Geography Vocabulary

Flashcards for vocabulary review in Geography

Reference Maps

Maps designed for general information about places, like political or physical features.

Thematic Maps

Maps used as communication tools showing the distribution of human activities through cartogram, choropleth, dot density, isoline, or proportional symbol.

Cartogram Map

A thematic map that distorts the size of geographic regions based on a specific variable.

Choropleth Map

A thematic map that uses tones or colors to represent statistical data across predefined regions.

Dot Density Map

A thematic map that uses dots to represent the frequency of a variable within an area.

Isoline Map

A thematic map that connects points of equal value to create lines, often used for elevation or temperature.

Mercator Map Projection

A map projection where shape and direction are fairly accurate, but size is greatly distorted toward the poles.

Robinson Map Projection

A map projection that distorts everything in small amounts to create a compromise between different properties.

Goode Map Projection

A map projection where continent sizes are accurately portrayed, but directions and distances aren’t accurate.

Gall-Peters Projection

A map projections shape of countries are distorted, especially near the equator.

Geospatial Data

Information about physical features and human activities on Earth's surface.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

A computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth's surface.

Geographic Positioning System (GPS)

A system using data from satellites to pinpoint a location on Earth.

Remote Sensing

Taking pictures of Earth's surface from satellites or airplanes for a greater understanding of Earth's geography.

Census Data

An official count of individuals in a population, often used for geographical analysis and decision-making.

Absolute Location

The precise spot where something is located.

Relative Location

Where something is in relation to other things.

Space

The extent of an area in both relative and absolute sense.

Place

The specific human and physical characteristics of a location.

Distance Decay

The effect of distance on cultural or spatial interactions.

Time-Space Compression

The increasing sense of connectivity that reduces the impact of distance.

Sustainability

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Natural Resources

Physical materials constituting part of Earth that people need and value.

Environmental Determinism

The environment causes/determines social development.

Possibilism

The physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment.

Scale of Analysis

The level of geographic resolution at which data is analyzed (e.g., global, regional, national, state, local).

Formal Region

A region based on quantitative data.

Functional Region

A region based around a node or focal point.

Vernacular (Perceptual) Region

An area that shares a common qualitative characteristic based on people’s beliefs.

Ecumene

Term used by geographers to mean where people are settled on the earth.