AP Human GNP Key Terms

absolute distance

a distance that can be measured with a standard unit of length

absolute location

global grid in terms of latitude and longitude

accessibility

how easy it is to access that location

activity spaces

location where regular behavior happens

Aggregation

geographers decide what type of unit they want to study

agricultural density

farmers per unit of farmland

anthropogenic

the study of people and processes that shape the earth's surface

arithmetic density

population density; people per land

Azimuthal projection (Polar or Planar Projection)

shows true directions from a single point creating a view of earth from space

cardinal and intermediate directions

north, east, south, and west, and the movements in between

Carl Sauer

possibilism, cultural and natural landscapes

cartogram

distort the map to reflect data

cartography

map making

centralized pattern

clustered or concentrated at a certain place

Choropleth thematic map

color and shading represent info

Complementary

what they can supply each other

Concentration

the extent of a feature's spread over space

Conformal (Orthomorphic) Projection

preserves the correct shapes of small areas

conic map

surface features are projected onto a cone

connectivity

based on complementary and accessibility; relationships between things

contagious diffusion

rapid spread through contact (geographically close)

coordinate system (global grid)

split into latitude and longitude lines

Cotton Belt

Virginia to Texas (products)

cultural diffusion

movement of characteristic

cultural ecology

how the environment affects people and vice versa (too hot, cold, wet, dry, hilly)

cultural landscape

product of human-environment interaction

Culture complex

trait combines with others in a distinctive way

culture trait

one single attribute

cylindrical map

projected onto a cylinder and then unrolled as a plane

Daylight Savings Time

create more daylight hours

Density

how often an object occurs in a given area

diffusion

movement of any characteristic

distance decay (time-distance decay)

farther distance, less interaction

Distortion

alteration of the original shape

distribution

arrangement of features in space

Dot Density Map

dots represent the frequency of data

environmental determinism

cultures are a result of where they exist

epidemic diseases

animal source

equal-area projection

retains the relative size of the area throughout a map

equator

0-degree latitude

equidistant projection

minimize and balance the overall distortion

Eratosthenes

created the term geography and relatively accurate measurement of the circumference of the earth

expansion diffusion

spread to new places but remains the strongest at the original location

flow-line map

lines represent movement

formal region (uniform region)

similar characteristics link all of the people in the area

Friction of Distance

movement incurs cost

Fuller Projection

maintains shape and area but loses directions

functional region (nodal region)

defined around a node; characteristic dominates node but becomes weaker farther away

Geographic scale

not an exact measurement but a comparison of places around the world

George Perkins Marsh

wrote the first work about conservation and the human-environmental interaction

GIS (Geographic Information System)

a computer program that uses layers of info to make mapping patterns

Globalization

increasing connections across the world

Goode's Homosline Projection

maintains area but divides oceans which distorts distance

GPS (Global Positioning System)

uses latitude and longitude to determine the exact location

great circles

formed by the earth's surface and a plane through the center

Greenwich Mean Time

time that passes through the prime meridian

hearth

birthplace

hierarchical diffusion

spread as a result of a group with power

human geography

the study of people and processes that shape the earth's surface

human-environmental interaction

effects men had on the environment

Idiographic information

applies to only one group/region

independent invention

many hearths that developed independently

International Date Line

pass going east, go back a day; pass going west, go ahead a day

Isoline Thematic Map

lines that connect points of equal value

landscape

attributes of an area

large scale

small area

latitude (parallels)

east and west

linear pattern

straight pattern

location

where a place is (relative or absolute)

longitude (meridians)

north and south

map

a symbolic representation of the world on a flat surface

mental map (cognitive map)

an image of the way space looks if organized as determined by individual

Mercator Projection

direction is accurate but the area is distorted

model

theoretical framework

Molleweide Projection

area is true but straight lines of latitude distort the shape

movement

interaction between places

natural landscape (physical landscape)

unaltered by humans

network

a set of interconnected nodes

node

focal point

Nomothetic information

universally applicable

oval map

the combo of cylindrical and conic projection

pandemic diseases

human source

pattern

arrangement of objects in relation to one another

perceptual region (vernacular region)

defined by a person's ideas or feelings about a place

Peters Projection (Gall-Peters)

maintains area but distorts the shape

physical geography

the study of the physical features of the earth

physiological density

people per arable land

place

unique area on the earth's surface

Possibilism

humans are not only the product of the environment because we can change it

Prime Meridian

0 degrees longitude

principal meridian

point of reference in each region

projection

3D surface is converted to a 2D map

Proportional-Symbol Thematic Map

symbol size equals value

Ptolemy

believed planets rotated around the earth; pioneered the use of longitude and latitude to identify a place

Qualitative data

descriptive information

Quantitative data

numbers and math models

random pattern

no regular rule is followed

Reference Map

locations of places and human and natural geographic features

region

linking places together

regional studies

social and physical phenomena in a particular area