AP Human Geography Unit 1

sense of place

a concept to explain how people define and categorize locations in their minds

friction of distance

based on the notion that distance usually requires some amount of effort, money, and/or energy to overcome.

renewable natural resources

sun, wind, water, geothermal, and biomass

non-renewable natural resources

oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy

land use

the arrangement or organization of how specific areas of land are utilized

built environment

the tangible human creation on the landscape

Cultural ecology

the relationship between culture and the environment, dealing with human adaptations to various environments

aggregation

a large group or collection of people, animals, or things in order to analyze

false conclusion

not supported by the data or logical reasoning

region

areas that share both human and physical characteristics

subregion

a part of a larger region or continent

elevation

The altitude of a place above sea level or ground

accessibility

The degree of ease with which it is possible to reach certain location from other locations

connectivity

The relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space

equator

A line that runs through the middle of the Earth horizontally. This separates the Earth into North and South

international date line

the line of 180° longitude, the ending point for measuring distance both east and west around Earth; opposite of prime meridian

Prime Meridian

the line of 0° longitude, the starting point for measuring distance both east and west around Earth; opposite of international date line

Longitude

the angular measurement east and west of the Prime Meridian

latitude

an angular measurement north or south of the equator

Absolute Location

Position on Earth's surface using the coordinate system of longitude

Cartographic scale

refers to the relationship between the size of the features on a map and their actual size in the real world

Node

a central point in a functional culture region where functions are coordinated and directed

Networks

a set of interconnected entities, sometimes called nodes

Spatial Patterns

how things are grouped or arranged on the Earth's surface

Place

an area of bounded space of some human importance

Activity Space

Space where an activity is located/found

Space

The geometric surface of the Earth

ecotone

environmental transition zone between two bioregions

Spatial Approach

considers the arrangement of phenomena across a specified scale of analysis. 

Situation

The location of a place relative to other places.

Site

The physical character of place; what is found at the location and why it is significant

Location

a particular position or place

Large scale map

Large amount of detail, small amount of area

Small scale map

Small amount of detail, large amount of area

Topographic Map

a detailed record of a land area, giving geographic positions and elevations for both natural and man-made features

Flow Line Map

A map that uses line symbols of variable thickness to show the proportion of traffic or flow within a network.

Isoline Map

uses lines to connect point locations with similar values.

Proportional/Graduated Symbol

map with symbols that are scaled proportionately according to the value of the data attribute they represent

Dot Density Map

A map that uses points or other symbols to represent the presence, quantity, or value of a phenomenon or thing in a specific area

Cartogram Map

a map in which the geometry of regions is distorted in order to convey the information of an alternate variable

Choropleth Map

a map that uses differences in shading, coloring, or the placing of symbols within predefined areas to indicate the average values of a property or quantity in those areas

Road Map

a map intended for drivers, showing roads, distances, etc in a country or area

Physical Map

a type of map that shows the physical features and sometimes elevation of a particular area or region in a two-dimensional format

Political Map

A type of map that represents political divisions, or human-created boundaries, of the world

Plat Map

A legal map drawing that depicts a single property, or multiple properties, surveyed by a field crew and certified by a licensed land surveyor—can be used to determine legal land-use rights and limitations

Nonspatial data

Data consisting of what rather than where

Four Level Analysis

Comprehension, Identification, Explanation, Prediction

Spatial

relating to space and its parts: Location, Direction, Distance

3 Types of Distribution

density, concentration, and pattern

Absolute distance

describing how far a distance is quantitative units of distance (miles, kilometers, etc.)

Absolute location

describing where something is using the exact site on an objective coordinate system

Cartography

the science and art of drawing maps

Census

an official count of individuals in a population (in the USA, it happens every 10 years)

Concentration

how closely packed together objects are

Cultural Landscape

the title of our textbook and more importantly, the visible changes that humans make to the enviroment including buildings, crops, and signs

Culture

the social heritage of a group or their way of life - major components are language, religion, ethnicity, food, and roles

Density

the number of things divided by the measurement of area

Diffusion

a feature or idea that is spread from its originating place, outward - the 3 types are contagious, hierarchical, and stimulus diffusion

Distance decay

the idea that the interaction between two places declines as the distance between them increases

Environmental determinism

the belief that a physical environment is THE reason that some societies are strong while others are weaker

Environmental possibilism

the belief that a physical environment plays a role in the development of a society, but is NOT the ONLY factor at work

Expansion diffusion

a trend is spread from its originating place, outward

Formal region

a region that is based entirely on something that can be identified and documented or measured - all government areas are this because they share a government

Functional/Nodal region

a region based around a node or focal point - terrestrial radio broadcasts are an example of this

Geospatial

relating to data that is specific to one location

GIS (Geographic Information Systems)

software that captures, manages, analyzes, and displays data that is collected geographically

Globalization

worldwide integration and development which results in the expansion of international cultural, economic, and political activities

GPS (Global Positioning System)

a system that measures distance from a series of satellites to determine location on the planet

Hearth

a source of culture (where a culture began)

Infrastructure

the basic facilities and installations that help a government or community run, including roads, schools, phone lines, sewage treatment plants and power generation

Natural resource

a physical material constituting part of Earth that people need and value

Projection

a method of taking a 3D object and putting in on a 2D plane

Qualitative data

subjective information that is opinion based, is usually descriptive, and often expressed as text

Quantitative data

objective data that is fact based, usually measurable and usually expressed in numbers

Reference map

maps that emphasizes the location of places (without data attached)

Region

a place larger than a point and smaller than a planet that is grouped together because of a measurable or perceived common feature

Relative distance

describing the distance between locations using qualitative terms or non-traditional measurements of distance (one hour north of)

Relative location

describing the position of a place as compared to (or relative to!) another landmark

Relocation diffusion

the physical spread of a feature or trait by people migrating

Remote sensing

the science of making measurements of the earth using sensors on airplanes or satellites

Scale

the relationship between the distance on the ground and the corresponding distance on a specific map

Scale of analysis

how zoomed in or out you are when looking at geographic data

Spatial distribution

arrangement of a phenomenon across the Earth's surface

Sustainability

the goal of the human race reaching equilibrium with the environment; meeting the needs of the present without while also leaving resources for future generations

Thematic maps

a map that displays not only locations but maps a topic or theme of information with the location

Time-space compression

the idea that the world feels smaller than it used to because of increased technology in transportation and communication

Toponym

a place name

Vernacular/perceptual region

an area that shares a common qualitative characteristic, it's only a region because people believe it's a region

Physical Geography

Studies the natural features of earth, as well as earth's natural processes. Physical Geography includes the study of mountains, geology, weather and climate, and much more

Human Geography

The branch of geography dealing with how human activity affects or is influenced by the earth's surface.

Scales of Analysis

Global, Regional, National, Local