Decathlon 26 - 27 Social Science Section 1

Human Geography

What is human geography?

The study of how human activities vary across different locations

What is a spatial perspective?

A way of looking at the word that focuses on where things are and why they are there

What do maps project onto two-dimensional portrayl?

A three-dimensional reality

What do symbols on maps do?

Guide map readers in interpreting the data that the map conveys

What is cartography?

The discipline and methodology of creating visual representations of the Earth's surface through maps

What is the essense of geographical thinking?

To understand complex processes at different geographical scales

What is an absoulute location?

The precise position of an object of place as determined by spatil coordinates within a grid system

What is a coordinate system?

A tool used by geographers to pinpoint absolute locations

What forms a coordinate system?

Latitude and longitude lines

What are latitude lines?

Parallel lines that demonstrate relative distance north and south of the equator

What are longitude lines also known as?

Meridians

What are longitude lines?

Imaginary lines that measure relative distance east and west of the prime meridian

What is the prime meridian?

An imaginary line that represents the 0 degree longitude mark

What does the prime meridian run through?

The Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England

Where do the meridians meet at?

The North and South Poles

What is an easy pneumonic to think of latitude lines?

Latitude is like a ladder

What are reference maps?

Maps that provide details about a location that help users identify landmarks and navigate effectively

What are political maps?

Maps that help people navigate by showing boundaries, capital cities, and important urban areas

What are physical maps?

Maps that facilitate navigation by clearly depicting landforms such as mountains, rivers, and deserts

What are road maps?

Maps that depict land transportation routes

What are topographic maps?

Maps that use isolines to assist navigation

What are isolines on topographic maps?

Lines that connect areas that have the same elevation

What type of landmarks/features do topographic maps have?

Human-created and natural landscape features

What do land engineers use topographic maps for?

To ensure a level foundation surface

What are land engineers?

Engineers who turn natural materials into built environments

How do topographic maps help hikers?

By predicting elevation changes

What are thematic maps?

Maps that illustrate variables across a defined region

What are chloropleth maps?

Maps that display how data varies across locations by using different shades or colors to represent density or intensity

What are dot distrubution/dot density maps?

Maps that demonstrate data frequency through dot density and locations

What are isoline maps?

Maps that connect points of equal value to show relationships and characteristics across locations

What are graduated symbol maps?

Maps that compare data quantity across an area by contrastic symbols of varied sizes

What are flowline maps?

Maps that use arrows of different sizes to show movement, direction, and intensity of data across space

What are cartogram maps?

Maps that use visual distortions imposed on the landscape to demonstrate relative variables

What do area cartograms do?

Impose distortions over an entire area to show variables across space

What do distance cartograms do?

Communicate travel length, distance, and time of travel

What is a mental map?

An individual's internal, subjective perception of their surroundings that they use to navigate an environment without the need for a physical reference

What type of maps have the highest degree of distortion and abstraction from typical thematic maps?

Mental maps

What is absolute distance?

A measurable span using standardized units of length

What is accessibility?

How easily one location can be reached from and/or influenced by another

What happens when there is less absolute distance between two locations?

They will exchange effects more due to higher accessibility

What is the distance decay effect?

The reduction in interaction between locations as spatial seperation grows

What is time-space compression?

Whenever advances in technology results in a reduction of the impact physical distance creates

What is globalization?

The increasing connections among individuals, ideas, and economies around the world

What is relative location?

The drescription of where a place is based on what is near by

What is clustering?

The cose grouping of factors within a location

What is dispersal?

The even or random distribution of data across a location

What is elevation?

How high areas are above sea level

Where is elevation typically shown?

On topographic and physical maps

What does a map's scale determine?

The level of detail it displays

What relationship does a map's scale determine?

The relationship between distances in its representation and distances in reality

What scales do geographers primarily use?

Ratio scales, written scales, and graphic scales

What are ratio scales?

Scales that indicate the relationship between distance on a map and actual ground distance in terms of a ratio

What are written scales also known as?

Verbal scales

What are written scales?

Scales in which the distance between real and portrayed units is written out

What are graphic scales?

Scales that are usually drawn as a bar divided into segments, with each segment corresponding to a specific distance

What do greater scales increase?

The total area a map can display

What do greater scales decrease?

Fidelity

What shape does Earth have?

A geoid form

What is a geoid?

A shape characterized by its irregularity and slight flattening at the poles, resulting in an oblate shape

What is projection in maps?

The process of transferring geographical locations onto a flat map

What is shape on a map?

The actual boundaries and form of a location

How do maps distort shape?

By altering landmass dimensions

What is size on a map?

The actual area of locations

How do maps distort size on a map?

By making places look bigger or smaller than they actually are

What is distance on a map?

The physical seperation between two locations

How do maps distort distance?

With inaccurate location proximity

What is direction on a map?

The orientation between two locations

How do maps distort direction?

By simplifying trajectories such that they don't mirror the curved surface of the Earth

What do Mercator projections preserve?

Shape and direction

What are Mercator projections ideal for?

Navigation

What do Mercator projections distort?

Size near the poles

What is the Peters projection also known as?

Gall-Peters

What does the Peters projection show correctly?

Relative sizes

What does the Peters projection distort?

The shapes of landmasses

What do Equal-area projections keep accurate?

Size

What do Equal-area projections sacrifice?

Shape

What does the Robinson projection aim for?

A balanced compromise among various distortions

What does geographic data provide information about?

Locations that allows geographers to identify patterns and study human-environment interactions

What are the two types of geographic data?

Spatial data and non-spatial data

What is spatial data?

Physical information about a locations attained from references

What is non-spatial data?

Data that describes characteristics of a location

What is field data?

Geographic information collected by experts onsite

What does GIS stand for?

Geographic Information System

What does GIS do?

Superimposes data onto a location to reveal connections and patterns

What does GPS stand for?

Global Positioning System

What does GPS do?

Pinpoint (absolute) locations

What is remote sensing?

The acquisition of spatial information typically from satellites or aircraft

What is quantitative data?

Numerical data

What is qualitative data?

Data linked to a human-centered perspective, such as an interview

What are toponyms?

The name identifiers of locations

What are natural features?

Characteristics of a location shaped by natural processes

What are human features?

Characteristics of a location shaped by human processes

What is a cultural landscape?

The natural environment that has been altered by humans to reflect the characteristics of a specific culture or society

How do organizations use geographic data?

To refine transportation, production, distribution, and profitability strategies for their goods and services

How do governments leverage geographic data?

To enhance urban planning

What is gerrymandering?

The deliberate configuation of voting boundaries to favor a particular political party

What are spatial concepts?

Essential principles that geographers use to analyze places

What is a place in human geography?

An area with a specific value that is shaped by its characteristics

What is a space in human geography?

The area between spaces, including how objects are arranged and ordered within it

What are flows in human geography?

How people, money, cultural attributes, ideas, technology, and other elements move from one place to another