AP Human Geography Chapter 1

Geographers

Identify locations of important places and explain why human activities are located beside one another.

Historians

Identify dates of important events and explain why human activities follow one another chronologically.

5 Themes of Geography

Place, region, scale, space, and connection

Place

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

Region

An area of the Earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristics. Examples include South America, Middle East, etc.

Scale

The relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole. Can be local, global, or a variety of scales in between.

Space

The physical gap or interval between two objects.

Connection

The relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space, including cultural, political, and economic ties.

Map

A 2-D flat-scale model of Earth’s surface. Serves as a reference tool and/or communications tool.

Cartography

Art and science of mapmaking

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A system that determines precise geolocation by using satellites, tracking stations, and a receiver in the device.

Geotagging

Identification and storage of a piece of information by its precise latitude and longitude coordinates.

Geographic Information Science (GIScience)

Analysis of data about Earth acquired through satellite and other electronic information technologies.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

Captures, stores, queries, and displays the geographic data gained through GIScience.

Remote Sensing

Use of satellites or other long distance data collection methods to scan and map Earth’s surface. Satellites scan small areas (pixels). Pixels are combined into grids to create maps.

Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI)

Individuals create and share geographic information for the purpose of mapping.

Citizen Science

Research by amateur scientists.

Participatory GIS (PGIS)

Community-based mapping

Mashup

Overlays data from one source on top of a map provided by a mapping service such as Google maps.

Application Programming Interface (API)

Allows individuals to create their own mashups.

What do cartographers have to decide when making a map?

The map’s scale and projection.

Projection

Transferring locations on Earth’s surface to a flat map.

4 Types of distortion

Shape, distance, relative size, and direction.

What projection is this?

Equal-Area Projection

Characteristics of Equal-Area Projections (4)

1. Minimizes distortions.

2. Does distort areas near the poles.

3. Eastern and Western Hemispheres are separated.

4. Meridians and parallels don’t form right angles.

What projection is this?

Robinson Projection

Characteristics of Robinson Projections (2)

1. Better for displaying information across oceans

2. Distorts the size of land masses

What projection is this?

Mercator Projection

Characteristics of Mercator Projections (2)

1. Little distortion of shape or direction.

2. Distorts areas around the poles greatly.

What projection is this?

Gall-Peters Projection

What projection is this?

Polar Projection

Thematic Maps

Depict data or information about a place.

Kinds of Thematic Maps (5)

1. Choropleth

2. Dot Map

3. Graduated Symbol Map

4. Isoline Map

5. Cartogram

What kind of thematic map is this?

Choropleth

What kind of thematic map is this?

Dot Map

What kind of thematic map is this?

Graduated Symbol Map

What kind of thematic map is this?

Isoline Map

What kind of thematic map is this?

Cartogram

What kind of thematic map is this?

Cartogram

Reference Maps

Help identify locations of various features.

Kinds of Reference Maps (2)

1. Physical: shows landforms

2. Political: governmental boundaries

What kind of reference map is this?

Physical Map

What kind of reference map is this?

Political Map

Geographic Grid

Imaginary lines drawn on Earth’s surface for the purpose of navigation and telling time.

Meridian

Vertical lines running between the North and South poles.

Longitude

Numbering system used to identify locations of meridians. (Vertical)

Parallel

Circular lines drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and perpendicular to the meridians.

Latitude

Numbering system used to identify location of parallels. (Horizontal)

Prime Meridian

Meridian that passes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. Forms 0° longitude.

Equator

Line drawn around the globe. Forms 0° latitude.

Greenwich Mean Time

Master reference for all time zones

How many degrees east or west of Greenwich represent 1 hour difference.

15°

Regionalization

Dividing space into units for analysis, can be based on a number of criteria.

Region

An area on Earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristics.

Cultural Landscape

Combination of cultural features such as language, religion, agriculture, industry, and physical features.

3 Types of Regions

1. Formal

2. Functional (nodal)

3. Vernacular (perceptual)

Formal Region

An area where everyone shares one or more distinctive characteristics.

Functional Region

Area organized around a node or focal point, the characteristic defined by the central node decreases in importance the farther one travels from it.

Vernacular Region

An area that people believe is part of their cultural identity.

Regionalism

A group’s perceived identity with a region.

What type of region is this?

Formal Region

What type of region is this?

Functional or nodal region

What type of region is this?

Vernacular Region

Spatial Association

The distribution of one feature is related to the distribution of another.

Globalization

Force or process that involves the entire world and results in making something worldwide. -Certain areas are known for certain resources.

Transnational Corporations

Large companies that do business all over the world.

Density

Frequency with which something occurs in space.

Concentration

Extent of a feature spread over space.

Pattern

Geometric arrangement of objects in space.

Poststructuralist Geography

Those in power use their power to discriminate or dominate certain groups of people.

Humanistic Geography

Distribution and concentration of people in a place can be explained by the meaning that those people attach to the place.

Behavioral Geography

Emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychological basis for individual human actions in space.

Assimilation

The culture of one people comes to resemble the culture of another.

Acculturation

Cultural changes as a result of two groups interacting. Both retain their own individual cultural identity.

Syncretism

Two groups come together to form a new culture.

Diffusion

The process by which a feature spreads across space from one place to another over time.

Relocation Diffusion

Spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another.

Expansion Diffusion

Spread of a feature from one place to another in an additive process.

Contagious Diffusion

Rapid spread of an idea or trend. Think of it as something “going viral”

Stimulus Diffusion

Spread of a principle or concept without the characteristic itself spreading.

Space Time Compression

The time it takes for something to reach a place, being reduced over time.

3 Pillars of Sustainability

1. Environment

2. Society

3. Economy