a map showing multiple countries of the world

National Scale

a map showing one country

National Regional Scale

a map showing a portion of a country or a region(s) withing a country

Local Scale

a map showing a province, state, city, county or neighborhood

Aggregation

the act of geographers organizing data into different scales

Region

geographic areas created by people to divide and categorize space into smaller areal units

Formal Region

regions united by one or more of the following traits: political, physical, cultural or economic

Functional Region

regions organized around a focal point and are defined by an activity that occurs across the region

Perceptual Region

regions defined by the informal sense of place that people ascribe to them

Subregions

distinctive parts of a region divided up by geographers