AP HG Unit 1

For Unit 1

Reference maps

are designed for people to refer to for general information about places; two main reference maps are political and physical

Thematic maps

are used as a communications tool - tell us how human activities are distributed

cartogram

the sizes of countries are shown according to a specific variable; area is distorted to show a variable

Choropleth

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

Dot Density

each dot represents a specified quantity of a spatial characteristic

Isoline

use lines that connect points of equal value to depict variations in the data across space; use for weather and elevation

Graduated/Proportional Symbol

use symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of a variable

Spatial Patterns Represented on a map

absolute and relative distance and direction

clustering

grouped/bunched together

dispersal

appears to be distributed over a wide area

elevation

using levels of how high/low something is located on the land

Mercator map

shape and directions of countries are fairly accurate; greatly distorted toward poles

Robinson map

everything is distorted in small amounts (round shape)

Goode

continent sizes are accurately portrayed; directions and distance aren’t accurate (orange peel)

Gall Peters

Shape of countries especially near the equator are distorted

Azimuthal

projection is centered on a point, at the center of the Earth; in a polar aspect

Geospatial data

all information including physical features and human activities

Geographic information system (GIS)

is a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface

GPS (geographic positioning system)

system uses data from satellites to pin-point a location on earth and help people find their way to a destination

remote sensing

refers to the process of taking pictures of the Earth’s surface from satellites to provide a greater understanding of Earth’s geography over large distances

Spatial information

can come from written accounts in the farm of field observations, media reports, travel narratives, policy documents, personal interviews, landscape analysis, and photographic interpretation

census data

an official count of individuals in a population (US: every 10 years)

Toponym

the name given to a place

Absolute location

the precise spot where something is located

Relative location

where something is in relation to other things

space

extent of a area and can be in a relative and absolute sense

place

refers to the specific human and physical characteristics of a location

distance decay

geographical term which describes the effect of distance on cultural or spatial interactions

time-space compression

is the increasing sense of connectivity that seems to be bringing people closer together even though their distances are the same

pattern

geometric or regular arrangement of something in an area

sustainability

goal of the human race reaching equilibrium with the environment; meeting the needs of the present without while also leaving resources for future generations

natural resources

physical material constituting part of Earth that people need and value

environmental determinism

how the physical environment caused (determined) social development

possibilism

physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment

scale

relationship between the distance on the ground and the corresponding distance on a specific map - also a concept describing how “zoomed in” you are while studying a geographic trait (global, regional, national, state, and local)

scale of analysis

how zoomed in or out you are when looking at geographic data

region

place larger than a point and smaller than a plant that is grouped together because of a measurable or perceived common feature

formal region

region that is based on quantitative data (that can be documented or measured) - all government areas are this because they share a government

functional region

region based around a node or focal point - terrestrial radio broadcasts are an example of this

vernacular (perceptual) region

an area that shares a common qualitative characteristic, it’s only a region because people believe it’s a region

qualitative data

data that cannot be counted; it is opinionative data

quantitative data

data that is can be counted like numbers