AP Human Geography Unit 1 Vocab

absolute direction

cardinal directions like north, south, east and west

absolute distance

distance that can be measured using standard unit of length

absolute location

exact location of object, usually in coordinates

cartographers

person who creates maps

census

official count of number of people in a defined area (ex: state)

density

number of things; people, animals, or objects in a specific area

distance decay

principle stating that the further one is from another, the less interaction will happen

distribution

to arrange within a given space

ecological perspective

relationships between living things and their environments

environmental determinism

idea that human behavior is strongly affected by physical environment

flow

movement of pe0ple, goods, or information that has economic, social, political, or cultural effects on societies

formal region

area that has one or more shared traits (also called uniform region)

friction of distance

concept that says the longer a journey is, the more time, effort and money it will be

functional region

area organized by its function around main point, or center of interest or activity

geographic information system (GIS)

computer system that allows for collection, organization, and display of geographic data for analysis

global positioning system (GPS)

network of satellites that orbit Earth and transmit location data to receivers, letting users to pinpoint their exact location

globalization

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

human geography

study of how processes that have shaped how humans understand, use and alter Earth

location

position that a point or object occupies on Earth

map scale

relationship of the size of the map to size of area it represents on Earth's surface

node

focal point of a functional region

pattern

the way in which things are arranged in a certain space

perceptual/vernacular region

type of region that reflects people's feelings and attitudes about a place

periphery

classification of country or region that has less wealth, lower education levels and less sophisticated technologies and tends to have unstable governments and poor health systems

physical geography

study of natural processes and distribution of features in environment (ex: landforms, plants, animals, soil, and climate)

place

location on Earth that is distinguished by its physical and human characteristics

possibilism

theory of human-environment interaction that states that humans have the ability to adapt the physical environment to their needs

qualitative

involving data that is descriptive of a research subject and is often based on peoples opinions

quantitative

involving data that can be measured by numbers

reference maps

map that focuses on the location of places

region

area of Earth's surface with certain characteristics that make it distinct yet cohesive from other areas

relative direction

direction based on person's perception, such as left right, up or down

relative distance

distance determined in relation to other places or objects

relative location

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

remote sensing

collection or analyzing data from a location without making physical contact

scale

the area of the world being studied

semi-periphery

classification of a country/region that has qualities of both core and peripheral areas and is often the process of industrializing

site

place's absolute location, as well as its physical characteristics such as the landforms, climate and resources

situation

location of a place in relation to other places or it's surrounding features

space

area between two or more things

spatial perspective

geographic perspective that focuses on how people live on Earth how they organize themselves, and why the events of human societies occur where they do

sustainability

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

sustainable development

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

theory

system of ideas intended to explain certain phenomenon

time-space compression

key geographic principles that describes ways ho modern technology lets humans to travel and communicate over long distances faster and easier

topography

representation of Earth's surface to show natural and man-made features, especially their relative positions and elevations

world system theory

theory describing spatial and functional relationships between countries in the world economy; puts countries in a hierarchy (core, semi-periphery, and periphery)