APHUG ~ Unit 1: Thinking Geographically

Built Landscape –

Human-made features on land (e.g., buildings, roads).

Sequent Occupance –

Different groups leave their mark on a place over time.

Cultural Landscape –

How humans shape the land around them.

Arithmetic Density –

People per total land area.

Physiological Density –

People per arable (farmable) land.

Hearth –

Where an idea or innovation starts.

Relocation Diffusion –

Ideas spread through people moving.

Expansion Diffusion –

Ideas spread in a growing pattern.

Hierarchical Diffusion –

Ideas spread from authority or influencers.

Contagious Diffusion –

Ideas spread quickly like a virus.

Stimulus Diffusion –

An idea changes as it spreads.

Absolute Direction –

Exact compass directions (north, south, etc.).

Relative Direction –

Directions based on perception (left, right, up, down).

Dispersed –

Spread out over an area.

Scattered –

Spread randomly with gaps in between.

Clustered –

Grouped close together.

Absolute Distance –

Exact measured space between two places.

Relative Distance –

Distance described in terms of time or connections.

Distribution –

How things are arranged on Earth’s surface.

Environmental Determinism –

The idea that nature controls human actions.

Absolute Location –

Exact location using latitude and longitude.

Relative Location –

Location described by nearby places.

Site –

What’s physically there (e.g., climate, landforms).

Situation –

A place’s location compared to others.

Toponym –

The name of a place.

Linear Pattern –

Objects arranged in a straight line.

Centralized Pattern –

Objects clustered in one area.

Random Pattern –

No clear order in arrangement.

Natural Landscape –

Land untouched by humans.

Possibilism –

People can adapt to their environment.

Formal Region –

A region where everyone shares a trait (e.g., language).

Functional Region –

A region centered around a node (e.g., a city’s influence).

Vernacular Region –

A region based on people's perceptions (e.g., "The South").

Scale –

The level of detail shown on a map.

Size –

How big something is.

Accessibility –

How easy it is to reach a place.

Connectivity –

How places are linked together.

Network –

A system of connected places or people.

Distance Decay –

The farther away, the less interaction.

Friction of Distance –

Distance makes interaction harder.

Time-Space Compression –

Technology makes distances feel shorter.

Distortion –

Maps warp reality.

GIS (Geographic Information System) –

A computer system for mapping data.

GPS (Global Positioning System) –

Finds exact locations using satellites.

Grid –

A pattern of intersecting lines (latitude & longitude).

North & South Poles –

The top and bottom of Earth.

Latitude –

Lines that run east-west, measure north-south.

Parallel –

A latitude line.

Equator –

0° latitude, divides Earth into north and south.

Longitude –

Lines that run north-south, measure east-west.

Meridian –

A longitude line.

Prime Meridian –

0° longitude, passes through Greenwich, England.

International Date Line –

Where the date changes by a day.

Maps –

2D drawings of Earth’s surface.

Map Scale –

The ratio of map distance to real distance.

Thematic Map –

Shows specific data (e.g., population).

Statistical Map –

Uses data variations (e.g., rainfall).

Cartogram –

Distorts size to show a theme.

Dot Map –

Uses dots to show frequency.

Choropleth Map –

Uses colors/shading to show data.

Isoline Map –

Uses lines to connect equal values.

Mental Map –

A person’s internal map of places.

Model –

A simplified version of reality for study.

Time Zones –

24 zones that divide the world’s time.

Remote Sensing –

Collecting data from satellites.

Map Projection –

Flattening Earth into a 2D map.

Mercator Projection –

Accurate shape, but size is distorted.

Azimuthal Projection –

Looks like a flat circle from above.

Robinson Projection –

Balances distortion but shrinks landmasses.

Fuller Projection –

Keeps land accurate but removes direction.

Peters Projection –

Keeps land area accurate but distorts shape.

Culture –

The shared knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of a society.

Cultural Trait –

A single element of culture, like a style of dress.

Culture Complex –

A set of related cultural traits.

Independent Invention –

A trait developed independently in different places.

Diffusion –

The spread of a cultural element or phenomenon.

Culture Diffusion –

The spread of culture from its origin to other areas.

Time-Distance Decay –

The decline in the acceptance of an idea as time and distance increase.

Cultural Barriers –

Cultural attitudes that prevent the acceptance of certain ideas or innovations.

Human Geography –

The spatial analysis of human population, its cultures, activities, and landscapes

Globalization –

The expansion of economic, political, and cultural processes to a global scale.

Spatial Perspective

Observing variations in geographic phenomena across space

Location

The geographical situation of people and things

Location Theory –

An explanation of the locational patterns of economic activities and their interrelationships.

Human-Environment Interaction –

The interactions between human society and the natural environment.

Sense of Place –

The emotional and meaningful connection to a place through memories or character.

Perception of Place –

Understanding or beliefs about a place formed through media or experiences.

Movement

The mobility of people, goods and ideas across the surface of the planet

Complementarity –

When two regions satisfy each other's needs through trade.

Intervening Opportunity –

A nearer opportunity that reduces the appeal of more distant ones.

Sequent Landscape –

Successive societies leaving cultural imprints on a place.

Equal Area Projection Map –

A map where areas are shown in proportion to their actual size.

Conformal Map –

A map that preserves the shape of small areas.

Cylindrical Projection Map –

A map projection where features are projected onto a cylinder.

Planar Projection Map –

A map projection that shows the globe on a plane.

Conic Projection Map –

A map where features are projected onto a cone.

Oval Projection Map –

A map that shows Earth in an elliptical shape.

Reference Map –

A map showing locations and geographic features.

Flow-line Maps –

Maps showing movement between places with line thickness indicating quantity.

Grid System –

A system used to locate places on a map using coordinates.