Unit 1 APHG

key terms for Unit 1 of APHG Exam

Mercator projection

Shows accurate directions but significant distortion of size

Good Homolosine projection

Shows true size and shape of land masses but distortion in distances near edges

Robinson projection

Preserves size and shape of land masses but spreads distortion out

Gall-Peters projection

Distortion with shape and direction

Interrupted map

Tries to remove distortion by removing parts of the globe

Uninterrupted map

Displays entirety of the earth’s surface

Reference maps

Used for directions and boundaries

Absolute direction

Exact location

Relative direction

Approximate direction depending on another object’s location

Thematic maps

Display spatial patterns using quantitative data

Geospatial technologies

Remote sensing, GIS, GPS

Qualitative data

Often in word form

Quantitative data

Collected through numbers

Small scale

Global scale

Large scale

Local scale

Supranational organization

Organizations like the United Nations

Absolute location

Exact spot on earth using longitude and latitude

Relative location

Description based on surrounding area

Placelessness

Lack of identity in a place

Time-space compression

Reduction of time for movement between places

Distance decay

Effect of distance on cultural or spatial interactions

Environmental determinism

Environment sets possibilities for human society

Environmental possibilism

Environment limits society but people can adjust

Scale

Relationship of map distance to ground distance

Scale of analysis

Observation of data at different scales

Formal regions

Defined by common attributes

Functional regions

Organized around nodes

Perceptual regions

Linked by opinions and beliefs