AP HUG Aitken Unit 1 - Maps

absolute location

specific place, uses grids, longitude & latitude

relative location

directional words & using distance

The 3 types of regions

formal, functional, & vernacular

formal/uniform region

(uniform) an area w/in which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristic, & drawn w/ borders (ex. Canada, rice-growing areas)

functional/nodal region

(nodal) an area organized around a focal point. Importance of economic activity, political power, or influence weakens as you get further away from the central point.

vernacular/perceptual region

(perceptual) an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity ex. the south

pattern

the geometric or regular arrangement of something

cartographic scale

the relationship of a feature's size on a map to it's actual size on a map to it's actual size on Earth

projection

the scientific method of transferring locations on Earth's surface to a flat map

4 types of distortion during projection

(D.D.R.S) Distance, directions, relative size, shape.

Mercator Projection description

Straight meridians and parallels that intersect at right angles. (Used for navigation & not accurate)

Robinson projection- pros and cons

pro: relative size is more accurate

con: oceans take up more space on the map

thematic maps

A map designed to convey information about a single topic or theme, such as population density or geology.

cartogram maps

Thematic map where the size of countries (or states, counties, etc.) are shown according to some specific statistic rather than their normal shape

dot density maps

a thematic map in which a dot represents some frequency of the mapped variable (item)

choropleth maps

a thematic map in which ranked classes of some variable are depicted with shading patterns or colors for predefined zones

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

A computer hardware and software system that handles geographically referenced data.

\-uses and produces maps and has the ability to perform many types of spatial analysis.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

determines precise location based on satellite signals

remote sensing

using long distance methods like satellite imagery to GATHER DATA about the Earth's surface

cartography

the science of making maps

clustered

Gathered closely together in a group

dispersed

scattered, spread, broken up

Weakness of Mercator Perjection

Relative size is greatly exaggerated at the poles making places like Africa seem smaller than they actually are.

graduated symbol map

A map with symbols that change in size according to the value of the attribute they represent.

isoline map

map that uses lines to connect points of equal value to show variations in data across space

Strength - Robinson Projection

Relative size is more accurate

Weakness - Robinson Projection

Too much space devoted to water/oceans

reference maps show

locations of places and geographic features

Thematic maps show

particular themes or subjects or data

large scale maps

Maps that show large (more) detail and less land area

small scale maps

Maps that show small (less) detail and more land area

environmental determinism

the view that the natural environment has a controlling influence over various aspects of human life including cultural development

Possibilism

The theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives.