Unit 1: Thinking Geographically (copy)

Activity Space

The area wherein activity occurs on a daily basis.

Place

An area of bounded space of some human importance.

Toponym

A place-name assigned to a location when human importance is recognized.

Regions

A type of place categorized into formal, functional, and vernacular, which have varying attributes.

Sequent Occupancy

The succession of groups and cultural influences throughout a place’s history.

Scale

The relationship of an object or place to the Earth as a whole.

Formal Regions

Areas of bounded space that possess some homogeneous characteristic or uniformity.

Functional Regions

Regions with a central place or node that serves a practical purpose.

Vernacular Regions

Regions based upon the perception or collective mental map of the region’s residents.

Absolute Location

Defines a point or place on the map using coordinates such as latitude and longitude.

Relative Location

The location of a place compared to a known place or geographic feature.

Distance Decay

The concept that the farther away places are from a point of origin, the less likely interaction will occur.

Tobler’s Law

States that all places are interrelated, but closer places are more related than farther ones.

Friction of Distance

The inhibitory effect of distance on interaction between two points.

Space-Time Compression

Decreased time and relative distance between places due to technology.

Central Places

Nodes of human activity, most often centers of economic exchange.

Cluster

A grouping of objects on the Earth’s surface.

Agglomeration

Clustering that occurs purposefully around a central point.

Arithmetic Density

The number of things per square unit of distance.

Physiologic Density

The number of people per square unit of arable land.

Expansion Diffusion

A pattern that originates in a central place and expands outward.

Hearth

The point of origin or place of innovation.

Cartograms

Maps that use simplified geometries to represent real-world places.

Choropleth Maps

Thematic maps that express geographic variability of a theme using color variations.

Mind Map

A cognitive image of landscape in the human mind.

Gravity Model

A mathematical model used to calculate transportation flow and estimate business influence.

GIS (Geographic Information Systems)

A computer program capable of spatial analysis and mapping incorporating multiple data layers.

GPS (Global Positioning System)

Utilizes a worldwide network of satellites to emit measurable radio signals.

Remote Sensing

Capturing data from the Earth’s surface using satellites and aerial photography.

Thematic Maps

Maps designed to highlight particular themes or subjects.

Dot Maps

Maps that use dots to represent the presence of a feature or phenomenon.

Isoline Maps

Maps that use lines to connect points of equal value.

Choropleth Maps

Thematic maps that express geographic variability of a theme using color variations.

Cartograms

Maps that use simplified geometries to represent real-world places.