Unit #1 Thinking Geographically

Eratosthenes

An ancient Greek mathematician and geographer, famous for determining the circumference of the Earth using geometry.

Ptolemy

A Greek astronomer, mathematician, geographer and author of Guide to Geography which included maps containing a grid system of latitude and longitude.

George Perkins Marsh

One of the most well-regarded geographers and environmentalists of the 19th century, argued that mankind has a destructive influence on the condition of the environment in his seminal work Man and Nature (1864)

The Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia)

The name given to a region of the Middle East that was particularly fertile several thousand years ago; thus, it was the first place where the Neolithic Revolution (First Agricultural Revolution) took place.

Carl Sauer

An American geographer, who argued that all regions of the Earth were impacted by human behavior and had been altered by human interaction (Nature + Culture = Cultural Landscape).

Spatial Perspective

The characteristics, location, and relationship between places and features on the Earth in order to explain the spatial expression of human behavior patterns ("Why" and "How").

Functional (Nodal) Region

A geographic area organized around a node, or center point, often based around economic activities, travel, or communication.

Formal (Uniform) Region

A geographic area with common attributes, traditionally defined by economic, social, political, or environmental characteristics.

Vernacular (Perceptual or Cognitive) Region

A geographic area that has no perfect definition, it only exists because of people's beliefs, feelings, and attitudes of the region.

Complementarity

The actual or potential relationship between two places, usually referring to economic interactions

Intervening Opportunities

a feature (usually economic) that causes a migrant to choose a specific destination

Intervening Obstacles

a feature that interferes with a migrant to arrive at their destination

Political Reference Map

show countries, continents, borders, oceans, etc.

Thematic Maps

A map that displays spatial patterns of places and uses quantitative data to display specific topics.

Isoline Thematic Map

displays lines that connect points of equal value
ex. temperature & rainfall

Choropleth Thematic Map

shows patterns of some variable (like population density) using colors or degrees of shading

Graduated Symbol Thematic Map

uses symbols (star, circle, triangle, etc.) to display frequency of
something

Dot Density Thematic Map

uses equally-sized dots to represent the frequency of a variable in a given area

Cartogram

uses space to show a particular variable
the more of that variable in an area → the more space that area
takes up

Quantitative Data

spatial info presented with numbers

Qualitative Data

spatial info presented in forms other than numbers

Absolute Location

The exact spot where something is located

Relative Location

Description of a location using surrounding geographic features.

Mercator Projection

most common map
created for navigation
shape/direction accurate

Gall-Peters Projection

created to show actual size of landforms
to get this accuracy → shape is distorted

Robinson Projection

kind of a compromise → everything is a little distorted so nothing is super distorted

The Fundamental Problem of All Maps is Distortion

Direction
Shape
Area
Distance

Goode Homolosine Projection

An interrupted map that is an equal area projection, shows the true size and shape of the earth's land masses but has distortion with distance and near the edges of the map.

Interrupted Map

A map that tries to remove distortion by removing parts of the globe.

Fuller (Dymaxion) Projection

Shows land masses without an interruption and maintains accurate size and shape but does not use the cardinal directions, struggles with distortion

Uninterrupted Map

A map that displays that entirety of the earth's surface.

Winkel Tripel Projection

Rounder in shape and larger, similar to Robinson

Reference Map

An informational map that shows boundaries, names of places, and geographic features of an area

Topographic Map

A map that uses contour lines to display the terrain and elevation changes.

Absolute Direction

The exact direction you are heading

Relative Direction

The direction depends on the surrounding area

Absolute Distance

The exact distance between two places (Usually measured in miles or kilometers)

Relative Distance

An approximate measurement between two places (Usually measured in time or direction)

Small Scale Map

A map that shows a large portion of the Earth's surface but has less details in the data it is displaying

Large Scale Map

A map that shows less of the Earth's surface but has more details in the data it is displaying

Dispersed

Objects in an area are spread out with ample space between them.

Flowline Map

show the movement of different goods, people, animals, services, or ideas between different places.

Geography

The study of the Earth and everything on it

Physical Characteristics

landforms, bodies of water, ecosystems

Human Characteristics

Bridges, roads, buildings, culture, languages, beliefs.

Region

Areas with common characteristics that make them distinct from other areas.

Location

Where something is on Earth's surface.

Place

Describes the physical and human characteristics of a location.

Human-Environment Interaction

How people interact with and adapt to their environment.

Movement

How people, goods, ideas, and information move from one place to another.

Map

a 2D model of a portion of the Earth that displays spatial info

Map projection

Turning Earth's round shape into a flat map.

Physical Reference Maps

show mountains, rivers, elevation, etc.

Topographic Maps

Show detailed information about the elevation and relief of an area.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

A computer system that analyzes and manages and displays a large variety of data and information on a particular geographic area

Remote Sensing

The process of collecting geographic data on an area without having to be present there.
Satellites capture images of Earth and we use the information to create multi-layer maps.

Local/Sub-National Scale

Stop signs, recreation parks, utilities

Regional Scale

States, road funding, customer satisfaction reports, sales data reports,

National/State Scale

Resources, money, budgets, census information, military

Census Data

An official count of the population, every 10 years and gives insights into demographic breakdowns of society (gender, age, employment)

Global Scale

Entire world, supernatural organization, international market

Friction of Distance

the degree to which distance interferes or reduces the amount of interactions between two places.

Distance Decay

The effect of distance on cultural or spatial interactions (As you move further apart, the less interaction will occur)

Waldo Tobler's First Law of Geography

Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things.

Time-Space Compression/Convergence

The increasing sense of connectivity, due to advancements in technology, that reduces the impact of distance decay.

Sense of Place

The feeling or perception held by people about a place

Sustainability

development that meets wants & needs of present without compromising ability of future generations to meet their wants & needs

Environmental Determinism

The environment is the driver force for societal development, controlling human actions and culture.

Environmental Possibilism

The environment puts limits on society, however, people have the ability to adjust the physical environment and set their own path in life.

Cultural Determinism

The environment places no restrictions on humans whatsoever & any restrictions come from humans themselves

Scale of Analysis

Observation of data at the global, national, regional, and local scale.

Scale

The ratio of a distance on the map to the corresponding distance on the ground.

Region

A geographic area with common characteristics and patterns.

Random Spatial Patterns

Any point of data is equally likely to occur anywhere & the
position of that point isn't affected by the position of other points.

Uniform Spatial Patterns

Points equally spaced out.

Clustered Spatial Patterns

Many points close together.

Linear Spatial Patterns

Points are in the shape of a straight line.

Administration Region

Created by law, treaty or regulation with firm boundaries

Anthropogenic

Environmental change caused or influenced by people, either directly or indirectly.

W. D. Pattison

An American geographer and proposer of the four traditions of geography, in which he argued the idea that geography was an undisciplined science.

Thematic Layer

A map portraying a particular feature that is used in a GIS.

Idiographic

Used to describe or refer to a feature that is unique to a particular geographic region

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Uses satellite-driven remote sensing to determine exact locations.

Regionalization

The process of dividing up the earth into smaller regions or units or the tendency to form decentralized regions.

Regional Geography

The study of different regions such as there characteristics, elements, similarities, and differences

Geospatial Data

Data that's connected to a particular place on the earth.