Chapter Two

Area

Area

Defined by one predominant characteristic throughout an entire space

Cartogram

Sizes of units shown based on a specific statistic

Cartographic scale

How a map communicates the ratio it represents

Choropleth maps

Use colors to show spatial data distribution

Conic projection

Earth area projected onto a cone

Dot distribution maps

Show specific location and distribution across a map

Fieldwork

Data observed and recorded on location

Functional regions

Organized around a focal point and defined by activity

Geographic models

Representations to understand spatial patterns

Geographic scale

Amount of territory represented by a map

Graduated symbol maps

Use symbols of different sizes to indicate amounts

Homogenous regions

Demarcated based on internal uniformity

Isoline maps

Use lines to connect points of equal value

Locator maps

Illustrations showing specific locations

Map projection

Process of showing a curved surface on a flat surface

Mental maps

Maps created in people's minds

Mercator map projection

Cylindrical projection representing north as up

Nodal regions

Demarcated based on internal uniformity

Nonspatial models

Illustrate theories using words, graphs, or tables

Patterns

General arrangements of studied things

Perceptual regions

Defined by the informal sense of a place

Peters projection

Correct area proportions with distorted shapes

Physical maps

Shows human-created boundaries and designations

Plat maps

Shows property lines and land ownership details

Political maps

Shows human-created boundaries and designations

Process

Repeated sequences of events

Qualitative data

Not represented by numbers, focuses on quality

Quantitative data

Measured and recorded using numbers, focuses on quantity

Reference maps

Used for referencing locations and information

Regionalization

Separating regions into smaller portions

Relative scale

Geographic scale comparison

Road maps

Shows and labels roads, highways, etc.

Robinson projection

Shows the entire world at once

Scale of data

Provides more information than cartographic scale

Scale

Ratio between real-life size and map size

Spatial models

Illustrate theories about spatial distributions

Subregions

Divided smaller areas within regions

Thematic maps

Show spatial aspects of a phenomenon

Topographic maps

Contours depict surface features and elevation

Uniform regions

Area with one predominant characteristic throughout

Vernacular regions

Regions defined by people's informal sense of place