APHG Unit 1 Exam Flashcards

Flashcards for APHG Unit 1 Exam Review

Human Geography

The patterns and processes of how humans interact with their environment.

Spatial Thinking

The study of objects and their location in space, questioning why they are there and their relationship to other objects.

Location

The 'where' of an object; important for spatial thinking.

Place

The characteristics of an object or location; important for spatial thinking.

Space

Where an object or place is relative to other objects/places; its size/distance when thinking spatially.

Globalization

Expansion of economic, cultural, and political processes on a worldwide scale.

Internet and Social Media role in Globalization

A huge process involved with globalization because it spreads information worldwide instantaneously.

Government Policies role in Globalization

A huge process involved with globalization because they relate to the relationships between different countries all across the world.

Trading role in Globalization

A huge process involved in globalization because it is the distribution of goods and services between countries.

Formal Region

Regions that share a common physical or cultural characteristic/trait like languages, climate, economy, etc.

Functional Region

Regions centered around a node which is a focal point or the focus of the region.

Perceptual Region

Regions that reflect people’s perceptions of an area; also called vernacular regions.

Environmental Determinism

The idea that physical features in an environment such as terrain and climate dictates how a society adapts to its environment and influences human behaviors.

Possibilism

The theory that humans have more power and ability to change their environment rather than the environment changing them.

Scale

An important factor in interpreting events, processes, and data because different scales reveal different levels of detail.

Map Distortion

All 2D maps have some distortion as they represent the 3D Earth.

Reference Maps

Maps that focus on the location of places.

Thematic Maps

Maps that focus on one or more variables to show a relationship between geographic data; illustrate patterns related to the theme.

GIS (Geographic Information System)

Software for visualizing geographic data in layers to help with decision-making.

Quantitative Data

Data that is measured using numbers.

Qualitative Data

Data that is not measured by numbers.

MDC Characteristics

Higher median age, life expectancy, productivity, less agricultural jobs, tertiary jobs, lower GII, better healthcare, and more access to better technology.

LDC Characteristics

Lower median age and life expectancy, lower productivity, primary and secondary jobs, less tertiary jobs, higher GII, worse healthcare, and less access to better technology.

HDI (Human Development Index)

Measures how developed a country is based on its life expectancy, median years of education, literacy rate, healthcare, and gross national income per capita.

GII (Gender Inequality Index)

Measures the inequality between men and women in a country; a lower GII means less inequality.

Site

Site factors are factors such as climate, water accessibility, land features, and access to natural resources.

Situation

Location of a place in relation to other places or its surrounding features

Region

an area that is distinct

Place

a location on Earth distinguished by its physical and human characteristics

Cartography

study of maps

GPS

the global positioning system is a satellite-based navigation system providing accurate time and place to anywhere on the globe where there is a clear line of site of four or more satellites

Relative location

the location of a place relative to another place (e.g. Chicago is in northern Illinois)

Absolute location

exact position of a point, typically defined by coordinates of longitude and latitude (e.g. WPCP High School’s absolute location is at 41.901389° N 87.634444° W)

Remote sensing

collecting or analyzing data from a place without being there physically

Scale

the scale in which something is analyzed

Distance decay

the farther away two things are from each other, the less interaction they will have

Absolute distance

the exact measurement of distance between two points (e.g. 10 miles)

Relative distance

the distance of a location in relation to another place (e.g. a 20 minute drive north)

GNI

gross national income is the total income a country’s residents earn

Time-space compression

when distance seems shorter because it takes shorter time to travel and due to advancements in technology

Globalization

the expansion of economic, cultural, and political processes on a worldwide scale. Apple iPhones are a globalized product since they are used all over the world.