aphg unit 1 vocab cths (emch,desbois,bennish)

evil vanilla mace, da boys, jew

absolute location

An exact spot on earth using latitude and longitude coordinates.

boundary

an invisible line that marks the outer limits of a states territory and where its sovereignty and laws begin and end

cartography

The science and art of making maps.

cartogram

a map where the shapes and sizes of places are purposely warped and changed.

census

an official, systematic count of a nation's entire population and housing units conducted at regular intervals.

chloropleth

a thematic map that uses different colors, shades, or patterns to show how a numerical value varies across geographic regions like states, counties, or countries.

contagious diffusion

a form of expansion diffusion where a cultural trait, idea, or disease spreads rapidly and widely from a central source (the hearth) through direct, neighbor-to-neighbor contact.

core

a wealthy, industrialized region or country that holds high economic, technological, and political power, dominating global trade and controlling the poorer peripheral areas.

cultural ecology

the study of how human cultures and the natural environment interact.

culture

the shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors that a society passes from one generation to the next.

density

the frequency with which something occurs in space

development

A process of improvement in the material conditions of people through diffusion of knowledge and technology.

diffusion

the process where ideas, cultural traits, technologies, or diseases spread from a starting point—called a hearth—outward to other people and places over time.

distance decay

the geographic concept that interaction between two places decreases as the distance between them increases.

distribution

the way that something (like people, cities, or resources) is spread out or arranged across the Earth's surface.

enviromental determinism

the outdated theory that the physical environment—such as climate, terrain, and natural resources—completely controls and dictates human culture, societal development, and individual behavior.

equator

the imaginary line at 0° latitude that circles the Earth horizontally and divides the globe into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres

expansion diffusion

the spread of a feature from one place to another in a snowballing process.

formal region

an area defined by clear, measurable shared traits.

friction of distnace

the concept that distance acts as a barrier or cost to human interaction.

functional region

an area organized around a central hub, focal point, or node.

geo-inquiry

the process of asking geographic questions, gathering spatial/tabular data, analyzing, and evaluating findings to understand how humans interact with and shape the Earth.

GIS

Geographic Information System) is a computer system that captures, stores, analyzes, and displays spatial and geographic data.

globalization

the expansion of economic, political, and cultural processes on a global scale.

GPS

Global Positioning System is a satellite-based navigation system that determines the absolute location of a person or place

hierarchical diffusion

a form of expansion diffusion where idea, or trend spreads from a place or person of power downward to less influential people and places.

hearth

the geographic point of origin or place where a cultural trait, innovation, or practice first develops.

idiographic

an approach that focuses on the unique particular characteristics of a specific place rather than trying to form universal laws.

isoline/isogloss

A line on a map that connects places sharing the same value of a specific quantity./A geographic boundary line separating areas that use different regional language or dialect features.

international date line

an imaginary arc running mostly along the 180° meridian in the Pacific Ocean.

intervening opportunity

A nearer opportunity that halts or redirects a migration journey.

U.S. Land Ordinance of 1785

a law passed by the U.S. Confederation Congress that created the rectangular township-and-range system.

latitude

the angular distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees from 0° to 90°.

location

The position of anything on Earth's surface.

longitude

the numerical numbering system used to measure a location's angular distance east or west of the Prime Meridian (0°).

mental maps

an internalized representation of a portion of Earth's surface.

Mercator Projection

a rectangular cylindrical map projection created by Gerardus Mercator in 1569.

model

a simplified abstraction designed to explain or represent something.

node

a central focal point in a functional region.

nomothetic

nomos (law), it describes an approach that studies large groups to find patterns and create broad rules rather than focusing on single, unique cases

non-renewable resources

a natural substance or energy source that exists in finite quantities and is consumed by humans faster than natural geological processes can replenish it

pattern

the observable spatial arrangement, distribution, or general organization of phenomena across Earth's surface.

place

A location on earth that is distinguished by its physical and human characteristics.

periphery

the outer edge or areas that lie far away from a central hub or dominant economic power.

possibilism

the theory that the physical environment may set limits or offer challenges, but human choices determine how a society develops.

prime meridian

an imaginary line from the North Pole to the South Pole.

projection

the mathematical method used to transfer locations from the Earth's curved, three-dimensional surface onto a flat, two-dimensional map.

qualitative

relating to the quality, nature, or distinct characteristics of something, rather than its numerical quantity or measurement.

quantitative

relating to numbers, amounts, or measurements that can be counted.

reference map

a general-purpose map designed to show the absolute locations of geographic features, physical landforms, and political boundaries

region

an area defined by one or more unifying characteristics or by patterns of activity that set it apart from other areas.

relative location

a description of where a place is in relation to other places or features.

relocation diffusion

the spread of cultural traits, ideas, or religions through the physical migration of people from one place to another.

remote sensing

the process of collecting data and information about Earth's surface from a distance that avoids making any physical contact.

renewable resources

Any natural resource that can replenish itself in a relatively short period of time.

reverse hierarchical diffusion

diffusion up a hierarchy, such as from a small town to large cities.

robinson projection

an inaccurate world map made to show the entire globe on a flat page.

scale

the tool or level we use to measure size and distance.

semi-periphery

the middle tier of Immanuel Wallerstein's World-Systems Theory

site

the exact physical characteristics of a specific place.

situation

a place’s relative location

space-time compression

the reduction in the time it takes for things, ideas, goods, and people to travel across space.

spatial analysis/perspective

a foundational way of looking at the world that focuses on where things occur and why they are located there.

stimulus diffussion

a form of diffusion in which a cultural adaptation is created as a result of the introduction of a cultural trait from another place

sustainability

the use of Earth's renewable and nonrenewable natural resources in ways that ensure resource availability for future generations.

sustainable development

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

thematic map

a map that shows a particular theme, or topic

time zones

24 hour zones that 1,000 miles apart from the other, each one is an hour before or after the one next to it, helps to differentiate between the differnt times from one point on the Earth to another point.

tobler’s first law

all things are related, but near things are more related than far things

toponym

a place name

uneven development

the unequal distribution of the benefits of globalization

Vernacular/Perceptual Region

an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity