Unit 1 Terms/Concepts

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49 Terms

1

cartography

the study and practice of making and using maps

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2

mercator projection

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

<p>a map projection that fairly accurately shows shape and direction, but distorts distance and size of land masses</p>
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3

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

<p>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</p>
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4

geographic grid

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

<p>the internationally-recognized system of latitude and longitude used to locate positions on Earth's surface</p>
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5

latitude

an angular measurement north or south of the equator

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6

parallel

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

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7

equator

an imaginary line around the middle of Earth

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8

longitude

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

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9

meridian

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

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10

prime meridian

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

<p>the line of 0° longitude, the starting point for measuring distance both east and west around Earth (opposite the int. date line)</p>
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11

international date line

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

<p>a boundary from which each calendar day starts (opposite the prime meridian)</p>
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12

greenwich mean time

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

<p>the name for mean <span>solar time</span> of the longitude (0°) of the <span>Royal Greenwich Observatory</span> in England</p>
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13

absolute location (coordinates)

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

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14

global positioning system

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

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15

geographic information systems

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

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16

lithosphere

the solid, outer part of Earth

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17

plate tectonics

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

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18

land formations

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

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19

hydrosphere

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

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20

water cycle

describes where water is on Earth and how it moves

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21

saltwater

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

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22

freshwater

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

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23

atmosphere

the layer(s) of gases surrounding the Earth

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24

climate

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

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25

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)

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26

biosphere

the sum of all living organisms on Earth

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27

microorganisms

first and most basic forms of life

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28

vegetation

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

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29

ecosystem

a network of interconnected lifeforms

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30

environmental determinism

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

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31

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

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32

toponym

the accepted name given to a place

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33

site

the set of physical traits which define a place

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34

situation

the position of a place relative to other places

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35

formal region

an area clearly defined by distinct, measurable and predominant characteristics

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36

functional region

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

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37

node

an area organized around a focal point

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38

vernacular region

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

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39

space

the physical gap or interval between two objects

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40

distribution

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

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41

density

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

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42

concentration

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

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43

clustered concentration

when objects in an area are close together

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44

dispersed concentration

when objects in an area are relatively far apart

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45

landscape analysis

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

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46

pattern

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

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47

distance decay

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

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48

space-time compression

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

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49

sustainability

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

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