Unit 1 AP Human Geography

physical geography

is the study of natural processes and the distribution of features in the environment, such as landforms, plants, animals, and climate.

human geography

is the study of the events and processes that have shaped how humans understand, use, and alter Earth.

spatial perspective

refers to where something occurs.

ecological perspective

which refers to the relationships between living things and their environments

location

is the position that a point or object occupies on Earth. can be expressed in absolute or relative terms.

absolute location

is the exact location of an object. It is usually expressed in coordinates of longitude and latitude.

relative location

is a description of where a place is in relation to other places or features.

place

is related to but different from location.its a location on Earth that is distinguished by its physical and human characteristics.

mental maps

These internalized representations of portions of Earth’s surface are called

situation

which refers to a place’s location in relation to other places or its surrounding features.

space

in this instance refers to the area between two or more things on Earth’s surface.
distribution (or distributed)

dencity

is the number of things—people, animals, or objects—in a specific area.

space (flow movement)

of people, goods, and information and the economic, social, political, and cultural effects of these movements on societies is an important aspect of human geography.

enviormental determism

argues that human behavior is largely controlled by the A model is a representation of reality, which presents significant features or relationships in a generalized form

possiblism

a theory that argues that humans have more agency, or ability to produce a result, than environmental determinism would suggest.

substainabilty

the use of Earth’s land and natural resources in ways that ensure they will continue to be available in the future.

scale (large vs small)

which tells you how distance on the map compares to distance on the ground.

region

is an area of Earth’s surface with certain characteristics that make it distinct from other areas.

formal region

is an area that has one or more shared traits.

functional region

-is defined as an area organized by its function around a focal point, or the center of an interest or activity.

node

The focal point of a functional region is called a node

perceptual/vernacular region

A perceptual region , also called a vernacular region , is a type of region that reflects people’s feelings and attitudes about a place. A perceptual region, therefore, is defined by people’s perceptions of the area—that is, their subjective understanding of the world as influenced by their culture and experience.

globalization

the expansion of economic, cultural, and political processes on a worldwide scale.

substainable development

is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Human inviorment interaction

interactions between the human social system and (the “rest” of) the ecosystem.

quanitative date

Information measured by numbers is called quantitative data.

qualitative date

The population of a city is Qualitative data are interpretations of data sources such as field observations, media reports, travel narratives,

census

A census is an official count of the number of people in a defined area.
geographic information system (GIS)-GIS captures, stores, organizes, and displays
geographic data that can then be used to configure both simple and complex maps.

topography

which is the shape and features of land surfaces.

remote sensing

some do so remotely, or without making physical contact. This method of collecting data is called

geographic positioning system (GPS)-

an integrated network of at least 31 satellites in the U.S.

cartography

created maps to help explorers follow the routes of those who came before them and to estimate how long it might take to travel to uncharted lands.

absoulute distance

Absolute distance is distance that can be measured using a standard unit of length.

relative distance

is measured in terms of other criteria such as time or money.

map scale

is the mathematical relationship between the size of a map and the part of the real world it shows.

mercator projection

a map projection of the earth onto a cylinder; areas appear greater the farther they are from the equator

Gal-Peters Projection

all countries are correct in size in relation to each other.

Azimuthal Projection

provides navigators with an opportunity to find the minimum distance from one point to another

Robison Projection

shows most distances, sizes and shapes accurately.

realative direction

(left, right, up, down, front, or behind based on people’s perceptions)

site

which refers to a place’s absolute location, as well as its physical characteristics, such as the landforms, climate, and resources.

pattern

how things are arranged in a particular

absoulute direction

(the cardinal directions north, south, east, and west)