AP Human Geography Vocabulary Review

Up to Unit 4 Lesson 4 w/ some skipped from Unit 2 and 3

Reference maps (1.1)

Map that refers to general information about places

Political map (1.1)

Reference map; shows + labels man-made boundaries (i.e. states, substates, etc.)

Physical map (1.1)

Reference map; shows + labels natural features (i.e. mountains, rivers, etc.)

Thematic maps (1.1)

Map that shows spatial aspects of information

Chloropleth map (1.1)

Thematic map; uses colors and shades to show distribution of spatial data (darker the color, higher the statistical value)

Dot density map (1.1)

Thematic map; uses dots to show the specific location/distribution of a phenomenon across the territory of the map (1 dot = specified quantity)

Isoline map (1.1)

Thematic map; uses lines to depict variations in data (when lines are close together, change is rapid)

Graduated symbol map (1.1)

Thematic map; uses different sizes of symbols to show different amounts of a phenomenon

Cartogram map (1.1)

Thematic map; adjusts sizes of countries to show a specific statistic

Absolute location (1.1)

The precise spot where something is according to some system (most often latitude and longitude and addresses)

Absolute distance (1.1)

A specific distance from one location to another

Absolute direction (1.1)

A direction that is the same no matter your current orientation or position

Equator (1.1)

0° latitude

Prime meridian (1.1)

0° longitude + runs through Greenwich, England

International date line (1.1)

180° longitude

Relative location (1.1)

Where something is located in relation to other things (can change over time as accessibility changes)

Relative distance (1.1)

Madison, WI is about 1 hour and 30 minutes from Milwaukee, WI

Relative direction (1.1)

Orlando, Florida is located north of Miami and south of Jacksonville

Scale (1.1)

The ratio between the size of things IRL and the size of those same things on a map (smaller the scale, larger amount of area covered)

Clustered (1.1)

Grouping of a phenomenon

Dispersed (1.1)

Scattering of a phenomenon

Elevation (1.1)

The altitude of a place above sea level or ground

Map projection (1.1)

The process of taking a 3D object (the Earth) and making it 2D (a map); distorts spatial relationships in shape, area, distance, and direction

SADD (1.1)

Shape
Area
Distance
Direction

Mercator projection (1.1)

Used for navigation; accurate directions + latitude and longitude lines meet at right angles; landmasses near poles appear big

Peters projection (1.1)

Used for area-related spatial distributions; accurate landmass sizes; shapes are inaccurate

Sinusoidal projections (1.1)

Accurate representation of continent sizes, but have to be cut up in order to keep shapes accurate

Goode-Homolosine projection (1.1)

Sinusoidal projection; used for spatial distribution; area + shape are preserved; interrupts the oceans

Ecker's projection (1.1)

Sinusoidal projection; does not split the map, but not doing so distorts the land area shapes

Robinson projection (1.1)

Landmass + Ocean size is more accurate; Antarctica looks very large and Greenland looks flattened

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) (1.2)

A computer system displaying data using geocoding

Remote sensing (1.2)

Acquisition of data from satellites + aircrafts

Global Positioning Systems (GPS) (1.2)

Uses satellites to determine precise positions on Earth

Quanitative data (1.2)

Numerical data; often used with GIS

Qualitative data (1.2)

Descriptive data; usually acquired by means of interviews and visual observations

Fieldwork (1.3)

The act of someone physically visiting a location and recording firsthand info there

US Census (1.3)

US Government doing fieldwork; used for distributing funds to schools, first responders, and construction; used for personal, government, + business decision making; used for voting and democracy

Space (1.4)

Physical distance between two places on the Earth's surface

Distribution (1.4)

Arrangement of a feature in space

Density (1.4)

Frequency which something occurs in space

Concentration (1.4)

Extent of a feature spread over space (Clustered or dispersed)

Place (1.4)

A specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular characteristic

Location (1.4)

The position of anything on Earth's surface

Toponym (1.4)

Name given to a place on Earth

Site (1.4)

Physical characteristic of a place

Situation (1.4)

Location of a place relative to other places

Spatial interaction (1.4)

Contact, movement, and flow of things between location

Distance decay (1.4)

The decline of interactions between people as the distance increases

Time-Space Compression (1.4)

Set of processes that cause the relative distances between places to contract/grow closer

