AP Human Geo: Unit 1

Map

A two-dimensional (flat) representation of a geographic area or place

Cartographer

A person who makes maps

Data aggregation

The process of collecting and organizing large amounts of information

Spatial perspective

A geographic perspective that seeks to identify and explain the uses of space

Spatial Patterns

The placement or arrangement of objects on Earth's surface; also includes the space between those objects

time-distance decay

Also known as the "first law of geography"; the idea that near things are more related than distant things, and interaction between two places decreases the farther apart they are

Map Symbols

Graphic elements that help organize the information in a map, such as (but not limited to) dots, stars, arrows, squares, and dotted lines

Legend

A key to the meaning of the symbol and colors on a map

Compass Rose

A drawing, usually found on the edge of a map, showing the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west) and the map's orientation

Absolute Direction

Corresponds to the direction on a compass: north, south, east, west, and combinations such as northeast and southwest

Map Scale

The distance on a map in relation to distance in actual space; for example, 1 inch on a map might indicate a distance of 100 miles

Scale

The territorial extent of an idea or object

Absolute Distance

The distance that can be measured with a standard unit length, such as a mile or kilometer.

Relative Distance

A measurement of the level of social, cultural, or economic similarity between places despite their absolute distance from each other

Relative Direction

A direction that can be described as position, such as in front of or behind, to the left or to the right

Elevation

Distance above sea level

Isoline

On a map, a line that connects or links different places that share a common or equal value, such as elevation

topographic map

A graphic representation on the three-dimensional configuration on Earth's surface

Reference Map

A map that shows geographic locations on Earth's surface, such as the location of cities or oceans

Thematic Map

A map that emphasizes the spatial patterns of geographic statistics or attributes, and sometimes the relationship between them

Choropleth map

A thematic map that shows data aggregated for a specific geographic area, often using different colors to represent different values

Cartogram

A map that distorts the geographic shape of an area in order to show the size of a specific variable; the larger the area on a cartogram, the larger the value of the underlying variable

Proportional or graduated circle map

A map that uses symbols (such as circles or dots) of different sizes to represent numerical values

Dot Density or Distribution Map

A map that uses dots to represent objects or counts; the dot can represent one object (a one-to-one dot density map) or it can represent a number of objects (a one-to-many dot density map)

Map projection

A method for representing the surface of Earth or a celestial sphere on a plane (two-dimensional) surface; all map projections distort some aspect of Earth's surface

Mercator Projection

A map projection that is useful for navigation because the lines connecting points on the map represent the true compass direction; however, landmasses become increasingly distorted the farther away they are from the equator

Peters Projection

A map projection that shows all landmasses with their true areas but distorts their shapes

Goode Homolosine Projection

A map projection that avoids shape distortion and the restrictions of a rectangular map by creating "interruptions" in the map's continuity; in each section, map projection regions are shown "equally," like an orange peel being laid out in a flat surface

Polar projection

A map projection that looks down at Earth from the perspective of one of the poles (North Pole or South Pole)

Robinson Projection

A map projection that attempts to create the most visually appealing representation of Earth by keeping all types of distortion relatively low over most of the map

Census

An official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details about individuals, such as age, sex, race, and location

Fieldwork

Learning and doing research involving first-hand experience, which takes place outside the classroom setting

absolute location

A precise position on Earth's surface

Latitude (lines)

The (invisible) horizontal lines circling Earth parallel to the equator; latitude is the degree of distance north or south from the equator, which is at 0 degrees, as far as the poles, which are at 90 degrees

Longitude (lines):

The (invisible) vertical lines on Earth's surface that mark imaginary circles connecting the North Pole with the South Pole

Prime meridian

The zero-degree longitude line that runs through Greenwich, England; also known as the Greenwich Meridian

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A system that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

a computer system that can capture, store, query, analyze, and display geographic data

Remote sensing

the scanning of the earth by satellite or high-flying aircraft in order to obtain information about it.

