APHG UNIT 1

Thinking Geographically

Geography

Study of where things are and why they are there

Spatial Perspective

How things are arranged in space

Spatial Patterns

Arrangement of objects on Earth

Absolute Location

Exact location (ex: latitude and longitude, address)

Relative Location

Location in relation to other places (ex: 3 miles north of…)

Site

Physical characteristics of a place (ex: climate, landforms)

Situation

Location relative to surroundings (ex: trade routes, other cities)

Distance Decay

Interaction decreases with increasing distance

Time-Space Compression

Technology reduces time it takes to travel/communicate

Friction of Distance

Distance makes interaction harder (ex: cost/time)

Distribution Types:

Density (frequency of a feature; ex: pop. per sq. mile), Concentration (clustered vs dispersed), Pattern (geometric arrangement; ex: linear, grid, etc.)

Reference Maps

Shows locations (ex: road Maps, political maps)

Thematic Maps (with examples)

Show spatial distribution of data (ex: choropleth, dot density, graduated symbol, isoline, cartogram)

Choropleth Map

Color/shading to show values

Dot Density Map

Dots show freqency

Graduated Symbol Map

Symbols sized by value

Isoline Map

Lines connect equal values (ex: topography, weather)

Cartogram Map

Size of area scaled by data (ex: pop. cartogram)

Mercator Projection

Presserves direction, distorts size (makes Greenland HUGE)

Robinson Projection

Balanced distortion, good for general use

Gall-Peters Projection

Equal area, has accurate size but distorts shape

Goode Homolosine Projection

Interrupted, minimizes distortion but splits oceans

GIS (Geographic Information System)

Layers geographic data

Remote Sensing

Data from satellites (ex: land cover, urban sprawl)

GPS

Pinpoints exact location

Census Data

Population data (used for policy, redistricting)

Fieldwork

Observing and recording data on location

Scale of Analysis

Global = whole world, regional = larger area (ex: Latin America), national = country, subnation = state or province, local = city or neighborhood

Formal (Uniform) Region

Shared trait (ex: French-speaking region, political boundaries)

Functional (Nodal) Region

Organized around a node (ex: Newspaper circulation, metro area)

Perceptual (Vernacular) Region

Defined by cultural perception (ex: “The South”)

Relocation Diffusion

People move and carry ideas (ex: migration of Christianity)

Expansion Diffusion (with types)

Idea spread outward, stays strong at hearth (hierarchical, contagious, stimulus)

Hierarchical Diffusion

Spread via authority/elite (ex: fashion trends)

Contagious Diffusion

Rapid, widespread (ex: viral videos)

Stimulus Diffusion

Idea spreads, but is adapted (ex: McDonald’s in India)

Cultural Landscape

Built environment = interaction of humans and nature

Subsequent Occupance

Layers of history in landscape (ex: Rome = Roman ruin + modern city)