sequent occupance
the idea that successive societies leave their cultural impact on a place, contributing to a cumulative cultural landscape
cultural landscape
terraforming/the transformation of a natural landscape by a cultural group
relocation diffusion
the spread of ideas through the movement of people
expansion diffusion
the spread of an idea that continuously evolves
hierarchical diffusion
type of expansion diffusion
the spread of an idea through powerful/influential people
contagious diffusion
type of expansion diffusion
the rapid spread of ideas through a population
stimulus diffusion
type of expansion diffusion
the spread of an underlying principle, even if certain characteristics change
time-space compression
a reduction in the time it takes to diffuse something bc of improved communications and transportation systems
absolute location
the exact location of a place (often expressed through latitude and longitude)
fixed, does not change
relative location
the location of a place expressed through relation to other places
distribution
the arrangement of features in a space
environmental determinism
theory that environment plays a decisive role in human behaviors and social/cultural development
site
the features of a location
situation
where a city is, in relation to surrounding features
“greater regional framework in which the city finds itself”
possibilism
the theory that physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the agency to adjust
formal region
an area defined by one prominent characteristic
functional/nodal region
area organized around central focal point (or node)
perceptual/vernacular region
an area that people deem part of their cultural identity
spatial interaction
flow of information, products, people from one location to another
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
software tools that allow users to map, analyze, visualize spatial data
allows for analysis in context of location
Global Positioning System (GPS)
satellite-based navigation system
latitude
a measure of location expressed in degrees north or south of the equator
longitude
a measure of location expressed in degrees east or west of the Prime Meridian
cartogram
maps in which size is distorted to convey information
dot map
map that illustrates presence of a variable through dot density
choropleth
map with color gradient displaying data
isoline
map that joins places of equal value (ex. topographic that shows elevation gradient.)
proportional symbols map
map with symbols that vary in size to represent a variable