Maps and Geographic Data in Human Geography

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary related to maps, geographic data, and human geography concepts.

Map Projection

A method of representing the Earth’s three-dimensional surface on a two-dimensional surface.

Distortion

Alteration of the true shape, area, distance, or direction of a place when represented on a map.

Mercator Projection

A conformal map projection used for navigation that distorts landmass sizes, making Greenland appear larger than Africa.

Good Hobbesian Projection

An equal-area pseudo cylindrical projection that shows true size of landmasses but distorts distances near edges.

Robinson Projection

A projection that minimizes distortion in size and shape of landmasses but spreads distortion across the entire map.

Reference Maps

Maps that provide information on boundaries, topography, and geographic features.

Thematic Maps

Maps that display spatial patterns of data using quantitative information to focus on specific topics.

Qualitative Data

Non-numerical information that is subjective and may be open to interpretation.

Quantitative Data

Numerical information that is objective and concrete, often derived from measurements like population counts.

Land Use

The management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as settlements.

Environmental Determinism

The belief that the physical environment shapes human behavior and societal development.

Environmental Possibilism

The notion that while the environment sets certain constraints, people have the ability to adjust and adapt.

Time-Space Compression

A term that describes the phenomenon of the world feeling smaller due to advancements in technology, which facilitates interaction across distances.

Distance Decay

The principle that the likelihood of interaction decreases as the distance between places increases.

Formal Region

A geographic area defined by one or more characteristics that are uniformly present.

Functional Region

A region defined by a particular set of activities or interactions that occur within it, organized around a node.

Perceptual/ Vernacular Region

A region defined by people's perceptions or feelings, which may vary among individuals.

GIS (Geographic Information System)

A computer system for collecting, analyzing, and displaying geographic data.

Remote Sensing

The process of gathering information about the Earth's surface from satellites.

GPS (Global Positioning System)

A satellite-based system used for determining the exact location of objects on Earth.

Dot Density Map

A thematic map where dots represent the presence of a feature or phenomenon.

Cartogram Map

A map that distorts the size of areas based on a specific variable, such as population.