AP Human Geo Unit 1 Vocab

physical geography

study of the spatial characteristics of various elements of the physical environment

human geography

study of the spatial characteristics of humans and human activities

reference map

designed for people to refer to for general information about places

thematic map

show spatial aspects of information or of a phenomenon

choropleth

use various colors, shades of one color, or patterns to show the location and distribution of spatial data

dot distribution map

used to show specific location and distribution of something across a map

graduated symbol map

use symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of something

isoline map

lines that connect points of equal value to depict variations in data across space

topographic map

points of equal elevation are connected creating contours that depict surface features

cartogram

size of countries are shown according to some specific statistic

cartographic scale

refers to the way a map communicates the ratio of its size to the size of what it represents

small-scale maps

show a larger amount of area with less detail

absolute location

the precise spot where something is according to a system

relative location

a description of where something is in relation to other things

field observations

refer to the act of physically visiting a location, place, or region and recording information there

remote sensing

use of cameras or other sensors mounted on aircraft or satellites to collect digital images or video of the earth’s surface

global positioning system (gps)

gps receivers on earth’s surface use the locations of multiple satellites to determine and record a receiver’s exact location

geographic information system (gis)

computer system that can store, analyze, and display information from multiple digital maps or geospatial data sets

space

the area between two or more phenomena or things

location

identifies where specific phenomena are located either on a grid

place

refers to the specific human and physical characteristics of a location

site

describes as the characteristics at the immediate location

situation

refers to the location of a place relative to its surroundings and its connectivity to other places

sense of place

humans tend to perceive the characteristics of a places in different ways based in their personal beliefs

toponyms

place names

time-space compression

shrinking relative distance between locations because of improved methods of transportation and communication

friction of distance

indicates that when things are farther apart, they tend to be less connected

distance decay

the inverse relationship between distance and connection

pattern

refer to the general arrangement of things being studied, and geographers must be able to describe patters accurately and with precision

human-environment interaction

the connection and exchange between them

sustainability

an overarching theme of human geography and relates to trying to use resources now in ways that allow their use in the future while minimizing negative impacts on the environment

land use

study of how land is utilized, modified, and organized by people

built environment

the physical artifacts that humans have created and that form part of the landscape, in their understanding of land use

cultural landscape

anything built by humans

environmental determinism

the belief that landforms and climate are the most powerful forces shaping human behavior and societal development while ignoring the influence of culture

global scale

the entire world

world scale

mutiple countries of the world

national scale

one country

regional scale

a portion of a country or a regions within a country

local scale

a province, state, city, county, or neighborhood

region

boundaries, unifying characteristics, cover space that are created by people

formal/uniform/homogenous region

united by one or more traits:

1) political

2) physical

3) cultural

4) economic

functional region

regions organized around a focal point and are defined by an activity, usually political, social, or economic that occur across the region

perceptual/vernacular region

defined by informal sense of place that people ascribe to them