Globalization (1.4)

The interconnected nature of the world both socially and economically

Pattern (1.4)

Geometric arrangement of objects in space

Environmental determinism (1.5)

An early theory stating that landforms and climate are the most powerful sources shaping human behavior and the development of society (used to justify racism in the 18th century)

Possibilism (1.5)

A view that acknowledges the limitations set by the natural environment, but focuses on how human culture can modify their physical environment to better fit their needs

Levels of analysis (1.6)

Global
Regional

State/Country

Sub-state/Province

County

Census Tract

Map scale (1.6)

Total area being analyzed

Scale of analysis (1.6)

Level of detail used for analyzing data on the map

Regions (1.7)

areas on Earth defined by same characteristics (human or physical) or patterns of activity

Culture (1.7)

the body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms constituting the traditions of a group of people

Formal region (1.7)

United by 1+ traits; has a defined border (also called uniform or homogenous)

Functional region (1.7)

Defined by an activity occurring around the region; typically based around economics, travel, and/or communication (also called nodal due to being organized around a focal point/node)

Perceptual/vernacular region (1.7)

Informal boundaries; region boundaries vary widely based on a person's perspective on a certain location

Belt region (1.7)

Regions of our country sharing certain characteristics that can be climatic, economic, and/or cultural in nature (not legally defined)

Population distribution (2.1)

the pattern of where people live (clumped, random, or uniform)

Population density (2.1)

the amount of people who live in an area

Ecumene (2.1)

Inhabited land

Arithmetic density (2.1)

Total population divided by land area

Physiological density (2.1)

Total population divided by amount of arable (farmable) land

Agricultural density (2.1)

Amount of farmers in an area divided by amount of arable (farmable) land

Carrying capacity (2.1)

The population an area can support without significant environmental deterioration

Overpopulation (2.2)

More people than the area can support

Population pyramid (2.3)

A tool used to study population in different countries; shows age-sex composition graph

Crude Birth Rate (CBR) (2.4)

the number of births per 1,000 individuals in a country per year

Crude Death Rate (CDR) (2.4)

the number of deaths per 1,000 individuals in a country per year

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (2.4)

The average number of children a woman in a country will have throughout her childbearing years

Cultural relativism (3.1)

the practice of judging a culture by its own standards

Ethnocentrism (3.1)

Judging other cultures based on your own beliefs; believing that your culture is superior

Cultural landscape (3.2)

the visible imprint of human activity and culture on the landscape

Sequent occupancy (3.2)

the succession of groups and cultural influences throughout a place's history

Lingua franca (3.3)

a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different; often used in business and trade

Relocation diffusion (3.4)

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

Expansion diffusion (3.4)

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

Stimulus diffusion (3.4)

Expansion diffusion; a feature or trend catches on, but is adapted to the culture's needs

Hierarchal diffusion (3.4)

Expansion diffusion; the spread of a feature or trend from one key person or node of authority or power to other persons or places (like celebrities)

Contagious diffusion (3.4)

the rapid, widespread spread of a trend throughout the population (i.e. viruses)

State (4.1)

a political unit with a permanent population and boundaries recognized by other states (basically just countries)

Nation (4.1)

a group of people united by common descent, culture, history, etc.

Nation-state (4.1)

A state with a singular nation (homogenous)

Stateless nation (4.1)

A nation that does not have a state

Multinational state (4.1)

A state with 2+ nations

Multistate nation (4.1)

A nation that stretches across borders and states

Autonomous region (4.1)

An area that governs itself but is not an independent state

Semi-autonomous region (4.1)

An area which can govern itself in certain areas, but does not have complete power to govern

Sovereignty (4.2)

A state's authority to control and govern itself

Self-Determination (4.2)

the right of people to govern themselves

Devolution (4.2)

power is shifted from a higher (usually federal) to a lower (usually regional) level of government

The Berlin Conference of 1884 (4.2)

European powers gathered to divide up the continent of Africa and establish borders.

Territoriality (4.3)

The control or influence over a specific geographical space

Political power (4.3)

Control over people, land, and resources

Neocolonialism (4.3)

The use of economic, political, cultural or other pressures in order to control or influence other countries

Shatterbelt regions (4.3)

Instability within a region that is geographically located between states with overlapping territoriality and political power