AP Human Geography Unit 1 Terms

AP HUG Unit: 1 Flashcards

Reference maps

Reference maps are informational, showing boundaries and places names

Thematic maps

Thematic maps tell a story by showing the density and distribution of quantitative data

Choropleth maps

Maps that use colors or shading to represent quantifiable data (generally, darker means more)

Dot maps

Maps that place a dot representing a value in its approximate location

Graduated symbol maps (proportional symbol)

Maps that feature symbols proportional in size to the actual value of the data

Isoline maps

Maps that connect areas of equal value with lines

Cartograms

Maps that distort the appearance of places on the map to represent their value

Absolute (Quantitative measurement)

Describes data in exact terms

Relative (Qualitative measurement)

Describes data in relation to something else (comparison)

Clustered

For data to be grouped/clumped together

Dispersed

For data to be distributed/spread out

Different types of map projections

Mercator, Gall-Peters, Robinson, and Goodes

Geography

The study of the “why” of “where”

Organizations that gather data

Governments, private companies, along with research institutions and universities

How individuals gather data

Drawing maps, taking notes, counting and measuring things, and interviewing local people.

GIS

A computer system that collects, stores, analyzes, and displays geographic data

Remote sensing

Information gathered from satellites orbiting the Earth

Satellite navigation systems

These can provide specific information about exact latitude and longitude (coordinates)

Online mapping and visualization

Companies, institutions, and the government offer websites where you can view things

Field observations

Visit place, record data

Media reports

Look to news reports to help compile data about an area

Travel narratives

Notes and stories about observations in the field (second-hand)

Personal interviews

Interview experts or locals

Landscape analysis

Studying and describing a landscape

Photographic interpretation

Analyze photos of places to gather data or make inferences

Geospatial data

Data related to a specific point on the physical Earth

Types of governments making decisions at the local scale

City/municipal leaders

Types of governments making decisions at the regional scale

State governments

Types of governments making decisions at the national scale

Federal governments

Space

The physical gap between two things

Absolute location

Describes the location of a palace in terms of characteristics that never change, like latitude and longitude, or the address of a home (unique to that place)

Relative location

The location of a place in relation to other places (demonstrates significance)

Place

A unique location

Flows

How different places interact with each other

Distance decay

The farther away one place is from another, the less interaction those two places will have with one another

Time-space compression

The reduction of the time it takes for something (like a person, an idea, or a product) to get from one place to another)

Pattern

How objects (i.e. houses, fields of corn, bus stops) are arranged in space

Sustainability

Actions that provide immediate benefits while also preserving resources for future use

Natural resources

Items produced in nature that can be used by humans (both renewable and non-renewable)

Land use

Changing the Earth’s surface for a specific purpose (agricultural, industrial, residential, transportational, recreational)

Environmental determinism (adaptations)

A theory that natural factors alone determine the cultural attributes of human societies

Possibilism (modifications)

States that the natural environment is still a factor shaping our way of life; however, humans have choices and can harness technologies to overcome environmental limitations

Scale

The relationship of a distance on a map to the corresponding distance on the ground, and the size and scope of a phenomena (i.e. zoom in or zoom out)

Scale of analysis

The level at which you analyze geographic data (global → national → regional → local)

Four scales (smallest to largest)

Global scale, national scale, regional scale, and local scale

Regionalization

Breaking down, grouping, and classifying areas based on commonalities

Three types of regions

Formal regions, functional regions, and perceptual regions

Formal regions

Unifying physical or human characteristics

Functional regions

Center of activity (often unified by transportation or communication networks)

Perceptual regions

Defined differently by each person, based on their perceptions of an area