Unit 1 Terms/Concepts

cartography

the study and practice of making and using maps

mercator projection

a map projection that fairly accurately shows shape and direction, but distorts distance and size of land masses

robinson projection

shows the entire earth and distorts both shape and size slightly to make the two-dimensional representation look the most like the three-dimensional reality of the earth

geographic grid

the internationally-recognized system of latitude and longitude used to locate positions on Earth's surface

latitude

an angular measurement north or south of the equator

parallel

imaginary line extending around the Earth parallel to the equator (describes latitude)

equator

an imaginary line around the middle of Earth

longitude

vertical lines that measure east or west of the meridian in Greenwich, England

meridian

an arc drawn on a map between the North and South poles (describes longitude)

prime meridian

the line of 0° longitude, the starting point for measuring distance both east and west around Earth (opposite the int. date line)

international date line

a boundary from which each calendar day starts (opposite the prime meridian)

greenwich mean time

the name for mean solar time of the longitude (0°) of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in England

absolute location (coordinates)

its exact place on Earth, often given in terms of latitude and longitude

global positioning system

used to determine an individual's exact location on Earth through satellite navigation

geographic information systems

a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth's surface

lithosphere

the solid, outer part of Earth

plate tectonics

the movement of geologic plates causes mountain building, volcanoes, and earthquakes

land formations

mountains/hills, valleys/canyons, plateaus, plains/flatlands, islands/peninsulas

hydrosphere

the water which covers 70% of the Earth’s surface

water cycle

describes where water is on Earth and how it moves

saltwater

97% of hydrosphere, made up of oceans, bays, seas, and harbors

freshwater

3% of hydrosphere, made up of rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds

atmosphere

the layer(s) of gases surrounding the Earth

climate

average weather conditions in a given region (tropical, dry, warm mid-latitude, cold mid-latitude, polar)

climate zones

results from the climate conditions of an area: temperature, humidity, amount and type of precipitation, and seasonality (tropical, dry, warm mid-latitude, cold mid-latitude, polar)

biosphere

the sum of all living organisms on Earth

microorganisms

first and most basic forms of life

vegetation

>300,000 species of plants on Earth (forests, jungles, grasslands, tundras)

ecosystem

a network of interconnected lifeforms

environmental determinism

the doctrine that human growth, development and activities are controlled by the physical environment

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

toponym

the accepted name given to a place

site

the set of physical traits which define a place

situation

the position of a place relative to other places

formal region

an area clearly defined by distinct, measurable and predominant characteristics

functional region

an area defined in some way by its connection or proximity to a specific node (focal point)

node

an area organized around a focal point

vernacular region

an area believed to exist as part of a specific cultural identity

space

the physical gap or interval between two objects

distribution

the way something is spread out or arranged over a geographic area

density

the number of things—which could be people, animals, plants, or objects—in a certain area

concentration

measures how evenly or unevenly distributed the people, animals, or objects are

clustered concentration

when objects in an area are close together

dispersed concentration

when objects in an area are relatively far apart

landscape analysis

a process of studying and describing a landscape, generally with the goal of assessing the impact of humans on that space

pattern

the arrangement of objects on earth's surface in relationship to one another

distance decay

the weakening of connection due to increased physical space between people/places

space-time compression

a reduction in the time it takes to establish connections between people/places

sustainability

the use of Earth's resources in ways that ensure their availability in the future