AP Human Geography Review

Aggregation

To come together into a mass, sum, or whole.

Anthropogenic

Human-induced changes on the natural environment.

Azimuthal Projection

A map projection in which the plane is the most developable surface.

Breaking Point

The outer edge of a city’s sphere of influence, used in the law of retail gravitation to describe the area of the city’s hinterlands that depend on that city for it's retail supplies.

Cartogram Map

A type of thematic map

Chloropleth Map

Uses colors and tones to represent data

Contagious Diffusion

The spread of a disease, an innovation, or cultural traits through direct contact with another person or place

Cultural Ecology

The study of the interactions between societies and the natural environments in which they live.

Dot Maps

Used to show specific observations and occurrences. Crimes, car accidents, births

Expansion Diffusion

The spread of ideas, innovation, fashion, other phenomena to surrounding areas through contact and exchange

Formal Region

Definition of regions based on common themes such as similarities in language, climate, land use, etc

Fuller Projection

Maintains accurate shape and size but cardinal directions no longer have any meaning

Functional Region

Definition of regions based on common interaction (circulation of a particular newspaper)

GIS

Geographical Information System - computer tools to capture, store, transform, analyze, and display geographic data

Geoid

Actual shape of Earth, it's slightly squashed from top to bottom

GPS

Global Positioning System - Satellites to determine locations

Hierarchical Diffusion

A type of diffusion in which something is transmitted between places because of physical or cultural connections

Isoline

A map line that connects points of equal or very similar values (think topographic map)

Mercator Projection

Useful for navigation, had distortion at the poles

Perceptual Region

Individualized definitions of regions based preconceived notions

Peters Projection

Centered on Africa, equal area projection

Proportional Symbols Map

The chosen symbol represents a statistic and gets bigger and smaller depending

Relocation Diffusion

The diffusion of ideas, innovation, etc through migration

Remote Sensing

The observation and mathematical measurement of Earth’s surface using aircraft and satellites. The sensors include photographic images, thermal images, multispectral scanners, and radar images.

Resolution

A map’s smallest discernable unit

Robinson Projection

It does not maintain area, shape, distance, or direction accurately but minimizes errors in each

Site

The absolute Location, characteristics of the absolute place

Situation

The relative location, how to connects and depends on other areas.