Geography Key Terms chap 1

This set of flashcards contains key terms from geography, each defined succinctly for effective study.

Spatial (Geospatial) Data

Data about the earth that can be mapped.

Density

The frequency with which something exists in a given area.

Concentration

The extent of a variable’s spread over space.

Region / Regionalization

An area including one or more distinctive characteristics.

Formal Region (Uniform Region)

An area where everyone shares one or more distinctive characteristics.

Vernacular (Perceptual) Region

An area that people believe exists as a part of their cultural identity.

Functional (Nodal) Region

An area organized around a focal point or node.

Cartography

The study and practice of making and using maps.

Map Scale

The ratio of a feature’s size on a map to its actual size on earth.

Choropleth

A map that uses color or shading to convey information.

Proportional (Graduated) Symbol Map

A map that displays symbols that change in size according to the value of the variable.

Cartogram

The size of a region on the map is proportional to the value of a particular variable.

Mercator Projection

A projection that divides the Earth into equal blocks of longitude and latitude.

Peters Projection

A projection where the size of each land mass is accurate.

Robinson Projection

A map projection that includes rounded corners in an attempt to limit distortion.

Absolute Location

Description of a place in a way that never changes.

Latitude

A numbering system created to express how far north or south a location is from the equator.

Longitude

A numbering system created to identify meridians measured from the Prime Meridian.

International Date Line

A meridian that mostly follows 180 degrees longitude.

Site

The physical characteristics of a place.

Relative Location

The location of a place in relation to other places.

Situation

Description of a place based on the characteristics of places nearby.

Remote Sensing

Acquisition of data about the earth’s surface using satellite technology.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Map

Displays information about a location in several layers.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Computer system that determines the precise position of something on Earth.

Diffusion

The spread of a particular characteristic.

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of an idea through the physical movement of people.

Expansion Diffusion

The spread of an idea WITHOUT the physical movement of people.

Hearth

Location where an innovation originates.

Hierarchical Diffusion

The spread of an idea from sources of power or authority.

Contagious Diffusion

Rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout a population.

Stimulus Diffusion

The spread of an underlying principle even though a characteristic itself fails to diffuse.

Toponym

The name given to a place on earth.

Cultural Ecology

The study of the relationship between the natural environment and the culture.

Environmental Determinism

Theory that the physical environment causes human development and activities.

Possibilism

Theory that argues that people have the ability to adjust to their environment.

Space-time Compression

The reduction of time it takes for something to reach another place.