Ap Human Geography: Chapter 1 Vocabulary

Place

a specific point on Earth, distinguished by a particular characteristic.

Region

an area of Earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristics

scale

the relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole.

space

the physical gap or interval between two objects.

connection

relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space.

map

a two-dimensional or flat-scale model of Earth’s surface, or a portion of it.

cartography

the science of mapmaking

Geographic Information System

A device that captures, stores, queries, and displays the geographic data

Global Positioning System

a system that determines the precise position of something on Earth.

map scale

the relationship of a feature’s size on a map to its actual size on Earth.

projection

The scientific method of transferring locations on Earth’s surface to a flat map

meridian

an arc connecting the North and South poles

longitude

The numbering system used to indicate the location of meridians drawn on a globe and measuring distance east and west of the prime meridian

parallel

a circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at right angles to the meridians.

latitude

The numbering system to indicate the location of a parallel

prime meridian

The meridian that passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England, is 0° longitude,

isoline map

connects with lines all the places that have particular values

dot distribution map

depicts data as points and shows how those points are clustered together or spread out over an area. Each dot represents a predetermined number of observations, which could be one or many

Choropleth Map

a map where recognizable areas are shaded or patterned in proportion to the measurement of the variable

Graduated symbol map

displays symbols that change in size according to the value of the variable. A higher value is typically represented by a larger symbol

cartogram

is a map in which the size of a country or U.S. state is proportional to the value of a particular variable,

Location

the position that something occupies on Earth’s surface.

situation

also known as relative location, is the location of a place relative to other places.

absolute location

the position of a place in a way that never changes, such as geographic coordinates of latitude and longitude.

cultural landscape

a combination of cultural features such as language and religion, economic features such as agriculture and industry, and physical features such as climate and vegetation

formal region

also called a uniform region, is an area within which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics.

functional region

also called a nodal region, is an area organized around a node or focal point

Vernacular/perceptual region

an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity

culture

the body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that together constitutes the distinct tradition of a group of people

spatial association

the relationship between the distribution of one feature and the distribution of another feature

globalization

a force or process that involves the entire world and results in making something worldwide in scope

distribution

he arrangement of a feature in space

density

the frequency with which something occurs in space

concentration

The extent of a feature’s spread over space

pattern

the geometric arrangement of objects in space

poststructuralist geography

examines how the powerful in a society dominate, or seek to control, less powerful groups, how the dominated groups occupy space, and confrontations that result from the domination.

humanistic geography

emphasizes the different ways that individuals form ideas about place and give those places symbolic meanings

behavioral geography

emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychological basis for individual human actions in space

diffusion

The process by which a feature spreads across space from one place to another over time

hearth

place from which an innovation originates

relocation diffusion

The spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another

expansion diffusion

The spread of a feature from one place to another in an additive process

hierarchical diffusion

the spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places

contagious diffusion

the rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population

stimulus diffusion

the spread of an underlying principle even though a characteristic itself apparently fails to diffuse.

distance decay

The farther away someone is from another, the less likely the two are to interact. Contact diminishes with increasing distance and eventually disappears.

space-time compression

the reduction in the time it takes for something to reach another place

assimilation

the process by which a group’s cultural features are altered to resemble those of another group

acculturation

process of changes in culture that result from the meeting of two groups

sustainability

the use of Earth’s resources in ways that ensure their availability in the future.

conservation

The sustainable use and management of Earth’s natural resources to meet human needs such as food, medicine, and recreation

preservation

the maintenance of resources in their present condition with as little human impact as possible.

biotic

composed of living organisms.

abiotic

composed of nonliving organisms

ecosystem

A group of living organisms and the abiotic spheres with which they interact

ecology

The scientific study of ecosystems

cultural ecology

The geographic study of human–environment relationships

environmental determinism

the belief that human geographers should apply laws from the natural sciences to understanding relationships between the physical environment and human actions

possibilism

the physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment

polder

a piece of land that is created by draining water from an area