Unit 1 AP Human Geo

Absolute location

the exact, fixed position of a place on Earth, expressed using latitude and longitude coordinates, and it never changes.

choropleth Maps

Good for density, not distribution

Dot maps

Good for spatial distribution, not concentration or density

Relative location

defined as where a place is in relation to other places, landmarks, routes, borders, or regions, emphasizing spatial relationships rather than fixed coordinates.

Graduated symbol maps

Cluttered with high density, hard to differentiate size

Isoline maps

Cartograms

Sizes of places are shown according to some specific statistic

Mercator projection

Latitude and longitude shown at right angles, preserves scale, but distort size massively or higher latitudes. Common for navigation.

Galls-Peter’s projection

Preserve side, but distorts shape.

Robinson Projection

Preserves size and shape of continents but distort polar areas. Often used in published Atlases.

Goodes Projection

Interrupted projection removes much of the oceans to preserve size and shape of land masses. Often used for thematic maps.

Accessibility

the ease with which one location can be reached from another, influenced by distance, transportation, and connectivity.

Built Environment

all human‑made physical features—such as buildings, roads, bridges, parks, and infrastructure—that show how people modify the natural landscape

Aerial photography

the process of capturing images of Earth’s surface from above—using drones, aircraft, or satellites—to study spatial patterns, geographic features, and human–environment interactions

Cartography

The art and science of making maps

Cartographic scale

The mathematical ratio between the size of a feature on a map and its actual size on the Earth’s surface

Concentration

how closely or widely features are spread across space, indicating whether they are clustered or dispersed.

Connectivity cultural

the links between places that enable the movement of people, goods, information, and cultural ideas, shaping cultural diffusion, globalization, and spatial patterns

Ecological culture

the study of how a culture adapts to its natural environment and how that culture, in turn, shapes the environment

Landscape density

the concentration of human-made structures, housing, or population within a given area, often expressed as the number of housing units or people per unit of land, and is a key measure of how land is used in the built environment

Diffusion

the spread of an idea, innovation, or cultural trait across space and time, either through people physically moving or through a trait spreading outward from a source

Distortion

the unavoidable alteration of shape, area, distance, or direction when representing Earth’s curved surface on a flat map.

Distribution

how geographic features, populations, or phenomena are arranged across space, described by density, concentration, and pattern.

Elevation

the height of a location above sea level, which influences climate, vegetation, human settlement, and land use patterns.

Equator

a line notionally drawn on the earth equidistant from the poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres and constituting the parallel of latitude 0°

Environmental Determinism

the now‑discredited theory that the physical environment—especially climate and landforms—solely determines how cultures and societies develop

Field

physically going to a real-world location to directly observe, record, measure, or document geographic phenomena — a firsthand data‑collection method

Observation

the method of gathering geographic data by physically going to a location and directly recording what you see, hear, or experience, such as land use, landscape features, or human activity

Fieldwork

study of geographic phenomena by visiting places and observing how people interact with the place.

Formal/uniform region

A diagrammatic representation of an area of land or sea showing physical features, cities, roads, etc.

Friction of distance

either absolute, which is a precise measurement, or relative, which is a general measurement

Functional (nodal) region

an area organized around a central node—such as a city, airport, or TV station—defined by the flows of people, goods, or information that connect surrounding areas to that core.

Geographic region

an area defined by one or more unifying characteristics, typically categorized as formal, functional, or perceptual (vernacular).

Scale

the level at which a geographer studies a pattern or process, such as global, regional, national, or local, and it shapes how data and patterns are interpreted.

Grid

an imaginary system of intersecting horizontal and vertical lines used to determine the absolute location of any point of Earth's surface.

GIS

A computer based tool that captures, stores, analyzes, and displays geographic data and spatial relationships.

GPS

Satellite-based navigation technology for determining the exact absolute location of an object or person.

Human geography

Branch of geography that studies how human activity shapes, alters, and interacts with the Earth.

Human-environment interaction

The complex system of interactions between humans and the environment. Includes agriculture, urbanization, manufacturing, etc.

International date

an imaginary line that runs from the north pole to the south pole, roughly following the 180 meridian of longitude.

