Unit 1 Notecards - AP Human Geography

These flashcards contain essential terminology and definitions relevant to Unit 1 of AP Human Geography.

Spatial Data

Data that represents the physical location and characteristics of objects or features on the Earth's surface.

Remote Sensing

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

Site

The physical characteristics of a place, such as its landform, climate, and resources.

Situation

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

Sense of Place

The emotional and cultural meaning that people associate with a specific location.

Toponym

The name given to a place or a geographical feature.

Time-Space Compression

The phenomenon that as transportation and communication technologies improve, the perceived distance between places diminishes.

Distance Decay

The principle that the farther away someone is from another, the less likely they are to interact.

Environmental Determinism

The theory that the physical environment, particularly the climate and terrain, determines human behavior and cultural development.

Possibilism

The theory that the environment sets certain constraints or limitations, but cultures have the agency to adapt and alter their environments.

Absolute Location

The precise position of a place on Earth's surface, often expressed using coordinates like latitude and longitude.

Cultural Landscape

A geographic area that has been shaped by human activity and culture.

Region

An area on Earth's surface broadly divided by physical characteristics, human impact, or a functional interaction of space.

Map scale

The relationship between the size of an object on a map and the size of the actual feature on Earth's surface.

Map projection

A method for representing the three-dimensional surface of the Earth or a celestial sphere on a two-dimensional flat map.

Distribution

The arrangement of something across Earth's surface.

Density

The frequency with which something occurs in space; often measured as the number of features per unit area.

Concentration

The extent of a feature's spread over space; features are clustered if they are close together or dispersed if they are far apart.

Pattern

The geometric or regular arrangement of something in a study area.

Relative location

The position of a place in relation to another place or its surrounding environment.

Place

A specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular character. It is a concept that encompasses human and physical characteristics, giving an area meaning.

Cultural ecology

The study of human adaptations to social and physical environments.

Globalization

The process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale. It refers to the increasing interconnectedness of the world.

Local Diversity

The unique characteristics and traditions of particular places that contrast with increasing globalization.

Absolute Direction

A direction expressed in terms of cardinal points (North, South, East, West).

Relative Direction

A direction expressed in terms of one's surroundings (e.g., 'left,' 'right,' 'up,' 'down,' 'near side,' 'far side').

Sustainability

The use of Earth's resources in ways that do not constrain resource use in the future.

Land Use

The management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It is also the specific uses to which land is put, such as agricultural, residential, industrial, or commercial.