Absolute Location
exact location of a place on earth described using global coordinates
relative location
where a place is located in relation to another place
distortion
a change in the shape, size, or position of a place when it’s shown on a map
map projection
a way of representing the spherical earth on a flat surface
place
a specific point on earth distinguished by a particular characteristic
region
an area on earth distinguished by a distinctive combination of cultural and physical features
scale
the relationship between the portion of earth being studied and earth as a whole
space
the physical gap or interval between two objects
latitude
measures distance north or south of the equator (measured in degrees)
equator
an imaginary circle around the middle of the earth, halfway between the North Pole & South Pole
longitude
measures distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees
prime meridian
0 degrees longitude (west/east)
international date line
the line of longitude that marks where each new day begins, centered on the 180th meridian
coordinates
the latitude and longitude address of a place on a map
North Pole
90 degrees north
South Pole
90 degrees south
global
of, relating to, or involving the entire world
regional
of, relating to, or characteristic of a region
national
of or belonging to the people of a single country
local
relating to or occurring in a particular area, city, or town; located or living nearby
distance decay
describes the effects of distance on interaction
greater the distance, the less interaction
friction of distance
the increase in time and cost that usually comes with increasing distance
space-time compression
the reduction in the time it takes for something to reach another place
density
mass/volume
concentration
the spread of something over a given area
pattern
the geometric arrangement of objects in space, repeating
formal/uniform region
an area where everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics
functional/nodal region
an area organized around a node or focal point
node
the beginning end end pints for transportation between geographical areas
vernacular/perceptual region
an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity
projection
a way of representing the curved surface of the earth on a flat map
ex: Mercator, Robinson, Goode Homolosine
equal-area
the relative sizes of different land and water bodies are accurately represented, but angles are not.
a trait of map projection
ex: molliewide
goode’s homoelosine
the orange peel map; is an equal area, composite map projection used for world maps
shows true size and shape or earths landmasses
robinson
distorts shape, scale, and distance in an attempt to balance the errors of projection properties(to make a pleasing imagine of the entire earth)
thematic map
a map that emphasizes a single idea or a particular kind of information about an area
reference map
a map type that shows reference information for a particular place, making it useful for finding landmarks, & navigation
isoline
a thematic map with lines that connect points of equal value
choropleth
a special purpose map that uses color to show population density
dot density
used ford to show volume and density in an area of a particular theme
flow-line
shows the direction that the process flows
cartogram
a map that distorts the shapes and sizes of countries or other political regions to present economic or other kinds of data for comparison
aggregate
gathered into a whole: total
scale of analysis
a scale that determines what is being studied based on the size of the area being examined
sustainability
the ability to keep one distance or maintain
ex: a sustainable ecosystem is one that can be maintained
natural materials
raw materials supplied by nature
ex: wood, fruit, water
environmental determinism
the view that the natural environment has a controlling influence over various aspects of human life including cultural development
possibilism
the view that the physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment
Global Positioning System
Satellite based system for determining the exact location of places or geographical features
Geographical Information System
a computer system that stores, organizes, analyzes, and displays geographical data
remote sensing
a method of collecting data or information through the use of instruments that are physically distant from the area or object of study
citizen science
scientific research conducted in whole or part by distributed individuals, many of whom may not be scientists, who contribute relevant data to research using their own computing devices