Line landscape

refers to a spatial arrangement where buildings, houses, or activities are organized in a long, narrow chain or straight line, typically following a transport route, river, or coastline

Analysis

The first-hand, on-site study of geographic phenomena by visiting places and directly observing how people interact with and change the environment and landscapes.

Latitude/parallel

the angular measurement of distance north of south of the equator and the parallels are the horizontal east and west lines that trace those measurements across the earth

Location

the position of a specific point or place on the earth surface

Longitude/meridian

geographic coordinate that indicates how far east or west a place is from 0 degrees longitude. The horizontal lines on a globe

Map

a two-dimensional, scaled flat model of the Earth's surface used as a primary tool to analyze spatial data, locations, and human-environment relationships

Mental Map

a person’s internal representation of spatial information — essentially the map of places, routes, and perceptions stored in one’s mind.

Models

a simplified, structured representation used to explain, predict, or analyze geographic patterns and human–environment interactions, such as settlement spacing, migration flows, or urban land use.

Patterns

the observable spatial arrangement of phenomena on Earth’s surface—such as clustered, dispersed, linear, or random distributions—used to describe how things are organized in space.

Physical geography place

the study of Earth's natural features and processes, including landforms, climate, vegetation, and ecosystems, and how they influence human activities.

Meridian processes

an imaginary arc drawn on a map from the North Pole to the South Pole, representing a line of longitude

Possibilism

the theory that the physical environment sets limits and offers possibilities, but human culture, technology, and choices determine how those possibilities are realized

Topographic maps

A representation of a region’s surface features using lines of contour to show elevation.

Time zone

an area about 15° of longitude wide that uses a uniform standard time, with 24 total zones corresponding to the 24 hours in a day.

Time-space compression

the process by which modern transportation and communication technologies reduce the time, cost, and effort needed to move people, goods, and ideas, making distant places feel closer and weakening distance decay.

Thematic maps

a map that focuses on a specific theme or data pattern, showing spatial distribution of a particular variable rather than general geographic locations.

Sustainability

the practice of meeting present human needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, balancing environmental, social, and economic concerns.

Subregions

a smaller, more specific area within a larger geographical region that shares some characteristics of the region but is distinct in its own unique features or focus

Spatial data

information tied to a specific location on Earth, used to analyze patterns, relationships, and distributions in human and physical geography.

Spatial interaction

the movement and flow of people, goods, information, and ideas between places, shaped by distance, connectivity, and the factors that attract or discourage movement.

Spatial association

the degree to which two or more phenomena share a similar geographic distribution, meaning their patterns on Earth’s surface are related rather than random.

Spatial approach

focuses on understanding where things are located, how they are arranged, and why they occur in particular places. It emphasizes analyzing location, distance, direction, orientation, pattern, and interconnection to interpret human behavior, cultural practices, economic activities, and environmental phenomena

Situation

a place’s relative location, defined by its connections, accessibility, and relationships to other surrounding places and regional networks

Size

refers to the population and physical footprint of a city, indicating its relative importance and role within an urban hierarchy.

Sense of the place

refers to the emotional, cultural, and historical meaning people attach to a specific location, giving it a unique identity shaped by language, religion, ethnicity, memories, and lived experiences.

Scale of the data

Sense of place is a multifaceted concept that encompasses the emotional and psychological reconnections individuals have with specific locations. It is shaped by various factors, including geography, culture, history, and personal experiences.

Scale

The relationship between the portion of earth being studied and earth as a whole

Sensing

process of detecting and monitoring the physical characteristics of an area by measuring the radiation it reflects or emits, using sensors mounted on platforms such as satellites, airplanes, drones, or other systems

Regionalization remote

The process of dividing Earth’s surface into regions based on one or more unifying characteristics or patterns of activity, producing formal, functional, and perceptual/vernacular regions whose boundaries are often transitional, contested, and overlapping

Reference maps region

a general‑purpose map that shows the locations of places and geographic features—such as political boundaries, physical landforms, and major roads—to help users identify where things are.

Quantitative data

Information that can be counted or measured and expressed in numerical value.

Qualitative data

Data that describes characteristics and qualities that can’t be shown through numerical data.

Projection proximity

the physical or spatial nearness of different places, objects, or people to one another on the Earth's surface.