APHG-U1.4-7

Space

the area where human activities take place

Absolute Location

an exact position of a place based on a grid system (e.g., GPS)

Site

the physical character of a place (e.g., climate or vegetation)

Relative Location (situation)

the location of a place in relation to another place (e.g., San Diego is across the border from Tijuana)

Latitude & Longitude

latitudes circle the map east-west (e.g., equator). Longitudes stretch from pole to pole (e.g., prime meridian)

Environmental Determinism

the idea that the physical environment is the principle cause of human activity

(e.g., why a country is rich or poor)

Possibilism

the idea that physical environment sets limits but people have the ability to adjust the environment and make choices

Globalization

Actions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope

Distance decay

The decline of an activity or function with increasing distance from its origin (e.g., fewer people subscribe to the LA Times the farther they live from LA)

Time-Space Compression

The idea that places "move" closer together in travel or communication time or costs due to improved technology

Place

the uniqueness of a location.

Sustainability

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

Natural Resources

Raw materials such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain

Flows

the movement of people, materials or ideas from one place to another

Formal Region

A region where everyone shares in one or more distinctive characteristics

Functional Region

An area organized around a node or focal point

Perceptual Region

Def: An area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity (AKA vernacular)

Ex: the south or the hood

Scale of Analysis

the extent of an area being studied (e.g., by county, state, nation?)

Map Scale

it's the ratio of an area on the map to what it represents (e.g., an inch on the map equals a mile of area)

Homogenous

the same throughout

Heterogeneous

composed of unlike parts

Convert 1 Kilometer to meters

1 km = 1,000m

Convert a meter into centimeters

1m = 100cm

Convert a kilometer into centimeters

1km = 100,000cm

Convert 1 mile into feet

1m = 5,280'

large-scale map

small-scale map