AP Human Geography Unit 1 Vocabulary

Absolute Direction

A fixed direction based on the cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west.

Absolute Distance

The exact physical distance between two places, usually measured in miles or kilometers.

Absolute Location

The exact position of a place on Earth, usually identified with latitude and longitude.

Activity Space

The area in which a person regularly travels and carries out daily activities.

Aerial Photography

Photographs of Earth's surface taken from aircraft to study geographic features.

Cartogram

A map that alters area size or shape to represent a statistic instead of land area.

Cartographer

A person who creates and designs maps.

Census

An official count and survey of a population collecting demographic information.

Choropleth Map

A thematic map using different shades or colors to show regional statistics.

Clustering

The concentration or grouping of people or objects close together in space.

Compass Rose

A map symbol showing cardinal directions.

Concentration

The extent to which something is spread out or grouped together within an area.

Contagious Diffusion

The rapid, widespread diffusion of an idea through direct contact.

Contested Boundaries

Political boundaries whose location or legitimacy is disputed by groups or countries.

Cultural Ecology

The study of interactions between humans and their physical environment.

Cultural Landscape

The visible features of an area created or changed by human activity.

Data Aggregation

Combining individual pieces of geographic data into larger units.

Density

The number of people or objects within a specific amount of area.

Diffusion

The process through which characteristics spread from one place to another.

Distance Decay

The idea that interaction between places decreases as distance increases.

Distribution

The way something is arranged or spread across geographic space.

Dot Density Map

A map using dots to represent the location and concentration of a phenomenon.

Ecology

The study of relationships among living organisms and their environment.

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms interacting with their physical environment.

Elevation

The height of a location above sea level.

Environmental Determinism

The theory that the physical environment strongly controls human behavior.

Environmental Perception

How individuals or cultures understand and view their physical surroundings.

Expansion Diffusion

The spread of an idea outward while remaining strong at the source.

Field Work

Collecting geographic information through direct observation in an actual location.

Formal Region

An area defined by one or more measurable, shared characteristics.

Friction of Distance

The idea that distance creates difficulty or cost that reduces interaction.

Functional Region

A region organized around a central node and its connected interactions.

Gender

Socially and culturally constructed roles and behaviors associated with sex.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

Computer technology used to analyze and display layers of geographic data.

Geographical Processes

Physical and human forces that cause geographic patterns to change over time.

Global Citizen

A person who views themselves as part of a worldwide community.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A satellite-based system used to determine exact locations on Earth.

Global Scale

Studying a geographic issue or pattern across the entire world.

Globalization

The increasing economic, cultural, and social interconnection of places.

Glocal Perspective

Looking at how global processes interact with and adapt to local conditions.

Graduated Symbol Map

A thematic map using symbols of different sizes to represent variable amounts.

Goode-Homosoline Projection

An interrupted map projection reducing size and shape distortion.

Greenhouse Effect

The natural process in which atmospheric gases trap heat and warm Earth.

Greenhouse Gases

Atmospheric gases, like carbon dioxide and methane, that absorb and trap heat.

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

Time measured at the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England.

Hierarchical Diffusion

The spread of an idea through an organized hierarchy or important nodes.

Human Geography

The study of people, cultures, and their relationships with places.

Independent Innovation

The development of a similar idea independently in different places.

Infrastructure

Basic facilities necessary for society to function, such as roads and utilities.

Interdependence

A condition in which places or people depend on one another for resources.

Isoline Map

A map using lines connecting locations with the same variable value.

Latitude

Imaginary east-west lines measuring distance north or south of the Equator.

Legend

The part of a map explaining colors, symbols, and patterns; a map key.

Local-Scale Analysis

Studying geographic patterns within a small area, like a neighborhood.

Longitude

Imaginary north-south lines measuring distance east or west of the Prime Meridian.

Map

A two-dimensional representation of Earth's surface.

Map Projection

A method of representing Earth's curved surface on a flat map.

Map Scale

The relationship between map distance and actual distance on Earth.

Map Symbols

Visual signs or icons used to represent features on a map.

Mental Map

A person's internal image or perception of locations.

Mercator Projection

A cylindrical map projection preserving direction but distorting polar size.

Metropolitan Area

A major city and its connected surrounding communities.

National-Scale Analysis

Studying geographic patterns across an entire country.

Natural Hazard

A naturally occurring event that can harm people or property.

Natural Resources

Materials occurring in nature that humans use, like water and minerals.

Nodes

Important centers in a network where activities or interactions concentrate.

Nonrenewable Resources

Natural resources consumed faster than nature replaces them, like coal.

Pattern

The arrangement of objects or activities across space.

Perceptual / Vernacular Region

An area people believe exists based on cultural identity, like 'the South'.

Peters Projection

An equal-area map projection representing relative land sizes accurately.

Physical Map

A map showing natural features such as mountains, rivers, and elevation.

Polar Projection

A map projection centered on one of Earth's poles.

Political Map

A map showing political units and boundaries like countries and states.

Possibilism

The theory that environment limits options, but humans choose how to modify it.

Prime Meridian

The line of 0° longitude passing through Greenwich, England.

Reference Maps

General-purpose maps showing locations of geographic features.

Region

An area of Earth defined by one or more shared characteristics.

Regional Analysis

The study and comparison of characteristics within or among regions.

Regional Identity

The sense of belonging people have to a particular geographic region.

Regional-Scale Analysis

Studying geographic patterns across an area larger than local, smaller than global.

Relative Distance

Distance measured in terms of time, cost, or effort.

Relative Location

Where a place is located in relation to other places.

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of an idea when people physically move to a new location.

Remote Sensing

Collecting information about Earth's surface from a distance via satellites.

Renewable Resources

Natural resources that can replenish themselves naturally over a short period.

Reverse Hierarchical Diffusion

Diffusion moving up the hierarchy from smaller places to major centers.

Satellite Imagery

Images of Earth collected by satellites to study land use and weather.

Scale

The geographic level of study or map distance ratio.

Sense of Place

Feelings and identity associated with a particular location.

Site

The physical characteristics of a location (what is here?).

Situation

The location of a place relative to surrounding features (what is around it?).

Space

The physical gap or distance between geographic locations.

Spatial Patterns

The ways phenomena are arranged across Earth's surface.

Spatial Perspective

A geographic approach asking where things are located and why.

Stimulus Diffusion

Diffusion in which an idea spreads but is modified by the receiving culture.

Sustainability

Using resources to meet current needs without compromising future generations.

Thematic Map

A map designed to show the geographic distribution of a specific topic.

Time-Space Compression

The reduction in the importance of distance due to communication and transport tech.

Toponym

The name given to a place reflecting its history or culture.

Topographic Map

A map showing shape and elevation using contour lines.