AP Human Geography

space

The Earth's surface that describes where objects are located and its distance.

activity space

The area where you do your daily activities. Example: the route you take from home, grocery store, etc.

place

A specific area that holds meaning to people. Example: Stanley

regions

Areas with shared characteristics, like formal, functional, or vernacular. Example: The Pacific Northwest is a region.

toponym

A place name. Example: “nyc”

scale

How an object or place relates to the whole Earth.

absolute location

Exact spot on Earth using coordinates. Example: lattitude/longitude

equator

the imaginary line at 0 degrees latitude, dividing Earth into North and South.

relative location

A location described in relation to other known places. Example: next to the coffee shop.

topographic maps

Maps showing elevation (contour lines), roads, rivers, and natural features. Example: A hiker uses a topographic map to plan a route through mountains and elevation change.

thematic maps

Maps focused on a specific theme or topic. Example: population density.

choropleth maps

maps using colors, shading, or patterns to show data in certain areas.

isolene maps

Use lines to connect points of equal value. Example: elevation contours, temperature

dot density maps

Use dots to show how much and how concentrated something is.

flow line maps

Uses lines to show movement and volume. Example: map showing traffic, where thicker lines represent more traffic.

large scale map

Have larger details (zoomed in). Example: map of a university campus

small scale map

zoomed out with less details. Example: map showing all the continents

projection

A way to flatten earth into a 2D map that always causes distortion in shape or size.