AP human geography unit 1

absolute distance

The distance in miles between place A and place B.

Absolute location (mathematical location)

The exact point on the earth that that thing is. (longitude and latitude)

cartography

the art/science and technology of making maps.

Cultural ecology

The study of how human societies adapt to their physical and social environments through their culture.

density

Measures the concentration of people living in a specific geographic unit of land.

distance-decay

Interaction between 2 places increases as the distance decreases.

environmental determinism

The belief that a specific humans culture has been mostly influenced by its environmental surroundings and that is what makes the culture.

GIS

The layering of a variety of data/information onto a map.

How we use it: The information is often layered over a map to help you understand the area.

GPS

Uses satellites in a fixed orbit to help determine a precise position on the earth’s surface (absolute location).

How we use it: For navigation and for the positioning of an object on the earth’s surface and mapping it for reference.

Map

A 2-D representation of all or part of the earths’s surface.

They are scale models of the earth’s surface that have been simplified to make them readable.

possibilism

The physical environment sets limits and offers constraints, but human culture, technology, and choices ultimately decide how a society develops.

projection

A mathematical method used to flatten the earth’s curved surface from a 3 dimensional surface onto a 2 dimensional flat surface.

relative distance

Places that have connections socially, economically, politically, culturally, etc…

relative location

where a place is compared to its surrounding landmarks and other surrounding features.

remote sensing

collecting data about the earth’s surface by using something up in the sky like a satellite, plane, or drone.

scale

describes the size of the area at which it is describing. (The zoom level).

site

The unique physical characteristics of a particular location.

situation

The relationship between a particular location and other locations.

Space-time compression

As the time to travel between places gets smaller the world appears to shrink.

spatial analysis

The process of examining how people, behaviors, and cultural or economic activities are spread across the earth’s surface.

Thematic map

Visual displays of a specific type of data.

A map that has a specific theme (Like birth rates in each state of the U.S)

Reference map

A map that isn’t meant to show one specific type of data but shows many different types of data. It shows general geographic features and boundaries.

Toponym

Place names. The history or where the place is told by the name.

The specific name given to a place or geographic feature on Earth's surface