AP Human Geography Unit 1

What is a map?

A two-dimensional model of Earth's surface.

What is cartography?

The science of map making.

What are the two main purposes of maps?

Reference tools and communication tools.

How do individuals, businesses, and governments use maps?

To make choices about locations and distributions.

What is the difference between 'place' and 'space'?

'Space' is a physical location measured mathematically, while 'place' is characterized by human behavior.

What defines a region?

Regions are defined by both physical and cultural characteristics and how locations are interrelated.

What is absolute location?

A specific location defined by latitude and longitude or a street address.

What is relative location?

A location described by landmarks, time, direction, or distance from another place.

What are human characteristics of a place?

Languages, beliefs, and other cultural aspects.

What are physical characteristics of a place?

Natural features such as mountains and rivers.

What is human-environment interaction?

The ways in which humans depend on, modify, and adapt to their environment.

What are the types of movement in geography?

Human movement, information movement, and the movement of goods and ideas.

What defines formal regions?

Regions defined by similar characteristics.

What are functional regions?

Regions defined by a specific function, such as a newspaper distribution area.

What are vernacular or perceptual regions?

Regions defined by people's perspectives and perceptions.

What does the average years of schooling indicate?

It describes how long people typically go to school in a region.

How can schooling be affected by environmental factors?

Environmental changes can destroy schools or make it financially difficult for families to afford education.

Designed landscape

A landscape that has been consciously created or modified by humans to fulfill specific aesthetic or functional purposes.

Vernacular landscape

A landscape that has evolved through the everyday activities of people and reflects the cultural practices and traditions of a particular community.

Historic Site

A location that is significant due to its historical events or cultural heritage.

Ethnographic landscape

A landscape that is shaped by the cultural practices and social interactions of a specific group of people.

Cultural ecology

The study of how human cultures adapt to and interact with their environments.

Cultural ecological theory

A theory that suggests cultures develop along multiple trajectories based on their interactions with the environment.

Multilinear evolution

The concept that cultures can evolve in various ways and do not follow a single path of development.

Unilinear evolution

The theory that cultures progress from simple to complex forms in a linear fashion.

Environmental determinism

The idea that the physical environment shapes cultures and human behaviors.

Environmental possibilism

The theory that while the environment sets certain constraints, human cultures have the ability to adapt and make choices.

Environmental perception

The focus on how humans perceive and interpret their environments, influencing their reactions and behaviors.

Cultural determinism

The belief that human culture is the primary influence on human behavior and societal development, overshadowing environmental factors.

Adaptation

The process by which humans adjust their behaviors and practices to better fit their environmental conditions.

Modifications

Changes made by humans to alter their environment to suit their needs or preferences.

Clustering vs dispersal

Describes the degree to which geographic spaces and sites are distributed across space.

Elevation

Vertical distance above sea level or some predetermined reference point.

Absolute measures

Units that can be thought of as mathematical and precise.

Relative measures

Can be thought of as demonstrating evaluative and cognitive space.

Cognitive location

Refers to the personal location of a place.

Place

Physical attributes of a situation.

Flows and networks

Evantity of movement between certain points connected through networks.

Friction of distance

Distance usually requires some amount of money or effort, and overcoming these barriers is proportional to distance traveled.

Localized diffusion

Impacts person-to-person, person-to-space, and place-to-place interactions.

Time-space convergence

Affected by wealth, communication, and transportation.

Distance decay

Effects of spatial distance on cultural interaction.

Time-space compression

Reduction in the time it takes to diffuse to a distant place as a result of improved transportation or communication systems.

Quantile

Places features in each category and makes ranges.

Equal interval

Sets the value ranges of each category of size and fits features into this category.

Quantiles data classification

Gives data at extreme and mid.

Advantages of equal intervals

Easy to calculate results are easily interpreted, no gaps in attributes.

Disadvantages of quantiles

Overweighted outliers might exist.

Natural breaks

Breaks it based on regions that have one or more unifying characters.

Regional boundaries

Are defining and can be contested.

Cartographic generalization

Decisions made to make maps easier to read.

Types of generalization

Simplification, point reduction, and symbolization.

Symbolization

Process of choosing an appropriate symbol to represent features on a map.

Classification

Process of sorting and arranging entities into groups by induction.

Centering

Process by which a cartographer chooses the center of a map.

Scale

The relationship between distance on a map and distance on the ground.

Fractional scale

Expressed as a ratio or fraction.

Verbal scale

Expressed in words.

Graphic scale

Remains true to size when maps are shrunk or enlarged.

Small scale

Covers a large area with less detail.

Large scale

Covers a smaller area with more detail.

Scale of analysis

World - Continent - Country - Region - State - City.

What is a toponym?

A name given to a location.

What perspective do geographers use to analyze locations?

Spatial perspective.

What are reference maps used for?

To show location, distance, and relative location.

What do political maps depict?

The boundaries and locations of political entities.

What is the purpose of thematic maps?

To depict the distribution of human activities or physical features.

What is a chloropleth map?

A statistical and thematic map that uses color or shading to represent data.

What does a dot distribution map visualize?

The geographic distribution of phenomena using point symbols.

What is a proportional or graduated symbols map?

A map that uses symbols to represent a feature's magnitude.

What do isoline maps show?

Lines that connect points of equal value.

What is a cartogram?

A map where features are altered in size according to a specific variable.

What is the main challenge of map projections?

To represent the 3D surface of the Earth on a flat surface, causing distortions.

What are the four types of distortion in cartography?

Shape, area, distance, and direction.

What is an equal-area projection?

A projection that preserves area measures.

What is a conformal projection?

A projection that preserves angles but distorts area.

What is the Mercator projection known for?

Preserving shape and direction but distorting size.

What is the Gall-Peters projection's main feature?

It preserves area but distorts shape.

What is the Robinson projection?

A compromise projection that distorts all properties slightly.

What is the Winkel Tripel projection?

A projection that minimizes distortion of area, direction, and distance.

What is cartography?

The science of making maps.

What do geographers use to analyze spatial relationships?

Maps and spatial data.

What is the significance of map projections?

They allow for the representation of the Earth's surface in a usable format.