AP Human Geography Unit 1 Review

Flashcards reviewing key concepts from Unit 1 of AP Human Geography, based on a lecture transcript.

Mercator Map Projection

A conformal projection excellent at showing accurate direction, but with significant distortion in the size and location of landmasses.

Good Homosien Projection

An equal area pseudo cylindrical projection great at showing the true size and shape of land masses, but has distortion in distances near the edges and isn't helpful for direction.

Robinson Projection

A projection with more distortion near the poles, which helps preserve the size and shape of landmass, but spreads the distortion out across the entire map.

Gall Peters Projection

A map projection that accurately represents the true sizes of land masses.

Reference Maps

Informational maps that show boundaries, the toponym, and geographic features of a place.

Topographic Maps

Maps that use contour lines to display the terrain and elevation changes in an area.

Absolute Direction

The exact direction you are heading.

Relative Direction

Direction that depends on the surrounding area.

Absolute Distance

The exact distance between two places, usually measured in miles or kilometers.

Relative Distance

The approximate measurement between two places.

Thematic Maps

Maps that display spatial patterns of places and use quantitative data to display specific topics.

Chloropleth Maps

Maps that display data by using different colors or different shades of color, with each color or shade of a color showing a different quantity of the dataset.

Dot Density Maps

Maps that show data by placing points on a map where the data is occurring.

Clustered Data

When data is packed closely together in one area.

Dispersed Data

Data that is not packed closely together and is spread out.

Graduated Symbol Maps

Maps that use shapes, items, or symbols to show the location and the amount of data.

Isolign Maps

Maps that use lines to connect different areas that have similar or equal amounts of data.

Cartogram Maps

Maps that display data in a dynamic way with the greatest value represented by the largest area.

Flow Line Maps

Maps that are great at showing the movement of different goods, people, animals, services, or ideas between different places.

Remote Sensing

The process of collecting information about the world from satellites that are orbiting the earth.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

A computer system that can collect, analyze, and display geographic data. It creates layered maps, which gives geographers insight into the spatial associations and patterns of a place.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A system that provides absolute location through satellites.

Field Observations

Data that is acquired by having people visit a place in the real world and record their firsthand observation.

Qualitative Data

Data that is often in word form and is up for interpretation, debate, and discussion. It is subjective and will differ depending on who is collecting it and how it is being collected.

Quantitative Data

Data that is often in number form and is not up for debate. This information is concrete and is objective, not subjective.

Census

An official count of a population, which includes a variety of demographic data, such as age, education level, housing status, sex, and more.

Scale

The degree to which an area is zoomed in. Changing this can provide different insights into geographic data.

Absolute Location

An exact location on the earth's surface using longitude and latitude.

Relative Location

The relation a place has to the surrounding area.

Physical Characteristics

A location's rivers, mountains, vegetation, or climate.

Human Characteristics

A location's languages, religions, culture, population, or other general demographic data.

Sense of Place

An emotional response that helps form a person's perception of a place.

Placelessness

When a place seems to lack an identity.

Spatial Associations

The spatial distribution of a place, which consists of density, concentration, and any patterns that may be present.

Concentration

How things are spread out. Objects may be clustered together or dispersed.

Density

The amount of objects or people in an area.

Pattern

The arrangement of things in an area, such as if objects are in a grid formation or a linear pattern.

Time Space Compression

The increasing sense of connectivity that brings people closer together even though their distances are the same.

Distance Decay

The likelihood a person or place is to interact with another person or place. The farther the people or places are apart, the less likely they are to interact.

Environmental Determinism

The idea that the environment dictates the success of a society. Certain environments allow for a society to thrive and succeed, while other environments restrict a society.

Environmental Possibilism

The idea that the environment puts a limits on a society, but people have the ability to adjust the physical environment and create their own success.

Land Use

Repurposing land for specific uses and purposes.

Agricultural Land Use:

Land that is used for the production of different agricultural products, both for human consumption and animal consumption.

Industrial Land Use

Land that consists of factories and manufacturing facilities that produce different products for society.

Commercial Land Use

Land that is designated for businesses and stores to sell their final goods and services.

Residential Land Use

Land that is designated for people to live on and build homes on.

Recreational Land Use

Land that's been set aside for people in society to relax and unwind on, such as land dedicated to football stadiums, parks, or campsites.

Transportational Land Use

Land that is designated for roads, railroads, airports, ports, or public transportation.

Natural Resources

Resources that are produced in nature.

Renewable Resources

Resources that can be used multiple times without running out.

Non Renewable Resources

Resources that, once used, are gone.

Sustainable Policies

When societies ensure that they use the earth's natural resources in a manner that allows them to meet their wants and needs without compromising future generations from doing the same.

Scale

The distance on a map in relation to the corresponding distance on the Earth's surface.

information

Scales of analysis looks at this to understand how the information and data is being organized and presented

Global scale of analysis

A scale of analysis that does not use country's boundaries to present the information. Instead, it shows global patterns. The information here is not connected to any one country

National scale of analysis

A scale of analysis that has the data and information organized by the country.

Region

A geographic area that is defined by one or more unique characteristics or certain patterns of activity.

Formal Regions

Geographic areas that have common attributes and are traditionally defined by economic, political, social, or environmental characteristics.

Functional Regions

Geographic areas that are organized around a node or center point. Oftentimes the node or center point is based around a specific economic activity, travel or communication.

Perceptual Regions

Geographic areas that are linked together due to people's opinions, attitudes, feelings, or beliefs on the region.