AP Human Geography - Unit 1 Vocabulary (2019 CED)

geography

the study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these, including the distribution of populations and resources, land use, and industries

thematic map

show spatial aspects of information or of a phenomenon

reference map

generalized map type designed to show general spatial properties of features

place

uniqueness of a location (or similarity of two or more locales); phenomena within an area

formal region

homogeneous region is an area within which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics. The shared feature could be a cultural value such as a common language, or an environmental climate

perceptual (vernacular) region

a place that people believe exists as a part of their cultural identity. Such regions emerge from peoples informal sense of place rather than from scientific models developed through geographic thought

functional region

area organized around a node or focal

point; the characteristic will diminish in importance as it spreads outward. This region is tied to the central point by transportation or communication

systems or by economic or functional associations

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

collection of computer hardware and software permitting spatial data to be collected, recorded, stored, retrieved, used, and displayed

remote sensing

method of collecting data or information through the use of instruments (e.g., satellites) that are physically distant from the area or object of study

absolute direction

A compass direction such as north or south.

absolute distance

Exact measurement of the physical space between two places.

relative direction

Directions such as left, right, forward, backward, up, and down based on people's perception of places

relative distance

A measure of distance that includes the costs of overcoming the friction of absolute distance separating two places. Often relative distance describes the amount of social, cultural, or economic, connectivity between two places.

clustering

Gathering close together; forming in a group

dispersed

distributed or spread over a considerable area

possibilism

The theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives.

environmental determinism

A theory that claims that cultural traits are formed and controlled by environmental conditions.

space

implies the extent of a area and can be in a relative and absolute sense

sustainability

The use of Earth's renewable and nonrenewable natural resources in ways that do not constrain resource use in the future.

time-space compression

an influence on the rate of expansion diffusion of an idea, observing that the spread or acceptance of an idea is usually delayed as distance from the source of the innovation increases.

distance decay

the diminishing in importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin.

landscape analysis

using field observation, spatial data, and aerial photography to gather data to define and describe landscapes

photographic Interpretation

the identification, description and measurement of objects in images, especially in aerial photographs, for geologic, cartographic or military purposes

census data

geospatial data collected through the quantification of a population which can include details of race, religion, gender, etc.

relative location

a relative location is the position of something relative to another landmark

site

a physical character of a place, such as characteristics like climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation, latitude, and elevation

situation

The location of a place relative to other places; valuable to indicate location: finding an unfamiliar place and understanding its importance by comparing location with familiar one and learning their accessibility to other places

absolute location

Exact location of a place on the earth described by global coordinates

cartography

the science of maps and map-making

cultural ecology

geographic appoarch that emphasizes human-environment relationships

cultural landscape

the fashioning of anatural landscape by a cultural group

culture

the body of customary beliefs, social forms, and material trait that together constitute a group's distinct tradition

density

the frequency with which something exists within a given unit of area

distribution

the arrangement of something across Earth's surface

equator

an imaginary line drawn around the earth equally distant from both poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres and constituting the parallel of latitude 0°

International Date Line

an arc that follows 180 degrees longitude although it deviates in several places to avoid dividing land areas

latitude/parallel

the numbering system used to indicate the location of parallels drawn on a globe and measuring distance north and south of the equator

longitude/meridian

the numbering system used to indicate the location of meridians drawn on a globe and measuring distance east and west of the prime meridian

projection

a system used to trasnfer locations from Earth's surface to a flat map

region

an area distinguished by a unique combination of trends or features

scale

the relationship between the portion of the Earth being studied and Earth as a whole

spatial analysis

a study of how humans shape their spaces

concentration

the spread of a feature over a place

human geography

the branch of geography dealing with how human activity affects or is influenced by the earth's surface.

physical geography

the branch of geography dealing with natural features and processes

Prime Meridian

a line of longitude that for the most part follows 180 degrees longitude, although it deviates in several places to avoid dividing land areas

toponym

the name by which a geographical place is known