AP HuG Unit 1 Vocab

Geography

“geo” means earth and “graphy” means to write

Place

A specific point on Earth, distinguished by a particular characteristic. Every place occupies a unique location, or position, on Earth’s surface.

Region

Is an area of Earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristics. Geographers divide the world into a number of regions, such as North America and Latin America.

Scale

The relationship between the portion of the Earth being studied and Earth as a whole.

Global

Scale of analysis that includes the entire world

Regional

scale of analysis between the entire world and a country, usually continent-based

National

scale of analysis that is usually continent based

Local

scale of analysis within a country (such as a state, province, or city)

Space

Refers to the physical gap or interval between two objects.

Connection

Refers to a relationship among people and objects across the barrier of space.

Map

A two-dimensional or flat-scale model of Earth’s surface, or a portion of it.

Reference map

Maps that help us determine features of the world in which we live.

Thematic map

Aim to communicate data about space and distribution to people.

Absolute distance

Involves describing the distance from one point to another using units of measurement.

Absolute direction

Cardinal directions: North, East, South, West

Relative distance

Approximation based on a rougher measurement that might be easier to understand

Relative direction

Up, down, left, right, forward, backward

Cartography

The science of map-making

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A system that determines the precise position of something on Earth.

Remote sensing

The acquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting Earth or other long-distance methods.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

Captures, stores, queries, and displays geographic data.

Map scale

Refers to the relationship of a feature’s size on a map to its actual size on Earth.

Projection

The scientific method of transferring Earth’s surface to a flat map

Latitude

The numbering system to indicate the location of a parallel

Longitude

The location of each meridian is identified on Earth’s surface’s numbering system

Parallel

A circle drawn around the globe that is parallel to Earth’s Equator

Meridian

An arc drawn between the North and South poles

Prime meridian

The meridian that passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England, is 0% longitude

Greenwich Mean Time / Universal Time

The master reference time for all points on Earth

International Date Line

It is located halfway around the world from the prime meridian

Location

The position that something occupies on Earth’s surface

Absolute location

Describes the location of a place based  on a fixed point on Earth.

Relative location

Refers to the position of a place or entity based on its location with respect to other locations.

Toponym

The name given to a place on Earth

Formal/uniform region

Area within which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics.

Functional/nodal region

An area organized around a node or focal point

Vernacular/perceptual region

An area that people believe exists based on their cultural identity.

Culture

The body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that together constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people.

Spatial association

Occurs within a region if the distribution of one feature is related to the distribution of another feature.

Globalization

A force or process that involves the entire world and results in making something worldwide in scope.

Transnational corporation

Conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters and principal shareholders are located.

Distribution

The arrangement of a feature in space

Density

The frequency with which something occurs in space

Concentration

The extent of a feature’s spread over space

Pattern

The geometric arrangement of objects in space

Land Ordinance of 1785

A standard system whereby settlers could purchase title to farmland in the undeveloped west. An important revenue for the government. Goal to make grid-like use of land.

Network

A chain of communication that connects places

Distance decay

The farther away someone is from another, the less likely the two are to interact. Contact diminishes with increasing distance and eventually disappears.

Space-time compression

The reduction in time it takes for something to reach another place

Resource

A substance in the environment that is useful to people, economically and technologically feasible to access, and socially acceptable to use.

Sustainability

The use of Earth’s resources in a way that ensures their availability in the future.

Renewable resource

Produced in nature more rapidly than it is used by humans

Nonrenewable resource

Produced in nature more slowly than it is used by humans

Conservation

The sustainable use and management of Earth’s natural resources to meet human need such as food, medicine, and recreation

Preservation

The maintenance of resources in their present condition, with as little human impact as possible

Climate

The long-term average weather condition at a particular location

Ecosystem

A group of living organisms and the abiotic spheres with which they interact

Ecology

The scientific study of ecosystems

Cultural ecology

The geographic study of human-environment relationships

Environmental determinism

The belief that the physical environment caused social development

Possibilism

The physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment.