Geography - Key Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards covering major geography concepts from the lecture notes.

Geography

The study of the relationships among Earth's landscapes, atmosphere, bodies of water, and human societies, including their interactions and changes over time.

Physical Geography

Branch focusing on Earth's external physical features and their changes over time (seasons, climate, atmosphere, soil, landforms, rivers, oceans).

Human Geography

Branch examining how people adapt to and influence their natural environments and how cultures interact with surroundings.

Location

The position of something on Earth's surface; a fundamental geographic theme.

Place

The unique characteristics and features that define a specific location.

Human-Environment Interaction

How human activities affect the environment and how the environment shapes human life.

Movement

The flow of people, goods, ideas, and information across the globe.

Region

Areas with shared characteristics that help describe the world's diversity.

GPS

Global Positioning System; a satellite-based system for precise location tracking.

Remote Sensing (RS)

Collecting data about the Earth's surface from aircraft, satellites, or ships.

GIS

Geographic Information Systems; tools to analyze and visualize geographical data.

Cartographer

A person who makes maps and communicates information through maps, often with particular perspectives, objectives, and biases.

Map

A representation of geographic features on a flat surface, used to display locations and boundaries.

Scale

The ratio between map distances and real-world distances (e.g., 1 inch = 100 miles).

Legend

The map key explaining symbols and colors.

Compass Rose

A symbol on a map showing the four cardinal directions.

Cardinal Directions

The four main directions: North, South, East, and West.

Hemisphere

Half of the globe, divided by imaginary lines such as the equator or Prime Meridian.

Equator

The imaginary line that divides the Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Prime Meridian

The zero-degree longitude line that divides the Earth into Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Longitude

Lines running north-south that measure distance east or west from the Prime Meridian.

Latitude

Lines running east-west that measure distance north or south from the Equator.

Coordinates

The intersection of longitude and latitude that identifies a specific location on Earth.

Map Distortion

Distortion of shapes or sizes when projecting the 3D Earth onto a 2D map.

Global Address

The combination of longitude and latitude coordinates that uniquely identifies a place on Earth.