ap human geography | thinking geographically

physical geography

the study of spatial characteristics of various elements of the physical environment

landforms, bodies of water, climate, ecosystems, and erosion

human geography

the study of spatial characteristic of humans and human activities

population, culture, politics, urban areas, and economics

reference maps

designed for people to refer to for general information about places

political maps

show and label human-created boundaries and designations, such as countries, states, cities, and capitals

physical maps

show and label natural features, such as mountains, rivers, and deserts

road maps

show and label highways, streets, and alleys

plat maps

show and label property lines and details of land ownership

thematic maps

show spatial aspects of information or of a phenomenon

cloropleth maps

use various colors, shades, or patterns to the show the location and distribution of spatial data

dot distribution maps

used to show the specific location and distribution across a map

each dot represents a specified quantity

graduated symbol maps

use symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of something

isoline maps

also called isometric maps

use lines that connect points of equal value to depict variations in data across space

when lines are further, phenomenon is relatively the same

when lines are close together, the map depicts rapid change

topographic maps

a type of isoline map that connects points of equal elevation

cartogram

the sizes of countries (or other area sizes) are shown according to some specific statistic

what kind of map is this?

political map

what kind of map is this?

physical map

what kind of map is this?

road map

what kind of map is this?

plat map

what kind of map is this?

choropleth map

what kind of map is this?

dot distribution map

what kind of map is this?

graduated symbol map

what kind of map is this?

isoline map

what kind of map is this?

cartogram

cloropleth, dot distribution, graduated symbol, isoline maps, and cartograms are all examples of what kind of map?

thematic

cartographic scale

the way the map communicates the ratio of its size to the size of what it represents

small-scale maps

show a larger amount of area with less detail

large scale maps

show a smaller amount of area with greater amounts for detail

absolute location

precise spot or where something is according to a system

example ; longitude + latitude

latittude

horizontal lines

the distance north or south of the equator

longtitude

vertical lines

distance east or west of the prime meridian

international date line

the line extending between the north and south poles that is the boundary between one calendar day and the next

equator

an imaginary line that circles the earth at 0 degrees latitude

(horizontal)

prime meridian

an imaginary line that circles the earth at 0 degrees longitude

(vertical)

relative location

a description of where something is in relation to other things

connectivity

how well two locations are tied together by roads or other links

accessibility

how quickly and easily people in one location can interact with people in another location

relative location is often described in terms of

connectivity and accessibility

direction

is used in order to describe where thing are in relation to each other

north, east, south, west or intermediate directions are cardinal directions

absolute distance

measured in terms of feet, miles, meters, etc.

relative distance

indicates the degree of nearness based on time

example ; 25 minute walk, 10 minute drive, etc.

elevation

the distance of features above sea level

distribution

the way a phenomenon is spread out over an area

clustered or agglomerated pattern distribution

arranged in a group or concentration area

linear pattern distribution

arranged in a straight line

dispersed pattern distribution

spread out over a large area

circular pattern distribution

equally spaced from a central point, forming a circle

geometric pattern distribution

in a regular arrangement such as squares

random pattern distribution

have no order in their position

mercator map projection

purpose ; navigation

advantages ; direction, latitude + longitude

distortion ; distance + land masses near the poles appear large

peters map projection

purpose ; spatial distributions related to area

advantages ; sizes of land masses are accurate

distortion ; shapes are inaccurate, especially near the poles

conic map projection

purpose ; general use in midlatittude countries

advantages ; lines of longitude converge, lines of latitude are curved, size + shape are both close to reality

distortion ; direction is not constant, not accurate on other parts of world

robinson map projection

purpose ; general use

advantages ; no major distortion, oval shape

distortion ; area, shape, size, and direction are all slightly distorted

landscape analysis

the task of defining and describing landscapes

field observation

the act of physically visiting a location, place, or region and recording, firsthand, information there

spatial data

all information that can be tied to specific locations

remote sensing

gathering information from satellites or other craft above the atmosphere

aerial photography

professional images captured from planes within he atmosphere

fieldwork

observing and recording information on location

geovisualizations

geographic data converted into 2d or 3d interactive maps

gps

global positioning system

uses multiple satellites to determine + record a receiver’s exact location

remote sensing

the use of cameras or other sensors mounted on aircraft or satellites to college images or video of the earth’s surface

geographic information systems (gis)

computer system that can store, analyze, and display information from multiple digital maps or geospatial data sets

smartphone and computer applications

location-aware apps that gather, store, and use locational data from computers or other personal devices

community-based solutions increase the likelihood of success because

they create buy-in from local residents and are more likely to be culturally accepted

spatial approach

considers the arrangement of the phenomena being studied across the surface of the earth

looks at elements such as ;

location, distance, direction, orientation, flow, pattern, interconnection

space

the area between two or more phenomena or things

location

identifies where specific phenomena are located either on a grid system or relative to another location

place

the specific human + physical characteristics of a location

region

a group of places in the same area that share a characteristic

site

the characteristics at the immediate location

situation

location of a place relative to its surroundings and its connectivity to other places

sense of place

the way humans tend to perceive the characteristics of place in different ways based on their personal beliefs

placelessness

if a place inspires no strong emotional ties in people or lacks uniqueness

aka no sense of place

toponyms

place names

time-space compression

shrinking the “time-distance” between locations due to improved methods of transportation and communication

spatial interaction

the contact, movement, and flow of things between locations

flow

patterns and movement of ideas, people, products, and other phenomena

friction of distance

when things are farther apart, they tend to be less connected

distance decay

the inverse relationship between distance and connection

as distance increases, interaction decreases

distribution

the phenomenon is spread out or arranged over and area

spatial association

matching patterns of distribution

indicates that two phenomena may be related or associated

human-environmental interaction

the connection and exchange between humans and the natural world

natural resource

items that occur in the natural environment that people use

renewable natural resources

theoretically are unlimited and will not be depleted based on use by people

examples ; air, water, solar, biomass

non-renewable natural resources

limited and can be exhausted by human use

examples ; fossil fuels, minerals, soil, underground freshwater

sustainability

trying to use resources now in ways that allow their use in the future while minimizing negative impacts on the environment

land use

the study of how land is utilized, modified, and organized by people

built environment

physical artifacts that humans have created and that form parts of the landscape

cultural ecology

the study of how humans adapt to the environment

environmental determinism

the belief that landforms and climate are the biggest influences on human behavior and societal developement

possibilism

a view that acknowledges limits on the effects of the natural environment

humans have more power and influences over their circumstances than the environment

geographic scale/relative scale

the area of the world being studied

aggregation

when geographers organize data into different scales such as by census tract, city, county, or country

formal regions

aka uniform regions or homogenous regions

united by one or more traits

functional regions

aka nodal regions

regions organized around a focal point, often a node

node

a central or focal point within a functional region

perceptual regions

aka vernacular regions

defined by the informal sense of place that people ascribe to them

subregions

divisions of regions

share some characteristics with the region, but is distinctive in some ways