AP Human Geo - Unit 1: Thinking Geographically

Economic (ESPeN)

Financial (monetary) value

- Standard of living, income, any economic indicator
- Economic activities, economic organization
- Trade, tariffs, imports, exports
- Infrastructure
- Employment, unemployment
- Economic development

Social (ESPeN)

The organization of human society, ideas, customs, and social behaviors of people

- Any social indicator: literacy, education
- Any demographic indicator: births, deaths, population, fertility, rate of natural increase
- Gender, race, ethnicity
- Languages, religion
- Imprints on cultural landscape

Political (ESPeN)

The government, public affairs, laws, borders, or territory of a country

- Government system
- Laws, restrictions, regulation, taxation
- Territoriality, sovereignty, borders
- Alliances, conflicts, cooperation, supranationalism
- Autonomy, devolution

eNvironmental (ESPeN)

The natural world and the impact of human activity on its condition

- Physical geography stuff: land quality, water, resources
- Sustainability, climate, carry capacity
- Vegetation, biomes, soil
- Environmental restrictions, conservation

Human Geography

The study of where and why human activities are located where they are

SPACE MEANS:

WHERE

Absolute Location

Exact point where a place is located (using longitude and latitude) and doesn't change no matter where you are

Absolute Direction

Direction that is always the same no matter where you are

Absolute Distance

- Distance between two places that always stay the same no matter where you are
- Measured in units (miles)

Relative Location

Location of something in relation to where something else is

Relative Direction

Direction of something in relation to where you are

Relative Distance

Approximate measurement between two places using measurements of time, effort, or cost (minutes, dollars)

Place

A specific point on the earth distinguished by particular characteristics

Location

Where something is

Toponym

Name of place

Site

Physical characteristics of a place

Situation

A location in relation to other locations

Spatial Movement/Flows

- The movement of people, ideas, commodities, or other concepts
- Can be through relocation, contagious, stimulus, or hierarchical

Clustered/Concentrated/Dense

Things are grouped together, agglomeration, occur in high frequency

Dispersed/Scattered/Sparse

Spread far apart, away from each other, low frequency

Elevation Patterns

How high or low something is from sea level (topographical map)

Spatial Analysis (Spatial Thinking)

Explain why things are where they are

Tobler's First Law of Geography

Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related

Distance Decay

As distance increases connections between places decrease

Friction of Distance

- The further away the less connected things are (more "friction")
- Due to physical, cultural, and lack of technology

Time Space Compression

Concept that distance is becoming "less important" due to advances in transportation and technology

**Distance can never be truly eliminated
Even with technology some places will always be more connected than others

Human Environment Interaction

How people interact and relate to the physical world through adaptations and modifications

Adapt

(Humans change)
People adjust to fit into an environment
- clothing, building materials

Modify

(Humans change environment)
Environment is changed to meet human needs
- Drilling, terracing, using available technology

Environmental Determinism

Environment determines how the humans live and develop
Instead of changing environment humans adapt

Possibilism

Humans change environment for them
Using available technology change environment instead of adapting
Cultures decide how the respond depending on their beliefs and goals

Geographic Scale

- Amount of land a map shows

Global Scale

Entire world

National Scale

Country

Regional Scale

- Small region of country
- Continent
- Multiple sub-states within country (midwest)

Local Scale

- State
- County
- City
- School district

Scale of Analysis

- Way data is grouped and visualized on a map
- Way data presented impacts conclusions we can draw (limitations)
**Geographic scale and scale of analysis do not always match

Scale of Analysis (limitations)

Different scales show different interpretations of data
*Scale affects truth*

Local Global Continuum

Events at one scale can affect events at another

Region

An area with similar characteristics or patterns that sets it apart from other areas

Formal/Uniform Region

Areas with consistency (uniformity) and common attributes: that unify a space
- economic, social, political, environmental
- similar linguistics or religious groups

Functional/Nodal Region

Areas connected by hub:
- communication, transportation, or movement economic goods
- ex: Southwest Airlines, metros

Perceptual/Vernacular

Areas grouped with no exact boundary:
- based on beliefs, feelings, and attitudes on a region that may or may not be true
- where they begin and end changes easily
- ex: "the south", "midwest", "hilly" part of town

Globalization

Increased exchange of people, goods, and ideas around the world

Wallerstein's World Systems Theory

All countries included in organizational system
- Economic value over everything else

Core (MDC)

Developed countries with high development indicators
-USA, Canada, Western Europe, Japan, Austrailia

Core (MDC) Interactions

Exploit periphery and semi-periphery for cheap labor and raw materials

Semi-Periphery (NIC)

Newly industrialized countries with both indicators
- Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa
- Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey

Semi-Periphery (NIC) Interactions

Exploits periphery but is exploited by core

Periphery (LDC)

Developing/less developed countries with less development indicators
- Africa, Central America, Southeast Asia, Middle East

Periphery (LDC) Interactions

Relies on investments and jobs from core and semi-periphery

Quantitative Data

DEFINE - numbers, statistics, hard data
(quantifiable)

Qualitative Data

DESCRIBE - characteristics, approximates, descriptions
- collected through interviews and interpretations
- data could be subjective

