APHG Unit 1: Spatial Concepts and Geographic Analysis

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing core spatial concepts, human-environmental interaction, scales of analysis, and regional analysis from APHG Unit 1.

Absolute Location

The precise spot where something is located.

Relative Location

Where something is in relation to other things.

Space

The extent of an area, which can be understood in a relative and absolute sense.

Place

Refers to the specific human (cultural) and physical characteristics of a location (such as mountains, deserts, etc.).

Distance Decay

A geographical term which describes the effect of distance on cultural or spatial interactions.

Time-Space Compression

The increasing sense of connectivity that seems to be bringing people closer together even though their distances are the same.

Pattern

The geometric or regular arrangement of something in an area.

Toponyms

Names of places that provide insights into the physical geography, history, or culture of a location.

Sustainability

The goal of the human race reaching equilibrium with the environment; meeting the needs of the present while also leaving resources for future generations.

Natural Resources

A physical material (e.g., iron, coal, diamonds) constituting part of Earth that people need and value.

Environmental Determinism

The belief that the physical environment caused (determined) social development.

Environmental Possibilism

The theory that the physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to modify/adapt to their environment to overcome these challenges.

Inca Terrace Farming

An example of environmental possibilism in the Pre-Columbian Americas (present-day Peru).

Scale

The relationship between the distance on the ground and the corresponding distance on a specific map; also a concept describing how "zoomed in" you are while studying a geographic trait.

Scale of Analysis

How zoomed in or out you are when looking at geographic data.

Region

A place larger than a point and smaller than a planet that is grouped together because of a measurable or perceived common feature like religion or language.

Formal Region

A region based on quantitative data (that can be documented or measured); all government areas belong to this category because they share a government (e.g., Wisconsin).

Functional Region

A region based around a node or focal/center point (e.g., radio station broadcast area, DC metro).

Vernacular / Perceptual Region

An area that shares a common qualitative characteristic and is only considered a region because people believe it is one (e.g., US Southern Region).

Global Scale

The whole world

Regional scale