AP Human Geography: Thinking Geographically

Absolute Distance

The distance that can be measured with a standard unit length, such as a mile or kilometer.

Absolute Location

is the precise spot where something is according to a system

Accessibility

how quickly and easily people in one location can interact with people in another location

Aerial Photography

professional images captured from planes within the atmosphere

Aggregation

when geographers organize data into different scales such as by census tract, city, county, or country

Arithmetic Density

The total number of people divided by the total land area.

Built Environment

the physical artifacts that humans have created and that form part of the landscape

Cartogram

a map on which statistical information is shown in diagrammatic form

Cartographic Scale

refers to the way the map communicates the ratio of its size to the size of what it represents

Choropleth Map

A thematic map that uses tones or colors to represent spatial data as average values per unit area.

Conic Projection

Lines of latitude converge, and are curved—size and shape are closer to reality; Direction is not constant—on a world map, long. lines converge only at one pole.

Connectivity

how well two locations are tied together by roads or other links

Cultural Ecology

Geographic approach that emphasizes human-environment relationships.

Cultural Landscape

the visible imprint of human activity and culture on the landscape

Direction

used in order to describe where things are in relation to each other

Distance

A measurement of how near or far things are to one another

Distance Decay

The diminishing in importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin.

Distribution

the way a phenomenon is spread out over an area

Dot Distribution Map

used to show the specific location and distribution of something across a map

Elevation

the distance of features above sea level

Environmental Determinism

the belief that landforms and climate are the most powerful forces shaping human behavior and societal development

Equator

an imaginary line that circles Earth halfway between the North and South poles (0° latitude)

Field Observation

the act of physically visiting a location, place, or region and recording, firsthand, information there

Fieldwork

observing and recording information on location, or in the field

Flow

refers to the patterns and movement of ideas, people, products, and other phenomena

Formal/Uniform/Homogenous Regions

regions united by one or more traits

Functional/Nodal Regions

these regions are organized around a focal point and are defined by an activity, usually political, social, or economic, that occurs across the region.

Gall-Peters Projection

Accurate land mass; shapes are inaccurate—especially near the poles

Geographic Information System (GIS)

A computer system that stores, organizes, analyzes, and displays geographic data.

Geographic Scale (relative scale)

refers to the relationship between the portion of the Earth being studied and the Earth as a whole.

Geovisualizations

2D or 3D interactive maps that allow people to zoom in or out to see the data in ways that were previously impossible

Global Positioning System (GPS)

uses multiple satellites to determine and record a receiver's exact location

Graduated Symbol Map

uses symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of something (larger = more, smaller = less)

International Date Line

the line of longitude that marks where each new day begins, centered on the 180th meridian

Isoline Map

A thematic map with lines that connect points of equal value to depict variations in the data across space

Land Use

the study of how land is utilized, modified, and organized by people

Landscape Analysis

the task of defining and describing landscapes

Large-scale Maps

show a smaller amount of area with a greater amount of detail

Latitude

the distance north or south of the equator

Location

identifies where specific phenomena are located either on a grid system or relative to another location

Longitude

Distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees

Mercator Projection

Direction accurate, lines of lat. and long. meet at right angles; Land masses appear large near the poles (Greenland bigger than Africa)

Natural Resources (renewable and non-renewable)

includes items that occur in the natural environment that people can use; air, water, oil, fish, soil, and minerals. Can be renewable (wind, sunlight) also can be non-renewable (coal, oil)

Patterns

refer to the general arrangement of things being studied

Perceptual/Vernacular Regions

perceptual regions differ from formal and functional regions in that they are defined by the informal sense of place that people ascribe to them

Physical Maps

show and label natural features, such as mountains, rivers, and deserts

Place

refers to the specific human and physical characteristics of a location

Plat Maps

show and label property lines and details of land ownership

Political Maps

show and label human-created boundaries and designations, such as countries, states, cities, and capitals

Possibilism

a view that acknowledges limits on the effects of the natural environment and focuses more on the role that human culture plays

Prime Meridian

an imaginary line that runs from pole to pole through Greenwich, England

Reference Maps

designed for people to refer to for general information about places

Relative Distance

indicates the degree of nearness based on time or money and is often dependent on the mode of travel

Relative Location

the description of where something is in relation to other things

Remote Sensing

gathers information from satellites that orbit the earth or other craft above the atmosphere

Road Maps

show and label highways, streets, and alleys

Robinson Projection

No major distortions, used mostly for general purposes; area, shape, size, and direction are all slightly distorted

Global

The entire world (Global earth at night image)

Multiple countries of the world (North America; South Asia)

World Regional

One country (the U.S.; Thailand)

National

A portion of a country or a region(s) within a country (the Midwest; Eastern China)

National Regional

A province, state, city, country, or neighborhood (Tennessee; Moscow)

Local

Physiological Density

The number of people per unit of area of arable land; defines the pressure that the population places on the land to produce food.

Sense of Place

State of mind derived through the infusion of a place with meaning and emotion by remembering important events that occurred in that place or by labeling a place with a certain character.

Sequent Occupancy

The notion that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape.

Site

can be described as the characteristics at the immediate location

Situation

the location of a place relative to its surroundings and its connectivity to other places

Small-scale Maps

show a larger amount of area with less detail

Space

the area between two or more phenomena or things

Spatial Data

All of the information that can be tied to a specific location(s)

Spatial Interaction

refers to the contact, movement, and flow of things between locations

Subregions

Smaller areas of a region; smaller divisions of a region shares some characteristics with the rest of the larger region but is distinctive in some ways

Sustainability

Trying to use resources now in ways that allow their use in the future while minimizing negative impacts on the environment.

The Friction of Distance

indicates that when things are farther apart, they tend to be less well connected

Thematic Maps

show spatial aspects of information or of a phenomenon

Time-Space Compression

the shrinking "time distance" between locations because of improved methods of transportation and communication

Toponyms

place names

Hearth

The region from which innovative ideas originate

Diffusion

The process of spread of a feature or trend from one place to another over time.

Relocation Diffusion w/example

The spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another. Ex: spread of AIDS from New York, California, & Florida.

Expansion diffusion

The spread of a feature from one place to another in a snowballing process. This can happen in 3 ways

Hierarchical diffusion w/example

The spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places (Ex: hip-hop/rap music)

Contagious Diffusion w/example

The rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population. (Ex: ideas placed on the internet)

Stimulus Diffusion

the spread of an underlying principle, even though a characteristic itself apparently fails to diffuse. (Ex: PC & Apple competition)

Networks

defined by Manuel Castells as a set of interconnected nodes without a center.