AP Human Geography Vocabulary Study Cards

Flashcards in Question and Answer style covering essential High School AP Human Geography vocabulary terms and definitions.

What is absolute direction?

A direction based on a fixed point of reference, usually north, south, east, or west.

What is absolute distance?

The exact physical distance between two places, measured in units such as miles or kilometers.

What is absolute location?

The exact position of a place on Earth, usually identified by latitude and longitude coordinates.

What is aerial photography?

Images of Earth's surface taken from an aircraft or other airborne platform.

What is a cartogram?

A map that distorts the size or shape of geographic areas to represent a specific type of data, such as population.

What is a cartographer?

A person who creates and studies maps.

What is a census?

An official count and collection of information about a population.

What is a choropleth map?

A thematic map that uses different colors or shades to show variations in data across geographic areas.

What is a compass rose?

A symbol on a map that shows directions, usually north, south, east, and west.

What is contagious diffusion?

The rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic or idea through direct contact between people.

What is a cultural landscape?

The visible features of an area that reflect the interaction between humans and the environment.

How is culture defined in geography?

The shared beliefs, behaviors, practices, values, and material traits of a group of people.

What is a data aggregate?

Data combined or summarized from many individual observations into a larger group or category.

What is diffusion?

The spread of an idea, behavior, technology, disease, or cultural trait from one place or group to another.

What is a dot density or dot distribution map?

A map that uses dots to show the location and distribution of a phenomenon; each dot represents a specific quantity.

What is elevation?

The height of a location above sea level.

What is expansion diffusion?

The spread of an idea or characteristic outward from its place of origin while remaining strong there.

What is fieldwork?

The collection of geographic information through direct observation, measurement, interviews, or research in the field.

What is friction of distance?

The idea that interaction between places generally decreases as the distance between them increases.

What is a functional region?

An area organized around a central point or node and connected by movement, communication, or economic activity.

How is gender defined in AP Human Geography?

Socially and culturally constructed roles, behaviors, and identities associated with being male, female, or another gender identity.

What is a Geographic Information System (GIS)?

A computer system used to collect, store, analyze, and display geographic or spatial data.

What are geographic processes?

Physical and human actions and interactions that shape Earth's surface and influence spatial patterns.

What is a global citizen?

A person who understands that they are part of a worldwide community and recognizes responsibilities and connections beyond their own country.

What is the Global Positioning System (GPS)?

A satellite-based system that determines an object's precise location on Earth.

What is globalization?

The increasing connection and interdependence of people, places, economies, and cultures around the world.

What is the Goode homolosine projection?

An interrupted map projection designed to reduce distortion of the shapes and sizes of continents, especially land areas.

What is hierarchical diffusion?

The spread of an idea or characteristic from people or places of greater influence to those of lesser influence.

What is human geography?

The study of people, their activities, cultures, economies, and relationships with the spaces and places they occupy.

What is independent invention?

The development of the same or similar idea, innovation, or cultural trait in different places without direct contact between them.

What is infrastructure?

The basic physical and organizational systems needed for a society or economy to function, such as roads, utilities, and communication networks.

What is interdependence?

The mutual reliance of people, places, or countries on one another for resources, goods, services, or other needs.

What is an isoline?

A line on a map connecting points with the same value, such as equal elevation or temperature.

What are latitude lines?

Imaginary lines that run east-west and measure distance north or south of the Equator.

What is a map legend?

A section of a map that explains the meaning of its symbols, colors, and patterns.

What are longitude lines?

Imaginary lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole and measure distance east or west of the Prime Meridian.

What is a map?

A scaled representation of all or part of Earth's surface.

What is a map projection?

A method of representing Earth's curved surface on a flat map, which always causes some distortion.

What are map symbols?

Visual signs, shapes, colors, or patterns used to represent real-world features or data on a map.

What is the Mercator projection?

A cylindrical map projection that preserves direction and shape relatively well but greatly distorts the size of areas near the poles.

What is the Peters projection?

An equal-area map projection that preserves the relative sizes of land areas but distorts their shapes.

What is a place in geography?

A specific location that has physical and human characteristics that give it meaning and identity.

What is a polar projection?

A map projection created by projecting Earth's surface onto a flat plane centered on one of the poles.

What is the prime meridian?

The line of $0^\circ$ longitude, which runs through Greenwich, England, and is used as the reference point for measuring longitude.

What is a proportional or graduated circle map?

A map that uses circles of different sizes to represent the quantity or value of data at different locations.

What is a reference map?

A map designed primarily to show the location of geographic features, such as cities, roads, rivers, and boundaries.

What is relative direction?

The direction of one place compared with another, using descriptions such as left of, northwest of, or toward.

What is relative distance?

The distance between places measured in terms other than physical units, such as travel time, cost, or accessibility.

What is relative location?

The position of a place described in relation to other places or geographic features.

What is relocation diffusion?

The spread of an idea or cultural trait when people physically move from one location to another and bring the trait with them.

What is remote sensing?

The collection of information about Earth's surface from a distance, often using satellites, aircraft, or other sensors.

What is reverse hierarchical diffusion?

The spread of an idea or trend from people or places of lower status or influence to those of higher status or influence.

What is the Robinson projection?

A compromise map projection that attempts to balance distortions of size, shape, distance, and direction for a visually realistic world map.

What is satellite imagery?

Images of Earth's surface collected by sensors on satellites.

What is scale in geography?

The relationship between a distance on a map and the corresponding distance on Earth's surface.

How is space defined in geographic study?

The physical area or distance between and around places where geographic phenomena occur.

What are spatial patterns?

The arrangement and distribution of people, places, and geographic features across Earth's surface.

What is spatial perspective?

A way of analyzing where things are located, why they are located there, and how their locations affect relationships and interactions.

What is stimulus diffusion?

The spread of an underlying idea while the original idea or characteristic is modified to fit local culture or conditions.

What is sustainability?

Meeting present needs while preserving resources and environmental quality so that future generations can meet their needs.

What is a thematic map?

A map designed to show the spatial distribution of one specific topic or type of data, such as population density or climate.

What is time-distance decay?

The idea that the likelihood or intensity of interaction between places decreases as the time required to travel between them increases.

What is time-space compression?

The process by which improvements in transportation and communication make places seem closer together by reducing the time needed to interact.

What is a topographic map?

A detailed map that shows natural and human-made features and represents elevation and landforms, usually with contour lines.