APHG Unit 1: Thinking Geographically

Situation (or relative location)

The location of a place in relation to other places or objects

“It’s down past the courthouse, on Locust Street, after the third traffic light..”

Absolute Location

Description of the position of a place in a way that never changes. such as geographic coordinates of latitude and longitude

Assimilation

The process by which a group’s cultural features are altered to resemble those of another group

Acculturation

The process of changes in culture that result from the meeting of two groups, each of which retains distinct cultural features

Taking small pieces from one culture while keeping the original one

Syncretism

The combing of elements of two groups into a new cultural feature

Behavioral geography

An approach to human geography that emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychological basis for individual human actions in space

Focus on human behavior and decision-making in relation to the amount of space

Cartogram

A map in which the projection and scale are distorted in order to convey the information of a variable

Cartography

The science of making maps

Choropleth Map

A map in which areas are shaded or patterned in proportion to the measurement of the variable

Graduated symbol map

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

Bigger circles over areas with bigger values of something

Volunteered geographic information (VGI)

Creation of dissemination of geographic data contributed voluntarily and for free by individuals

Citizen Science

Scientific research by amateur scientists

Participatory GIS (PGIS)

Community based mapping, representing local knowledge and information, people in the community work voluntarily to address local problems

Poststructuralist geography

Geographic approach should examines how the powerful in a society dominate, or seek to control, less powerful groups, how the dominated groups occupy space, and confrontations that result from the domination

Diffusion

The process by which a feature spreads from one place to another over time

Hearth

A place from which an innovation originates

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of a feature or trend through bodily movement of people from one place to another

Someone with one culture moving to a new area and bringing their culture and language with them (EX: languages coming to America)

Hierarchical Diffusion

The spread of a feature or trend from one key person or node of authority or power to other persons or places

(Spread of ideas from big cities to less populated areas like music)

Contagious diffusion

The rapid, widespread diffusion of a feature or trend throughout a population

(Things going viral online due to thousands of people on a platform)

Stimulus Diffusion

The spread of an underlying principle

(a idea or trait is spread, but it is modified by a different culture to fit it better EX: McDonalds in India changing their menu to fit their diet and beliefs)

Distance decay

The diminished importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin

(as the distance between two places increase, the interaction between those two places decreases)

Space-time compression

The reduction in the time it takes to diffuse something to a distant place as a result of improved communications and transportation systems

(The shrinking of space and time due to advancements and transportation, which makes distant places feel closer and easier to interact with)

environmental determinism

Made by Alexander von Humboldt and Carl Ritter

The belief that the physical environment shapes societies and their development, influencing cultural, economic and political aspects

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)

Informally called Greenwich Mean Time

The time at the prime meridian (0 degrees longitude) is the master reference time for all points on earth, the time at longitude 0 degrees, the prime meridian

Formal region (uniform region)

An area in which most people share in one or more distinctive characteristics, like the same language, climate, or political system

Functional region (or nodal region)

An area organized around a node or focal point connected by functions (transportation, communication, or economic activity) where interactions and influence radiate outwards from that node

Vernacular Region (perceptual region)

An area that is defined by people’s cultural perceptions rather than formal boundaries and often have informal names to identify them

“the South” in America isn’t an exact area, more like a general understanding of the area

Isoline Map

A map that connects places of a particular value by lines

Lithosphere

Earths crust and a portion of upper mantle directly below the crust

Hydrosphere

All the water on and near Earths surface

Photogrammetry

The science of taking measurements of Earths surface from photographs

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

Toponym

The name given to a portion of Earths surface (country names, any name on a map)

Polder

Land that the Dutch have created by draining water from an area

Cultural Ecology

A geographic approach that emphasizes human-environment relationships

Geographic information science (GIScience)

Analysis of data about Earth acquired through satellite and other electronic information technologies

Geographic information system (GIS)

A computer system that captures, stores, queries, and displays geographic data

Humanistic Geography

An approach to human geography that emphasizes the different ways that individuals form ideas about places and give those placed symbolic meanings

(EX: a person of one race can feel comfortable in an area where their race is most common, while someone of another race might feel uncomfortable)

Scale

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

Transnational corporation

A company that conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters or shareholders are located

Uneven development

The increasing gap in the economic conditions between core and peripheral regions as a result of the globalization of the economy

reference map

-Aims to prove a broad understanding of the locations geography

-shows the location of geographic features and political boundaries about the organization of space

thematic map

a type of map that displays a particular theme or attribute, such as population density, income levels, or disease rates

remote sensing

the acquisition of information about the Earths surface from a distance, typically using sensors on satellites or aircraft

scale of analysis

the level of geographic inquiry - global, regional, national, or local - at which a phenomenon is studied

time-space compression

the process through which improvements in transportation and communication technologies have effectively reduced the distance and and time separating places