AP Human Geography- Unit 1 Thinking Geographically Notecards

Geography

Describing the world around you.

Physical Geography

Studying natural phenomena like mountains, rivers, and lakes.

Human Geography

Studying the impact of human activity on physical geography.

Cultural Landscape

Built forms created by cultural groups, including their meanings and values.

Space

Areas occupied by humans, gaining value through human interaction.

Spatial Interaction

Identifying and explaining the uses of space.

Absolute Location

Exact location on Earth defined by latitude and longitude.

Relative Location

Position of a place in relation to another place.

Place

Modification of space based on group identity.

Human Environment Interaction

Ways humans influence and are influenced by their environment.

Geospatial Data

Information describing objects or features with a location on Earth.

Quantitative Data

Numerical data used for calculations and statistical analysis.

Qualitative Data

Non-numerical information collected from text, audio, and images.

Data Aggregation

Collecting and organizing large amounts of information.

Mental Map

Individual's cognitive image of a portion of Earth's surface.

Map

Two-dimensional representation of a geographical area.

Cartography

The science of map-making.

Projection

Method for representing Earth's surface on a flat plane.

Mercator Projection

Useful for navigation but distorts landmasses away from the equator.

Peters Projection

Shows true land areas but distorts shapes.

Goode Projection

Avoids shape distortion with interruptions in map continuity.

Robinson Projection

Aims for a visually appealing representation with low distortion.

Reference Map

Emphasizes the location of features on Earth's surface.

Thematic Map

Emphasizes spatial patterns of geographic data.

Isoline Map

Connects places sharing a common value, like elevation.

Topographic Map

Graphic representation of Earth's three-dimensional surface.

Proportional Symbol Map

Uses varying symbol sizes to represent numerical values.

Choropleth Map

Thematic map showing aggregated data for specific areas.

Dot Density Map

Uses dots to represent counts or objects.

Cartogram

Distorts geographic shape to show size of a variable.

Distortion

Misrepresentation of area or shape on a map.

Eratosthenes

Coined the term geography and calculated Earth's circumference.

Ptolemy

Organized early maps into the first atlas, Geographia.

Visualization

Creating dynamic computer maps using sophisticated software.

Photogrammetry

Measuring Earth's surface from photographs.

Remote Sensing

Scanning Earth from satellites or aircraft for information.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Satellite system providing location data.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

Software for capturing and displaying geospatial data.

Mashup

Map combining data from multiple sources.

Distribution

Arrangement of features in space.

Density

Explains how many of something exists in a space.

Concentration

Describes how spread out a feature is in a space.

Pattern

Geometric arrangement of features in an area.

Clustering

Features that are close together.

Dispersed

Features that are far apart.

Sense of Place

Personal feelings about a particular place.

Diffusion

Spread of phenomena like ideas or technologies over space and time.

Hearth/Node

Central points coordinating functions of a region.

Relocation Diffusion

Spread of ideas through migration.

Expansion Diffusion

Ideas spreading throughout a population in a snowballing process.

Hierarchical Diffusion

Ideas leapfrogging from important to less important areas.

Contagious Diffusion

Wavelike spread of ideas without regard for hierarchy.

Stimulus Diffusion

Acceptance of an underlying idea while rejecting a specific trait.

Globalization

Expansion of processes to a global scale.

Transnational Corporation

Company operating in multiple countries.

Distance Decay

Near things are more related than distant things.

Time-Space Compression

Decreasing distance between places in terms of travel time or cost.

Site

Unique physical features of a location.

Situation

Location in relation to other places.

Toponym

Place name derived from a physical feature.

Land Use

Human use of land for various activities.

Natural Resources

Materials occurring in nature for economic gain.

Environmental Determinism

Belief that the environment shapes cultures.

Possibilism

Belief that humans can overcome environmental challenges.

Sustainability

Using resources to ensure future availability.

Scale of Analysis

Different levels of geographic analysis (global, regional, etc.).

Map Scale

Ratio of map distance to actual ground distance

Region

Formal Region

A geographical area inhabited by people who have one or more traits in common 

Functional Region

A geographic area that has been organized to function politically, socially, culturally, or economically as one unit

Vernacular Region

A geographic area that is perceived to exist by its inhabitants, based on the widespread acceptance and use of a unique regional name 

Congested/Overlapping Boundary

Sometimes regions will "overlap". For example countries such as Armenia and Azerbaijan can be considered as being in Central Asia whereas others may consider it in the Middle East

Transitional Boundary

A boundary that shows the change from type of land use to another, like a grassland into a desert

Development

A process of improvement in the material conditions of people through diffusion of knowledge and technology.

Uneven Development

The unequal improvement in the material conditions of different groups of people because of unequal access to and diffusion of knowledge and technology