Unit 1 AP Human Geo Test

what is physical geography

studying plants, landforms, animals, climates, landforms, etc. (environment)

what is human geography

study of how humans understand, use, and altar the earth

what is the difference between human geo and physical geo

human geography studies the influence and relationships between the environment and humans while physical geography focuses on them separately

what are the two geographic perspectives

spatial perspective and ecological perspective

spatial perspective

the way of thinking abt patterns and processes across space

ecological perspectives

the way of thinking abt patterns and processes based on interactions between society and ecosystems

what is a location

the exact position a point or object occupies on earth

absolute location

the exact location of an object

relative location

the description of a location in relation to other places or features

space

the area between two or more things on earth

distribution

arrangement of things within a space

density

the number of things in a specific area

pattern

how things are arranged in a space

flow

the movement of people, goods, and info

place

a location that is distinguishable by its physical and human characteristics

site

the physical characteristics that make up a place

situation

a places location in relation to other places or features around it

distance decay

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

time space compression

the shrinking of relative distance between two places due to advances in transportation and communication technology

environmental determinism

the environment dictates how society develops as it adapts to the environment

possibilism

humans have more ability to produce a result

sustainability

the use of earths land and natural resources in ways to ensure they can be used in the future

sustainable development

development that is able to meet the needs of current generations without compromising this ability for future developments

scale

the area of the world being studied

types of regions

formal, functional, and perceptual

formal region

an area that had one or more shared traits

functional region

an area organized around a focal point

perceptual region

vernacular, based on people’s impressions, feelings, and attitude

globalization

the expansion of economic, cultural, and political processes on a global scale

world system theory

way to describe the spatial and functional relationships between countries in the world economy

core country

well developed, exploits other countries

periphery country

less developed, gets exploited for its resources and labor

semi periphery country

between core and periphery that may exploit periphery countries but be exploited by core countries

what is the geo inquiry process?

ask , collect , visualize, create , act

what are the four levels of geographic questions

where is it located ?

is there a pattern?

why is it there ?

what does it matter ?

quantitative data

information measured by numbers

qualitative data

interpretations of data sources

probeware

probes and sensors integrated with computer software to collect real-time data and record information about characteristics of specific locations

who collects geographic data?

government

organizations

companies

geographers

census

official count of the number of people within a defined area

what is the geographic information system

mapping software that captures, stores, organizes and displays geographic data

topography

elevation

geovisualization

the process of creating visuals for geographic analysis using maps, graphic, and multimedia

remote sensing

the method of gathering geographic data without making physical contact

global positioning system

a network of satellites that transmit location data back to earth

cartographers

mapmakers who created maps for explorers to navigate routes

absolute distance

distance measured by standard unit of length

relative distance

distance measured by another criterion such as time or money

absolute direction

cardinal directions

relative direction

based on people’s perceptions

map scale

the mathematical relationship between the size of a map and the part of the real world it shows

what ways can a map scale be written

representative fraction, written scale, graphic scale

representative fraction scale

in a ratio

written scale

1 inch represents 200 miles

graphic scale

uses a scale bar to show the distance relationship on the map and on earth

what are the different map projections

mercator

gall-peters

robinson

azimuthal

mercator

shows true direction

distorts area especially near the poles

gall peter’s

shows true direction

area is relatively precise

distorts shape

continents appear elongated

robinson

globe like so it looks real

distorts shape and size but not too much

imprecise measurements

flat and distorted near poles

azimuthal

shown from a specific point

preserved direction

when shown from north pole, no country is seen as center

distorts shape and area

only shows one half of earth

reference maps

generalized sources of geographic data, focusing on location

thematic maps

maps focused on a particular topic or theme

what are the different types of thematic maps

isoline

graduated symbols

cartogram

dot

choropleth

isoline

used to show particular characteristics of an area

graduate symbols map

uses symbols to represent data in a specific area

cartogram

shows size in proportion to data

dot map

uses dots to represent a number of things in an area

choropleth

uses different colors to show different ranges of data

how is geographic data used

is used by individuals, companies, and governments to better understand situations problems and phenomena