Section 1 - Thinking Geographically

What does human geography refer to?

Study of how humans activities vary across different locations

What question can be used to define what spatial perspective is?

Why of where

What does cartography refer to?

Discipline and methodology of creating visual representations of Earth’s surface through maps

What is the essence of geographical thinking?

Understanding complex processes at different geographical scales

What is absolute location?

Precise position of something via spatial coordinates

What is the coordinate system made up of?

Latitude and Longitude lines

What are Longitude lines also called?

Meridians

What cardinal directions are utilized by latitude lines?

North and South

What cardinal directions are used by longitude lines?

East and West

Where is the prime meridian?

Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England

What are the two main categories of maps?

Reference and Thematic

What is a reference map?

Maps that provide details about an area to help users identify and navigate it

What are three examples of reference maps?

Political, physical, and road

What do political maps display?

Boundaries, capitals, important urban areas

What do physical maps display?

Landforms

What do road maps display?

Land transportation routes (streets/highways)

What category of maps do topographic maps fall under?

Reference

What do topographic maps use to help navigation?

Isolines

What are isolines?

Lines that connect areas with the same elevation

What is a thematic map?

Maps that show variables across an area

What are the examples of thematic maps?

Choropleth, Dot distribution, Isoline, Graduated Symbol, Flowline, and Cartogram

How do choropleth maps work?

Different colors represent density/intensity to show data variation

How do Dot density maps work?

Shows data frequency across locations

How do Isoline maps work?

Connect points with equal value to show connections across areas

How do Graduated Symbol maps work?

Different sized symbols can compare the data

How do Flowline maps work?

Different sized arrows display movement, direction, and intensity

How do Cartogram maps work?

Distort visuals on the landscape to display variables

What is a mental map?

Individual’s internal, subjective perception of surroundings to navigate

What category of maps do mental maps fall under?

Thematic maps

What does absolute distance refer to?

Measurable span with standardized units

What does accessibility refer to?

How easily one location can be reached and influenced by another

What would a lower absolute distance indicate for two locations?

Increased exchange effects

What is the distance decay effect?

When spatial separation increases, interaction of two locations decreases

What does time-space compression refer to?

Technological advances will reduce the impact that physical distances make

What does globalization refer to?

Connections of individuals, ideas, and economies worldwide

What does relative location refer to?

Description of where a place is based on nearby locations

What does clustering refer to in terms of variables?

The close grouping of factors within a location

What does dispersal refer to in terms of variables?

Even/Random distribution of data across a location

What does elevation refer to in terms of variables?

How high areas are above sea level

What does a map’s scale determine?

Level of detail and representation of distance on the map versus reality

What are the three different types of scales that geographers use?

Ratio, Written, and Graphic

How does a ratio scale work?

Uses same distance units; putting map distance and actual distance as a ratio

How does a written scale work?

1cm = 1km

How does a graphic scale work?

Can be a bar that corresponds to a specific distance for real life

What specific form does the Earth have?

Geoid

What does projection refer to in geography?

Transferring geographical locations onto a flat map

What can maps distort visually based on its projection?

Shape, Size, Distance, Direction

What does the Mercator projection preserve for its maps?

Shape and direction

What does the Mercator projection distort for its maps?

Size near poles

What is the Peters projection also known as?

Gall-Peters

What does the Peters projection preserve for its maps?

Relative sizes

What does the Peters projection distort for its maps?

Shape

What do equal-area projections preserve for its maps?

Size

What do equal-area projections distort for its maps?

Shape

What projection aims to balance the factors that control distortion for maps?

Robinson

What things can cartographers change to maps to insert their own inherent biases?

Borders, Colors, projections, and attention-grabbers

What does geographic data refer to?

Information about locations

How does geographic data aid geographers?

Pattern recognitions and human-environment interactions

What are the two types of geographic data?

Spatial and Non-Spatial

What does spatial data refer to?

Physical information about a location from references

What does non-spatial data refer to?

Characteristics of a location

What are some examples of spatial data?

Maps, Satellite images, GPS coordinates

What are some examples of non-spatial data?

Population, Income, Land use

What does field data refer to?

Geographic info collected onsite

What are some examples of field data?

Surveys, photographs, notes, and interviews

What are the three specialized technologies that geographers use to gather geographic data?

GIS, GPS, and Remote sensing

What does GIS stand for?

Geographic Information System

How does GIS gather geographic data?

Superimposing layers of data to display patterns

How does remote sensing gather geographic data?

Satellites and aircraft gather spatial information

What is quantitative data?

Mathematics and statistics to analyze

What is qualitiative data?

HUman-centered perspective

What materials can display both qualitative and quantitative geographic data?

Travel journals, photographs, primary docs, news records

What are toponyms?

Name identifiers of locations

What are three geographic information that everyday people have access to?

Toponyms, natural features, and human features

What is residential use characterized by?

People changing natural spaces and resources to make dwellings

What is agricultural use characterized by?

Commercialization and production of natural resources for consumption

What is commercial use characterized by?

Application of locations and resources for economic value

What does industrial use refer to?

Allocation of land and resources for manufacturing

What make up a cultural landscape?

Residental, Commercial, Agriculture, and Industrial usage of land

How do organizations use geographic data?

Refine transportation, production, distribution, and profit strategies

How do governments use geographic data?

Urban planning, transportation networks, natural disasters, allocation of resources

How do political parties use geographic/demographic data?

Gerrymandering

What is gerrymandering?

Deliberate change to favor a political party

What factors influence accessibility and proximity for relative locations?

Route availability, meaning humans give to places, ease of exchanges

What does place refer to?

Specific value based on physical characteristics or abstract qualities from humans

What does space refer to?

Area between places and how objects are arranged and ordered

What does flow refer to?

Movement of people, money, culture, ideas, and tech from one to another

What does diffusion refer to?

How variables spread across a space

What are the two main types of diffusion?

Relocation and Expansion

What does relocation diffusion refer to?

Something spreading through movement of people

What does expansion diffusion refer to?

Something starting from a point and then growing outward

What does hierarchial diffusion refer to?

Ideas/products spreading from wealthy/powerful groups to others

What does contagious diffusion refer to?

Transmission of factors that is rapid and widespread

What does stimulus diffusion refer to?

A factor becomes adapted to a new location

What is an example of relocation diffusion?

Language from immigrants

What is an example of expansion diffusion?

Invention gaining popularity

What is an example of hierarchial diffusion?

Luxury cars

What is an example of contagious diffusion?

Memes and diseases

What is an example of stimulus diffusion?

Syncretic religions blending elements from others