Human Chapter 1

Reference Maps

Designed for people to refer to for general information about places.

Political Maps

Maps that show and label human-created boundaries and designations, such as countries, states, cities, and capitals.

Physical Maps

Maps that show and label natural features such as mountains, rivers, and deserts.

Road Maps

Maps that show and label highways, streets, and alleys.

Plat Maps

Maps that show and label property lines and details of land ownership.

Thematic Maps

Maps that depict how spatial aspects of information or a phenomenon.

Choropleth Maps

Thematic maps that use various colors or shades to show the location and distribution of spatial data.

Dot Distribution Maps

Maps that show the specific location and distribution of something across a map, with each dot representing a specified quantity.

Graduated Symbol Maps

Thematic maps that use symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of something.

Isoline Maps

Maps that use lines connecting points of equal value to depict variations of data across space.

Topographic Maps

Maps where points of equal elevation are connected.

Cartogram Maps

Maps where sizes of areas are relative to some statistic.

Scale

The ratio between the size of things in the real world and their size on the map.

Cartographic Scale

The way the map communicates the ratio of its size to the size of what it represents.

Absolute Location

The precise spot where something is according to a coordinate system.

Relative Location

A description of where something is in relation to other things.

Connectivity

How well two locations are tied together by roads or other links.

Absolute Distance

Measured in terms of feet, miles, meters, or kilometers.

Relative Distance

Indicates the degree of nearness based on time or money.

Time-Space Compression

The shrinking of 'time distance' between locations due to improved transportation and communication.

Patterns of Distribution

The general arrangement of things studied across an area.

Spatial Interaction

The contact, movement, and flow of things between locations.

Friction of Distance

The idea that farther things are less connected.

Distance Decay

The inverse relationship between distance and connection.

Natural Resources

Items that occur in the natural environment that people can use.

Sustainability

Using resources in ways that allow their use in the future while minimizing negative environmental impacts.

Cultural Ecology

The study of how humans adapt to the environment.

Environmental Determinism

The belief that landforms and climate shape human behavior and societal development.

Possibilism

The theory that cultural choices and technological advancements shape how people adapt to their environment.

Formal Regions

Regions united by one or more traits (political, physical, cultural, economic).

Functional Regions

Regions organized around a focal point defined by political, social, or economic activity.

Perceptual Regions

Regions defined by the informal sense of place that people ascribe to them.