Aerial Photography

Remote-sensing photography that produces fine-grained, high-resolution, highly detailed images

satellite imagery

images of earth collected by satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world

Relative Location

The position of a place in relation to another place

Space

The areas we occupy as humans; it has no value until the people who occupy it make it their own

Place

How we modify space based on who we are as a group of people

Cultural landscape

the built forms that cultural groups create in inhabiting Earth-farm fields, cities, houses, and so on- and the meaning, value, representations, and experiences associated with those forms

time-space compression

the decreasing distance between places, as measured by travel time or cost; often summarized by the phrase "the world is shrinking"

Interdependence

The ties established between regions and countries that over time collectively create a global economic system that is not necessarily based on equality

geographic pricing

the physical and human forces that work together to form and transform the world

Diffusion

the pattern by which a phenomenon such as the movement of people, or their ideas, technologies, or preferences, spreads from a particular location through space and time

independent invention

Occurs when the same or a very similar innovation is developed at the same time in different places by different people working independently

expansion diffusion

Occurs when ideas or practices spread throughout a population, from area to area, in a snowballing process, so that the total number of knowers or users and the areas of occurrence increase

Hierarchical Diffusion

Occurs when ideas leapfrog from one important person, community, or city to another, bypassing other persons, communities, or rural areas

Reverse hierarchical diffusion

Occurs when ideas leapfrog from a lower level of a hierarchy to a higher level

Contagious Diffusion

The wavelike spread of ideas in the manner of a contagious disease or forest fire, moving throughout space without regard for hierarchy

Stimulus Diffusion

Occurs when a specific trait is rejected, but the underlying idea is accepted

relocation diffusion

Occurs when individuals or groups with a particular idea or practice migrate from one location to another, thereby bringing the idea or practice to their new homeland

Friction of Distance

the inhibiting effect of distance on the intensity and volume of most forms of human interaction; time-space compression diminishes friction of distance

Ecology

A biological science concerned with studying the complex relationships among living organisms and their physical environments

Cultural Ecology

The study of the interactions between societies and their local environments

Ecosystem

a territorially bounded system consisting of the interaction between humans and the environment

Environmental perception

the mental images that comprise human's perception of nature; environmental perception may be accurate or inaccurate

Natural Hazard

A physical danger present in the environment, such as a flood, hurricane, volcanic eruption, and earthquake

Tsunami

A giant wave usually caused by an earthquake beneath the ocean floor.

natural resources

Materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain

Nonrenewable Resources

A natural resource that is not replaced in a useful time frame.

Renewable Resources

Natural resources that can be replaced.

greenhouse gases

Compounds in the atmosphere from fossil-fuel combustion, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), that absorb and trap heat energy close to Earth's surface

Greenhouse effect

The global warming trend caused by rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2)

environmental determinism

the belief that the physical environment exclusively shapes humans, their actions, and their thoughts

Possibilism

The theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives.

global scale

Geographic scale that looks at geographic phenomena across the entire world

Regional Scale of analysis

Geographic scale that identifies and analyzes geographic phenomena within a particular region

National Scale of analysis

Geographic scale that identifies and analyzes geographic phenomena within a specific country

Local Scale of analysis

Geographic scale that identifies and analyzes geographic phenomena within a state or province, a city or town, or neighborhood

glocal perspective

Geographic perspective that acknowledges the two-way relationship between local communities and global patterns, emphasizing that the forces of globalization need to take into account local-scale cultural, economic, and environmental conditions

region

an area defined by one or more natural or cultural characteristics that set it apart from other areas

formal region

An area in which everyone shares in one or more distinctive characteristics

Border zone

A region where cultural markers overlap and blend into a recognizable border culture

Functional region

A geographic area that has been organized to function politically, socially, culturally, or economically as one unit

nodes

central points where the function of a functional region are coordinated and directed

metropolitan area

An area composed of a heavily populated urban core and its less populated surrounding areas

perceptual region/vernacular region

an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity

Mental map

a personal representation of a portion of Earth's surface

Sense of place

how a person feels about a particular place and why it's important to them

Activity Space

where a person goes and what he or she does on a day to day basis

Regional identiy

the awareness of belonging to a group of people within a region

Contested boundaries

boundaries that are disputed for religious, political, or cultural reasons

regional analysis

the process of examining patterns and processes within and between regions at multiple geographic scales (local, national, regional, and global)