AP Human Geography 1 UnitVocabulary

Sustainability

the use of Earth’s land and natural resources in a way that ensures they will be continue to be available in the future

Globalization

the expansion of economic, cultural, and political processes on a worldwide scale. (Things being made in China but being shipped to USA)

Concentration

the extent of a feature's spread over space.

Density

the # of things in a specific area (usually people per sq mile)

Environmental determinism

a theory that argues that human behavior is largely controlled by the physical environment. (A tribe adapting to a harsh winter climate)

Possibilism

a theory that argues that humans have more of an ability to produce a result than environmental determinism would suggest. (Las Vegas: technology made building in the middle of desert possible)

Census

an official count of the # of people in a defined area. (Poll of population)

Scale

how the world is being studied (local, regional, national, global)

Distribution

the arrangement of features in space, describing how phenomena, populations, or resources are spread out across a geographic area.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

A sophisticated mapping software system that captures, stores, organizes, and displays geographic data.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A source of geographic data that has orbited the Earth and transmits location data to handheld receivers.

Site

a place’s absolute location, as well as its physical characteristics, such as landforms, climate, and resources.

Situation

a place’s location in relation to other places or its surrounding features

Toponym

the proper name of a place or geographic feature on Earth, reflecting its culture, history, or characteristics. (Official name of something)

Place

a specific location that is distinguished by its unique physical and human characteristics, which give it meaning, identity, and a sense of uniqueness for people

Region

an area of Earth’s surface with certain characteristics that make it distinct from other areas

Vernacular/perceptual region

a region that reflects people’s feelings and attitude about a place. (stereotype)

Formal(uniform) region

an area that has one or more shared traits

Functional region

an area organized by its function around a focal point, or center of interest or activity.

Node

the focus of the region. (downtown/city square)

World system theory

the spatial functional relationships between countries in the world economy. (Explains the history of uneven economic development amount country and why)

Core

core countries are the most technologically advanced and stable. (USA, Canada, Japan)

Semi periphery

are in the process of industrializing. (China, India, Russia, South Africa)

Absolute location

the exact location of an object (usually coordinates)

Relative location

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