Unit 1: Thinking Geographically - AP Human Geography

Unit 1: Thinking Geographically - AP Human Geography 2024-25

scale of inquiry

at what scale of analysis is the best to answer a question?

Spatial Location

The position of a place or object on the Earth's surface.

Direction

The orientation or course along which something moves or faces (e.g., north, south, east, west).

Size

The dimensions or extent of an object or area.

Scale

The relationship between a portion of the Earth and the Earth as a whole; also, the level of detail or scope of a study (e.g., local, regional, global).

Physical Attributes

Natural characteristics of a place, such as climate, vegetation, and landforms.

Cultural Attributes

Human-made characteristics or elements of a place, such as language, religion, and customs.

Changing Attributes of Place

How the physical and cultural characteristics of a location can change over time due to various factors.

Environmental Determinism

The theory that the physical environment, including climate and terrain, shapes human activities and cultures.

Environmental Possibilism

The idea that while the environment may set certain constraints, humans have the ability to adapt and overcome these limitations through technology and innovation.

Spatial Interaction

How and why places interact with each other.

Network

A set of interconnected nodes (e.g., transportation systems).

Time-Space Compression

The reduction in the time it takes to reach a destination due to technological advancements.

Diffusion

The process by which phenomena spread from one place to another.

Hearth

The original source or place of origin of a phenomenon.

Relocation Diffusion

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

Expansion Diffusion

The spread of a phenomenon outward from its hearth, often in a snowballing process.

Hierarchical Diffusion

Spread from larger to smaller places or from influential individuals to less influential ones.

Contagious Diffusion

Rapid, widespread diffusion from person to person. (ex. disease)

Stimulus Diffusion

The spread of an underlying principle or concept rather than the exact phenomenon.

Distribution

The way something is spread out or arranged over a geographic area.

Density

The frequency with which something occurs in a given area.

Arithmetic Density

The total number of people per unit area of land.

Physiological Density

The number of people per unit area of arable land.

Dispersion/Concentration

The arrangement of objects or phenomena in space, either dispersed/scattered or clustered/agglomerated.

Pattern

The geometric arrangement of objects in space, such as linear, centralized, or random.

Region

An area distinguished by certain common characteristics, categorized as formal/uniform, functional/nodal, or perceptual/vernacular.

sense of place

the emotions and memories attached to a place by people

absolute location

precise plotting of where on Earth’s surface something is located. ex. latitude and longitute

relative location

describes the location of something in relation to human and physical features around it

site

absolute location, plus physical characteristics, (temperature, weather). ex. New Orleans is located on a bend of the Mississippi River, a low-lying delta. The latitude of New Orleans, LA, USA, is 29.951005 and the longitude is -90.071533.

cultural landscape

the visible imprint of human activity on the physical landscape

sequent occupence

imprints made by a sequence of different occupants (ex. conquerors) who’s imprints are layered on top of each other. (ex. German city names in Texas, Tex-Mex)

distance/proximity

area between objects on Earth’s surface

region

an area that shares distinct characteristics and is different from another region

distribution/patterns

ways in which things are arranged within a given space

spatial interaction

the interaction between places

accesibility

ability to access another location easily

connectivity

the degree of linkage between location in a network (how connected places are)

spatial perspective

the arrangement of phenomena studied across the surface of the Earth, such as the movement of people and things that change in places over time, and human perceptions of

landscape

the material character of a place, the combo of natural features, human and man-made structures and other tangible objects that give a place a particular form (flavor)

situation

relative location; the area around settlement/cities; close proximity of raw materials, other settlements/cities and trade

friction of distance

the further away place A and place B are, the less they interact with each other

time-space compression

improved methods of transportation and communication reduces the distance between places (friction)

Globalization

increased due to multinational corporations getting global reach and power; travel and shipping is cheap and safe; governments have decreased tariffs and regulations on international trade.

positives of globalization

1. increases world economic output (more money)

2. more people can live better (less poverty)

globalization has effected culture…

1. fewer languages are spoken

2. less cultural diversity

3. more novels are translated

4. football reached America

globalization (shortend)

brings local culture and economics caused by increased interaction between geological distinct regions

formal regions

has one or more traits; can be physical, political, economical, cultural; has measurable, obvious borders. (ex. the US, Brazil, climate zones)

functional regions

defined with an activity; often organized around a center node; multiple places interact to create (ex. school districts, food delivery zone)

perceptual regions

not concrete; created by human perceptions of regions; shaped by stereotypes and half-baked ideas (the Deep South, the West Coast)

map scale

distance on map compared to distance on the ground

scale of analysis

how information is grouped (ex. regional, global, national)

distance decay theory

friction = time, effort, money

because of friction, less spatial interaction between places with large distance between them

human geography

focuses on how people make places, how we organize space and society, how we interact with each other in places and across space, and how we make sense of others and ourselves in our localities, regions, and the world

physical geography

the study of spatial and material characteristics of physical environment

spatial

relating to or occupying space

spatial distribution

the study of the relationship between objects in physical space