AP Human 1.1-1.3 Vocab

Physical Geography

the study of spatial characteristics of various elements of the physical environment

Human Geography

the study of the spatial characteristics of humans and human activities

Models

Representations of reality or theories about reality, to help geographers see general spatial patterns, focus on the influence of specific factors, and understand variations from place to place.

spatial models

look like stylized maps, and they illustrate theories about spatial distributions

non spatial models

illustrates theories and concepts using words, graphs, or tables; depicts changes over time rather than across space with more accuracy than spatial models

time-distance decay

A model that helps explain some patterns evident on the Earth at night

Spatial Patterns

general arrangement of things being studied

Networks

a set of interconnected entities, sometimes called nodes

topographic maps

Maps that use isolines to represent constant elevations.

direction

used in order to describe where things are in relation to each other

Scales of Analysis

global, regional, national, and local

Small Scale Maps

show a larger amount of area with less detail

Elevation

The distance of features above sea level, usually measured in feet or meters.

Physical Maps

show and label natural features, such as mountains, rivers, and deserts

Political Maps

show and label human-created boundaries and designations, such as countries, states, cities, and capitals

Road Maps

show and label highways, streets, and alleys

Plat Maps

show and label property lines and details of land ownership

Thematic Maps

show spatial aspects of information or of a phenomenon

Choropleth Maps

use various colors, shades of one color, or patterns to show the location and distribution of spatial data

Dot Distribution Maps

used to show the specific location and distribution of something across a the map

graduated symbol map

uses symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of something

Isoline Maps

Also called isometric maps, use lines that connect points of equal value to depict variations in the data across space

Cartogram

the sizes of countries are shown according to some specific statistic

Cartographic Scale

refers to the way the map communicates the ratio of its size to the size of what it represents

Large Scale Maps

show small areas in greater detail

absolute location

the precise spot where something is according to some system

Latitude

Distance north or south of the equator

Equator

An imaginary circle around the middle of the earth, halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole

Longitude

Distance east or west of the prime meridian

Prime Meridian

imaginary line that runs pole to pole through Greenwich, England

International Date Line

An arc that for the most part follows 180° longitude, but makes deviations to accommodate international boundaries

relative location

a description of where something is in relation to other things

Connectivity

how well 2 locations are tied together by roads or other links

assesibility

how quickly and easily people in one location can interact with people in another location

absolute distance

distance measured usually in feet, miles, meters, or kilometers

relative distance

indicates the degree of nearness based on time or money and is often dependent on the mode of travel

Distribution

the way a phenomenon is spread out over an area

clustered (agglomerated) distribution

phenomena are arranged in a group or concentrated area

Linear Distribution

phenomena are arranged in a straight line

Dispersed Distribution

phenomena are spread out over a large area, such as the distribution of large malls in a city.

Circular distribution

phenomena are equally spaced from a central point, forming a circle

Geometric Distribution

Phenomena are in a regular arrangement, such as the squares or blocks formed by roads in the Midwest

random distribution

appear to have no order to their position

refrence maps

designed for people to refer to for general information about places

Qualitative Sources

Not usually represented by numbers. This data is collected as interviews, photographs, remote satellite images, descriptions, or cartoons

Quantitative Data

information that can be measured and recorded using numbers

Geospatial Data

is quantitative and spatial. It has a geographic location component.

Patterns

the general arrangement of things

scale

the ratio between the size of things in the real world and the size of those same things on a map

Landscape Analysis

the task of defining and describing landscapes

field observation

used to refer to the act of physically visiting a location, place, or region and recording, firsthand, information there

Spatial Data

All of the information that can be tied to a specific locations.

remote sensing

gathers information from satellites that orbit the earth or other craft above the atmosphere

Aerial Photography

professional images captured from planes within the atmosphere

Fieldwork

observing and recording information on location, or in the field

Geovisualization

allow people to zoom in or out to see the data in ways that were previously impossible.

Community-Based Solutions

The power of governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGO) to help the people improve their standard of living

Geographic Information System (GIS)

computer system that can store, analyze, and display information from multiple digital maps or geospatial data sets

remote sensing

The use of cameras or other sensors mounted on aircraft or satellites to collect digital images of the earth's surface.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

GPS receivers on the earth's surface use the locations of multiple satellites to determine and record a receiver's exact location.