AP Human Geography Unit 1 CED

geography

geography

the study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these, including the distribution of populations and resources, land use, and industries

thematic map

show spatial aspects of information or of a phenomenon

reference map

generalized map type designed to show general spatial properties of features

place

uniqueness of a location (or similarity of two or more locales); phenomena within an area

formal region

homogeneous region is an area within which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics. The shared feature could be a cultural value such as a common language, or an environmental climate

perceptual (vernacular) region

a place that people believe exists as a part of their cultural identity. Such regions emerge from peoples informal sense of place rather than from scientific models developed through geographic thought

functional region

area organized around a node or focal
point; the characteristic will diminish in importance as it spreads outward. This region is tied to the central point by transportation or communication
systems or by economic or functional associations

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

collection of computer hardware and software permitting spatial data to be collected, recorded, stored, retrieved, used, and displayed

remote sensing

method of collecting data or information through the use of instruments (e.g., satellites) that are physically distant from the area or object of study

absolute direction

A compass direction such as north or south.

absolute distance

Exact measurement of the physical space between two places.

relative direction

Directions such as left, right, forward, backward, up, and down based on people's perception of places

relative distance

A measure of distance that includes the costs of overcoming the friction of absolute distance separating two places. Often relative distance describes the amount of social, cultural, or economic, connectivity between two places.

clustering

Gathering close together; forming in a group

dispersed/dispersal

distributed or spread over a considerable area

satellite navigation system

a device used to plot the user's position on a map, using GPS technology to obtain the location

possibilism

The theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives.

environmental determinism

A theory that claims that cultural traits are formed and controlled by environmental conditions.

space

implies the extent of a area and can be in a relative and absolute sense

sustainability

The use of Earth's renewable and nonrenewable natural resources in ways that do not constrain resource use in the future.

time-space compression

an influence on the rate of expansion diffusion of an idea, observing that the spread or acceptance of an idea is usually delayed as distance from the source of the innovation increases.

distance decay

the diminishing in importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin.

landscape analysis

using field observation, spatial data, and aerial photography to gather data to define and describe landscapes

photographic Interpretation

the identification, description and measurement of objects in images, especially in aerial photographs, for geologic, cartographic or military purposes

census data

geospatial data collected through the quantification of a population which can include details of race, religion, gender, etc.

relative location

a relative location is the position of something relative to another landmark

site

a physical character of a place, such as characteristics like climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation, latitude, and elevation

situation

The location of a place relative to other places; valuable to indicate location: finding an unfamiliar place and understanding its importance by comparing location with familiar one and learning their accessibility to other places

absolute location

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

elevation

The altitude of a place above sea level

map projection

a way of representing the spherical Earth on a flat surface

natrual resources

Materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain

land use

The ways in which people use a particular area of Earth's surface; for example, for farming, development, or preservation

pattern

The geometric or regular arrangement of something in a study area.

flows

process or movements of a particular phenomenon, such as people, goods or information.

satellite imagery

Photos of the earth taken from orbiting satellites. Images can be taken in a variety of forms so as to detect specific information about the earth, vegetation and other types of land cover.

field observation

the act of physically visiting a location, place, or region and recording, firsthand, information there

media reports

Articles published by newspapers and magazines

travel narrative

The "representation" of a story- the story of someone traveling somewhere with firsthand accounts

personal interview

A face-to-face conversation in which a researcher surveys an individual to obtain research data