unit 1 ap hug

place

describes the human and physical characteristics of a location

region

an area of land that has common features

scale

the relationship between the portion of earth being studied and earth as a whole

space

the physical gap or interval between two objects

connection

relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space

reference map

a map type that shows reference information for a particular place, making it useful for finding landmarks and for navigation

thematic map

a map that shows a particular theme, or topic

GIS (Geographic Information System)

a computer system that stores, organizes, analyzes, and displays geographic data

remote sensing

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

GPS (Global Positioning System)

a system that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers

map projection

a way of representing the spherical earth on a flat surface

meridians/longitude

imaginary lines on Earth that run between the North and South Poles

parallels/latitude

distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees

clustering

an excess of something given the

dispersal

the spacing of people within geographic population boundaries

elevation

the distance above sea level

census data

counts the population of a nation, state, or other region

toponym

the name given to a place on earth

absolute location

exact place on earth, often given in terms of latitude and longitude

relative location

a location of a place that is similar to another place

absolute distance

the space between two people or places

cultural landscape

a geographic area including both cultural and natural resources

formal/uniform region

an area in which everyone shares in one or more distinctive characteristics

functional/nodal region

an area organized around a node or focal point

perceptual/vernacular region

a region defined by people's beliefs

spatial association

observed within a region if the distribution of a feature is related to another

globalization

the increasing connection of economic, cultural, and political traits across the world

pattern

the geometric or regular arrangement of something in an area

concentration

the geographic location of a specific cluster/dense group

flows

the quantity of movements past a point during a time period of movement

distance decay

the idea that the further away something is, the less of a bond they have

time space compression

the set of processes that cause the relative distances between places (making them closer)

sustainability

the use of earths resources in ways that ensure their availability

natural resources

materials from the earth that are used to support life needs

land use

the term used to describe the human use of land

environmental determinism

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

possibilism

the theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives