APHG: Unit 1 (Thinking Geographically)

Absolute distance

Describing how far a distance is in quantitative units of distance (miles, kilometers, etc.).

Absolute location

The exact location of a place on earth.

Cartogram

A special kind of map that distorts the shapes and sizes of countries or other political regions to present data for comparison.

Cartography

The science of making maps.

Census

An official count of the individuals in a population (in the USA it happens every 10 years).

Census tract

An area delineated by the U.S. Bureau of the Census for which statistics are published; in urbanized areas, census tracts correspond roughly to neighborhoods.

Choropleth map

A thematic map that uses tones or colors to represent spatial data as average values per unit area.

Cultural landscape

The physical imprint humans make on the environment.

Distance decay (friction of distance)

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

Distortion

Inaccuracies created when representing a 3D object on a 2D surface; maps can have distortion of shape, distance, area (size), and direction (SADD).

Environmental determinism

The view that the natural environment has a very controlling influence over various aspects of human life including cultural development.

Flow-line map

A map that shows the movement of people, animals, goods, ideas, and physical processes.

Formal region

A geographical area inhabited by people who have one or more traits in common; relatively uniform with regard to one or more cultural/physical traits.

Functional region

A region defined by the particular set of activities or interactions that occur within it; organized around a focal point (node).

GIS

Geographic Information System - a computer system that stores, organizes, analyzes and displays geographic data in layers.

Globalization

Actions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope.

Human Geography

One of two major divisions of geography; studies how human activity affects or is influenced by Earth's surface.

Isoline/contour map

Map displaying lines that connect points of equal value; for example, a map showing elevation levels (topographic).

Natural resource

Materials or substances that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain.

Perceptual/Vernacular region

A geographic area that is perceived to exist by its inhabitants, based on the widespread acceptance and use of a unique regional name; based on shared feelings and attitudes of inhabitants.

Place

A specific point on earth with human and physical characteristics that distinguish it from other points.

Possibilism

The theory that the physical environment may limit human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment.

Population density map

A map that shows how many people live in an area.

Projection

The system used to transfer locations from Earth's surface to a flat map.

Reference map

A map that shows geographic locations on Earth's surface, such as locations of cities or oceans.

Region

A geographical area based on one or more common characteristics or functions.

Regionalization

An organization of earth's surface into distinct areas that are viewed different from other areas.

Relative distance

Describing the distance between locations using qualitative terms or non-traditional measurement of distance (one hour north of).

Relative location/situation

The location of a place relative to its surroundings and other places.

Remote sensing

The acquisition of data about Earth's surface from a satellite orbiting the planet or other long-distance methods.

Satellite imagery

Images of the earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world.

Satellite navigation system

Based on a global network of satellites that use data to determine precise position of something on earth. Global Positioning System (GPS), operated by the USA, is the most prevalent.

Scale of analysis (inquiry)

A scale that determines what is being studied based on the size of the area being examined. Patterns and processes at different scales reveal variations in, and different interpretations of, data.

Scale

Generally, the relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole (local, regional, global). Specifically, in a physical sense the relationship between the size of an object on a map and the size of the actual feature on Earth's surface.

Spatial

Describing how things are organized across space.

Spatial pattern

The location of places, people, and events, and the connections among places and landscapes. Looks to answer questions like "Why of where?"

Sustainability

The use of the earth's renewable and non-renewable resources in ways that ensure resource availability in the future.

Thematic map

A map that emphasizes the spatial patterns of geographic statistics or attributes and the relationships between them. Examples include: cartogram, choropleth, flow line, isoline, population density, etc.

Time-space compression

The idea that the world feels smaller than it used to as a result of improved technology in communications and transportation systems.

Toponym

The name by which a geographical place is known.

Watershed

Area that is served by a water source (Functional Region)

5 Themes: Region

grouping areas of the world together to better understand it (formal, functional, Perceptual)

5 Themes: Place

Characteristics of a location

5 Themes: Location

where a place is on earth

5 Themes: Movement

the people, goods and ideas travel from place to place

Diffusion

Movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.

5 Themes: Human-Environment Interaction

the way people and the environment affect each other (adapt, modify and depend)