Supplemental Geography Vocabulary - Video Notes (Vocab Quiz #2)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key geography terms and their definitions from the video notes.

Eratosthenes

The head librarian at Alexandria in the 3rd century BC; one of the first cartographers who accurately computed the Earth's circumference and coined the term geography.

Carl Sauer

UC Berkeley geographer who defined Cultural Landscape as the results of the interaction between humans and the environment; no landscape has escaped alteration by humans.

Absolute Distance

The distance that can be measured with a standard unit of length.

Accessibility

The relative ease with which a destination may be reached from another place.

Cartographic scale

The way a map communicates the ratio of its size to the size of what it represents.

Census

An official count or survey of a population, typically recording details of individuals.

Clustered

Grouped together but not coherent.

Complementarity

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

Connectivity

The degree of economic, social, cultural, or political connection between two places.

Coordinate system

A standard grid of latitude and longitude used to determine absolute location on the Earth’s surface.

Dispersed

A phenomenon that is relatively far apart; spread out.

Elevation

Height above a given level, especially sea level.

Field Observation

Visiting a location and recording information firsthand.

Friction of Distance

The measure of how much absolute distance affects interaction between two places.

Geoid

The actual shape of the Earth, rough and oblate; circumference is longer around the equator than along the meridians.

Global Scale

A set of digital maps that cover the whole globe to express the status of the global environment.

Intervening Opportunities

The closer supplier will be chosen when two places have equal price and quality, reducing the supply available to a third place; influenced by decreasing transportation costs with proximity.

Landscape Analysis

The process of describing and interpreting the landscape ecology of an area.

Large-Scale

A map scale with a relatively small ratio of map units to ground units; higher resolution and smaller area.

Local Scale

Spatial region equivalent to a community.

Media Reports

Media refers to various means of communication, such as television, radio, and newspapers.

National Scale

Spatial region equivalent to a country.

Natural Landscape

The physical environment not affected by human activities.

Natural Resources

Materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land occurring in nature and usable for economic gain.

Online Visualization

Use of software to create dynamic computer maps, including three-dimensional or interactive maps.

Photographic Interpretation

Examining photographs to identify objects and judge their significance.

Policy Document

Documents that specify rules, guidelines, and regulations required by an organization or country.

Qualitative Data

Data tied to humanistic geography, often from interviews, observations, or textual/artistic sources.

Quantitative Data

Numerical data used for statistical analysis, often from surveys or polls.

Regional Scale

Interactions occurring within a region in a regional setting.

Relative Distance

Distance that includes the costs of overcoming the friction of absolute distance, reflecting social, cultural, or economic connectivity.

Sense of Place

Feelings and attachments people have to a place based on experiences and memories.

Small-scale

A map scale with a small ratio of map units to earth units, typically covering large areas.

Spatial Perspective

An intellectual framework examining locations of phenomena, why they are there, and how they relate spatially to others.

Sustainability

Using Earth’s resources to meet present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet theirs.

Transferability

Costs involved in moving goods from one place to another.

Cartograms

Thematic maps that resize space so places with greater data values appear larger.

Choropleth map

Thematic map using tones or colors to represent average values per unit.

Cognitive map

A mental image of the Earth's surface including locations, relationships, and personal perceptions.

Conic projection

Map projection where direction is not constant and longitude lines converge at only one pole.

Distortion

Misrepresentation of shape, area, distance, or direction on a map compared to real world measurements.

Dot maps

Thematic maps showing precise locations of observations or events.

Isoline

A map line connecting points of equal or very similar values.

Preference map

A map showing individual preferences for certain places.

Proportional / graduated symbol map

Thematic map where the size of a symbol indicates the magnitude of a value for a region.

Reference Map

Map that provides reference information for locating landmarks and navigating.

Thematic Map

Map displaying one or more variables (e.g., population, income) within an area.

Thematic Layers

Overlaid GIS layers representing specific features to analyze spatial relationships.

Topographic map

Map using isolines to represent constant elevations; following an isoline keeps you at the same elevation.

Good-Homolosine

Pseudo-cylindrical, equal-area, composite world map projection with interruptions; its equal-area property aids spatial distribution analysis.

Mercator Projection

Conformal cylindrical projection that preserves direction but distorts area, making polar regions appear oversized.

Peters Projection

World map projection showing correct area proportions but with distorted shape using a rectangular grid.

Robinson Projection

A compromise projection that minimizes overall errors by balancing area, shape, distance, and direction.