AP Human geography unit 1 vocab (1.1-1.3)

physical geography

the study of physical features of the earth's surface

Human Geography

The study of where and why human activities are located where they are

models

representations of objects or systems

spatial models

illustrate theories about spatial distributions

nonspatial models

a form of geographic model that illustrates theories and concepts using words, graphs, or tables and depicts changes over time rather than across space

time-distance decay

The declining degree of acceptance of an idea or innovation with increasing time and distance from its point of origin or source.

spatial patterns

general arrangements of things being studied and the repeated sequences of events or processes that create them

physical maps

show and label natural features such as mountains, rivers, and deserts

road maps

show and label highways, streets, and alleys

plat maps

show and label property lines and details of land ownership

thematic maps

show spatial aspects of information or of a phenomenon

choropleth maps

use colors/shades to show location and distribution of spatial data

dot distribution maps

use dots to show specific location and distribution of something across an area

graduated symbol maps

use symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of something

absolute location

exact location of something based on a system (coordinates, latitude/longitude)

latitude

imaginary lines that run parallel to the equator and measure how far north or south something is from the equator

equator

imaginary line that runs around the middle of the earth from east to west

Longitude

imaginary lines that run from the north pole to the south pole

prime meridian

an imaginary line that passes through the middle of the earth from the north pole to the south pole

international date line

the line of longitude that marks where each new day for each side of the line begins, centered on the 180th meridian

relative location

The position of a place in relation to another place

distribution

The arrangement of something across Earth's surface.

clustered (agglomerated) distribution

arranged in a group or concentrated area

linear distribution

distribution that is in a line or a certain order

dispersed distribution

phenomena are spread out over a large area

circular distribution

phenomena are equally spaced from a central point, forming a circle

geometric distribution

Phenomena are in a regular arrangement, such as the squares or blocks formed by roads in the Midwest

random distribution

a phenomenon that is neither clustered nor dispersed

networks

a set of interconnected nodes without a center

quantitative data

numerical data

geospatial data

numerical data that includes information about locations on earth's surface

qualitative sources

Not usually represented by numbers. The data from this source is collected as interviews, photographs, remote satellite images, descriptions, or cartoons

scales of analysis

the study of a phenomena globally, regionally, or locally

reference maps

A general-purpose map that shows recognizable landmarks, roads, and political units.

political maps

Show countries, their borders, and capital cities

isoline maps

use lines that connect points of equal value to depict variations in the data across space

topographic maps

maps that show changes in elevation of Earth's surface

cartogram

A special kind of map that distorts the shapes and sizes of countries or other political regions to present economic or other kinds of data for comparison.

scale

The ratio between the size of an area on a map and the actual size of that same area on the earth's surface.

cartographic scale

refers to the way the map communicates the ratio of its size to the size of what it represents

small-scale maps

Show large areas in less detail

large-scale maps

show small areas in greater detail

connectivity

The degree of economic, social, cultural, or political connection between two places

accessibility

the relative ease with which a destination may be reached from some other place

direction

where things are in relation to each other (north, south, east, west)

patterns

general arrangements of things being studied

absolute distance

The distance that can be measured with a standard unit length, such as a mile or kilometer.

relative distance

A measure of distance that includes time or cost. Often relative distance describes the amount of social, cultural, or economic, connectivity between two places.

elevation

height above sea level

landscape analysis

the task of defining and describing landscapes. using field observation, spatial data, and aerial photography to gather data to define and describe landscapes

spatial data

All of the information that can be tied to a specific locations.

aerial photography

professional images captured from planes within the atmosphere

field observations

the act of physically visiting a location, place, or region and recording, firsthand, information there

remote sensing

the scanning of the earth by satellite or high-flying aircraft in order to obtain information about it.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

A computer system that stores, organizes, analyzes, and displays geographic data.

fieldwork

recording information on location

geovisualization

the creation and use of visual representations to facilitate thinking, understanding, and knowledge construction about human and physical environment.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A system that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers.

community-based solutions

An action, policy, program or law that is driven by the community members, and that affects local factors that can influence health and has the potential to advance progress toward health equity