AP Human Geography Unit 1

APHuG Pre-Exam Cram

chloropleth

uses colors, shades, patterns to indicate quantitative data in an area

isoline

uses lines to connect points of equal value; depicts variation across space. lines close together = rapid change, far apart = relatively similar

dot distribution

uses dots/symbols to represent a specific quantity; shows distribution across the map. map includes a key.

proportional/graduated symbol

uses different sized symbols to indicate different quantities, key is used to determine exact amount; symbols may overlap.

cartogram

distorted areal units to represent value; can be connected or not

absolute distance

quantitative, exact measurements, miles, km, etc.

relative distance

qualitative, from another thing, could use time

absolute location

using latitude and longitude, ex. 34.0549° N, 118.2426° W is the coordinates of LA

relative location

depending on another thing, ex. LA is near San Diego, or LA is in California

time-space compression

distance feels smaller due to sophisticated technology, as it takes less time to get from one place to another; ex. 1850: NY to CA, 4 months (Covered wagon) Now: NY to CA, 5 hours (Commercial airplane)

map projection distortion

all maps are distorted because the earth is a sphere and maps are two dimensional

mercator projection

latitude and longitude shown at right angles, preserves shape but distorts size further from the equator, used for navigation

robinson projection

flat on top, curved on sides, preserves size and shape

geographic information system (GIS)

any computer data system that collects, stores, analyzes, and displays geographic information

global positioning system (GPS)

provides specific information about location using latitude and longitude

remote sensing

collects information from satellites

distance decay

the farther places are from each other, the less interaction they will have

environmental determinism

the physical environment completely influences human behavior

possibilism

rebuttal to environmental determinism; humans can influence their environment to their needs with technology

geographic scale

area of the world being studied, aka relative scale

cartographic scale

ratio between distance on map and distance on earth surface

data scale

smaller scale = larger area, less detail (situation)

larger scale = smaller area, more detail (site)

region

area across which there are unifying characteristics (political, social/cultural, economic)

formal/uniform region

area in which population shares a characteristic (language, religion, economic, etc.)

functional/nodal region

centers of activity unified by transportation or communication

perceptual/vernacular region

what one sees/thinks is a boundary, usually based on a stereotype