AP Human Geo: Unit 1

Spacial Patterns

Spacial Patterns

Locations of various things on earth.

Absolute Distance

An exact measure of the separation between two points using standards like inches, feet, miles, or kilometers.

Relative Distance

A measure of social, cultural, or political differences or similarities between two locations that cannot be depicted on maps.

Absolute Direction

Indicates North, South, East, West.

Relative Direction

Describes the location of one thing in relation to another.

Clustering/Dispersal

Describes how phenomena are spread out across an area.

Elevation

Measures the height of geographic features relative to sea level.

Scale (in maps)

Explains how distance on the map relates to distance in the real world.

Large-scale map

A map that is zoomed in on a particular feature with larger details.

Small-scale map

A map that is zoomed out to a national or global level with smaller details.

Reference Maps

Displays specific geographic locations like blueprints or road maps.

Thematic Maps

Displays geographic information such as choropleth or dot distribution maps.

Choropleth Maps

Visualizes data using different colors.

Dot Distribution Maps

Uses dots to visualize the location of certain data points.

Graduated Symbol Maps

Uses symbols to visualize data in proportion to representation.

Isoline Maps

Uses lines to depict data, often showing changes in elevation.

Mercator Projection

Maps where latitude and longitude lines meet at right angles, leading to distortion at higher latitudes.

Peters Projection

Depicts continents according to their true size but distorts their shapes.

Polar Projection

Maps the world from the north or south pole, with true directions but edge distortion.

Robinson Projection

A compromise mapping method that distributes distortions across the map equally.

Quantitative Data

Numbers-based geographic data.

Qualitative Data

Descriptive and language-based geographic data.

Geospatial Technologies

Technologies that examine and measure geographical features on Earth.

GPS (Global Positioning System)

Uses satellites to connect an absolute location to another destination.

GIS (Geographic Information Systems)

Software used to manipulate geospatial data for research or problem-solving.

Remote Sensing

A method of data collection regarding geographic locations through satellite imagery.

Field Observations

When a researcher physically visits a location and makes written observations.

Census Data

Data important for urban planning including demographics such as race and income.

Absolute Location

The precise geographical coordinates of a particular place.

Relative Location

Describes one place in reference to another measured in distance or time.

Space

The physical characteristics of a location measured mathematically.

Place

The meaning people attribute to locations, which cannot be measured mathematically.

Distance Decay

The principle that the further apart two things are, the less connected they will be.

Time-Space Compression

Refers to the decreased distance between locations based on travel time or cost.

Sustainability

How geographers study the use of non-renewable resources and develop preservation recommendations.

Cultural Landscape

The differences in built landscapes reflecting the values and culture of people.

Environmental Determinism

A theory that physical environment determines the development of a culture.

Possibilism

The idea that humans shape their culture and have various possibilities regardless of environment.

Scales of Analysis

Different levels of data examination ranging from global to local levels.

Formal Region

A region linked by common traits like language or economic prosperity.

Functional Region

A region organized around a core, serving a specific function.

Perceptual Region

Defined by people's shared beliefs and feelings about themselves.

Contested Boundaries

Disputes over regions where borders can be transitional.

Changing the scale of analysis reveals what?

Changing the scale of analysis reveals different variations of patterns and processes

Scale of Analysis: National

National - studies phenomena in a particular country (e.g. median household income in Germany compared to median household in the Czech Republic

Scales of Analysis: Local

Local - analysing data at the state or city level (e.g. graduation rate of one state vs anoth

Scales of Analysis: Regional

Regional - analysing data at the continental level - the point is to draw comparaisions between two or more regions (e.g. life exspectancy in Africa compared to North America)

Scales of Analysis: Global

Global - analysing data at the global level - what does this phenomena look like on the whole earth