Sosci Flashcards Sections I-IV: until law 11 of ravenstein, pg. 86

Human geography

How human activities vary across different locations

Spatial perspective

The reasons why phenomena occur in certain places

Cartography

the discipline and methodology of creating visual representations of the Earth

Absolute location

An area indicated by a pointer

Latitude

Parallel lines demonstrating relative distance north and south of the equator

What are longitude lines also called

Also called meridians

Longitude

Measure relative distance east and west of the prime meridian

coordinate system

used to pinpoint exact location of objects on Earth's surface

Longitude lines are also called...

Meridians

Prime meridian

An imaginary line running through the Royal Observatory in Greenwhich, England

Represents 0 degrees longitude mark.

Where do the meridians meet?

North and South poles

Types of maps (2)

Reference maps

Thematic maps

Reference maps

Any map providing info about the location

Thematic maps

Illustrate variables on a defined region

Political maps

Show boundaries, capital cities, urban areas

Physical maps

Show landforms

Road maps

Show roads

Topographic maps

Use isolines to show elevation

Isoline maps

Points of equal value are connected to show relationship and char. across locations

Choropleth maps

Use different shades/colors to represent density/intensity

Dot distribution/dot density maps

Show data frequency through dot density and locations

Graduated symbol maps

Compare data quantity across an area

- Dot size = populations, the circle also might show data

(Figure 4 in Resource Guide)

Flowline maps

Arrows of different sizes show movement, direction, intensity of data

Absolute distance

The measure of the distance

Accessibility

How easy it is to get from one location to another

Cartogram maps

Use visual distortions to demonstrate relative variables

Mental map

A mental map litterally

Very complex and imaginative

Time-space compression

As tech increases, less differences exist between far areas (ex. social media)

Distance decay effect

As space between places grow, the interaction is less

Globalization

Connection between the world (think social media, large brands, etc.)

Relative location

A location based on the location of another

(Think of home to your school vs friend's home to your school)

Clustering

Close grouping within a location

Disperal

Even/random distribution of data across a location

Elevation

How high or low things are compared to sea level

Scale

Relationship between distances in representations vs reality

Ratio scales

Scales as a ratio in a map

1:3,000

Written scales

AKA verbal scales

It is written out

Graphic scales

A bar divided into segments shows how much distance one segment of the bar is

Projection

Process of transferring geographical locations onto a map

Shape

The boundaries and form of a location

Size

The actual area of locations

Distance

The physical separation between two locations

Mercator projections

Preserve shape and direction, but size is distorted

(Greenland is larger than it actually is in this case)

Peters projection

Also known as Gall-Peters

Relative sizes but alters shapes of landmasses

Equal-area projections

Keep sizes but sacrifices shape

Robinson projection

Balance eveything, compromise of everything

Geographic data

Literally, geographic data (data of the environment that helps for research and such)

Spatial data

Physical information

Non-spatial data

Characteristics of location, like population, income, etc.

Field data

Things like survesy, photographs, notes, etc.

GIS

Geographic Information System - One layer out of many layers of a map (like just streets, just land usage, etc.)

GPS

Global Positioning System - shows precise location of something through tools (satellites aka remote sensing)

Remote sensing

Utilizes satellites/aircraft to obtain spatial information

Quantitative data

Data from mathematical and statistical models

Qualitative data

Linked to human-centered perspectives (ex. interviews)

Toponyms

Name identifiers of locations

(ex: St. Louis, Gulf Coast, etc)

Natural features

Characteristics of locations (lakes, rivers, mountains, etc.)

Human features

Characteristics of locations made by humans (cities, roads, etc)

Cultural landscape

A natural environment that is altered by humans to reflect distinct characteristics of a specific culture

Gerrymandering

Configuration of voting boundaries to favor one political party

Renewable resources

Solar energy

Wind

Hydropower

Geothermal

Biomass

Nonrenewable resources

Oil

Coal

Nuclear

Natural gas

Functional regions

Defined by a central hub organizing movement and activity

Examples of renewable resources

Solar energy

Wind energy

Hydropower

Geothermal energy

Biomass energy

Examples of nonrenewable resources

Oil

Coal

Natural gas

Minerals

Nuclear

National scale

One country OR data across regions within that country

place

has a specific value and is either shaped by physical characteristics or by abstract qualities attributed by humans

space

Local scale

Cities, neighborhoods, districts

Map scale

The relationship between map size and real-world size (remember the 3 types of scales?)

flows

illustrate how things move from one place to another

relocation diffusion

the spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another

expansion diffusion

The spread of a feature or trend among people from one area to another in a snowballing process.

Hierarchical diffusion

When ideas or products spread from wealthier groups to others

Contagious diffusion

The rapid, widespread diffusion of a feature or trend throughout a population.

Stimulus diffusion

When a factor is adapted to a new location (ex. syncretic religions)

sense of place

the subjective meaning people attach to specific locations

placelessness

when a place lacks distinctive features attributed by nature or humans

environmental sustainability

protection of ecosystems and preservation of resources from exploitation

economic sustainability

preservation of economic growth, prevents resource or system collapse over time

social sustainability

establishment of equity across places

environmental determinism

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

environmental possibilism

humans shape what is possible in their environment

climate change

shifts in climate patterns, nonrenewable resource consumption

urban sprawl

The process of urban areas expanding outwards, usually in the form of suburbs, and developing over fertile agricultural land.

scale of analysiss

level that geographer investigates or presents a location

global scale

global

regional scale

multiple countries or large portions of single country

national scale

nation

local scale

examining neighborhoods, cities, districts, etc.

map scale

The relationship between the size of an object on a map and the size of the actual feature on Earth's surface.

Formal regions

areas in which certain characteristics are found throughout the area

Functional region

Defined by a central node or hub organizing movement and activity

vernacular regions

Perceptual regions, folk regions

cultural perceptions are present in the area

Site

A location's physical characteristics

Situation

How a place is connected to other locations

Cultural geography

The study of how cultures differ across space, change over time, and spread to new locations

Culture

The customs, art expressions, social norms, institutions, and other characteristics of a social group

Material culture

The physical component of culture (ex. tools, weapons, utensils, etc.)

Nonmaterial culture

Non-physical components of culture (ex. language, moral principles, etc.)