Causation

When one variable directly influences another

Correlation

The tendency of two variables to work (or not work) in unison

Positive Correlation

When two variables work in the same direction
- when one increases the other increases
- ex: doctors & life expectancy, income & education

Negative Correlation

When two variables work in the opposite direction
- when one increases the other decreases
- ex: high school graduation & teen pregnancy, educational attainment & unemployment

Geographic Information System (GIS)

- Computer system that stores, analyzes, and displays information on maps or data sets.
- Allows geographers multi-layer digital maps for spatial observation
- Stacks data and creates more complex maps to analyze change

- ex: analysis of crime data, effects of pollution, transportation/travel time analysis, urban planning, land use changes

GPS/Satellite Navigation Systems

- Satellite based system for determining the absolute location of places or geographic features
- GPS common in everyday life
- Phone or tablet is constantly tracked by apps using GPS in order to know your location

- ex: cars, airplanes, and boats use GPS constantly for navigation purposes

Remote Sensing

- Remote sensors on satellites, drones, or aircraft collect data by detecting the energy that is reflected from earth to create visual renderings on the location sensed
- Data is collect from a distance (tv remote vs buttons on tv)

- ex: monitoring land use changes, monitoring weather

Satellite Imaging

- Type of remote sensing that is just TOP DOWN pictures to be added to a remote sensed visualization
- Uses satellites to gather information of the earth
- Typically associated with digital imagery

Online Mapping and Visualization

- Understanding that modern technology: the internet, google earth, software programs, and GIS systems have been awesome tools for map making possibilities
- Including things like different map visualizations and 3D models

Cartographic Scale

- Ratio between distance on a map and its corresponding distance in the real world
- large scale - less detail

Large Scale Maps

SMALLER areas in MORE detail

Small Scale Maps

LARGER areas in LESS detail

Reference Map (Basic)

- Where something is in space
- Made to display geographical and political data like:
- landforms, coastlines, waterways, political boundaries, settlements, transportation networks

Thematic Map (Specific)

- Tell a story about a place, often shows variations in data
- Shows or maps some (ESPeN) data theme on top of the base layer reference map

Political Reference Maps

- Highlight man-made features
- boundaries, roads, cities

Physical Reference Maps

- Highlight naturally occurring features
- mountains, plains, rivers

Combined Reference Maps

- Highlight both natural and human features

Choropleth

- SHADING to show different LEVELS of data
- Most common type because data is commonly reported by political entities with defined boundaries

- A: Easy to visualize how a phenomenon varies over an area
- D: Don't show exact location of phenomenon within shaded area

Pindot (Dot Distribution)

- Uses DOT symbols to show the presence or QUANTITY of a phenomenon
- Closer the dots = higher the occurrence

- A: Good at showing patterns of density
- D: Dots generally represent more than one instance, but may be placed at random so there is no phenomenon where the dots are located

Graduated Symbol

- Uses symbols (CIRCLES) that are SCALED proportionally to the value of data they represent

- A: Easy to visualize intensity of data in general area
- D: Don't show exact location or density well

Isoline

- Uses LINES to connect EQUAL points of value
- ex: topographical map connects lands of similar elevation with contour lines (closer = steeper, further = gradual)

Cartogram (WEIRD)

- Size of different areas is SCALED in proportion to a particular variable or data set

Flow Line Maps

- Shows movement and volume of something with arrows of different sizes (thicker arrow = higher volume or frequency)

Map Projection

A way to make a 2D flat representation of the 3D earth
- 3D to 2D

Distortion

Every map must have distortions (faults) that result from making a 2D representation of a 3D picture

Four Common Distortions (SADD)

- Shape: the shape is wrong
- Area: the size is wrong
- Distance: the distance between places is wrong
- Direction: the direction is wrong (north/south aren't at the top & bottom, east/west aren't to the sides)

Cylindrical Projections

Made by taking a flat paper and folding it around the globe into a cylinder
- Ex: Mercator & Galls-Peters

Mercator Projection

- Purpose: maritime navigation

- Strengths: directions are accurate (lines of latitude and longitude meet at the right angles

- Distortions: distances between lines of longitude appear consistent & land masses near the poles are larger
(not to scale)

Galls-Peters Projection

- Purpose: spatial distributions in relation to areas

- Strengths: size of land masses are correct

- Distortions: shapes are inaccurate (especially near the poles
(elongated)

Conic Projections

Made by placing a coned paper over the globe and projecting the image. The line of latitude that touches the cone has the most accuracy

- Purpose: general use in mid latitudes

- Strengths: lines of longitude converge & lines of latitude curve & shape and area are close to reality

- Distortions: directions are not constant

Azimuthal/Planar & Polar Projections

Made by projecting the map directly onto a flat surface

- Purpose: great circle routes (flying a plane in a straight line on a map but in an arc in real life)

- Strengths: distances and directions are accurate outward from center point

- Distortions: distorts shape and size away from the center point

Compromise Projections

Projections that try to combine the best of all maps but the compromise distorts the size, shape, and distance but with reasonable compromise. With all the compromise they don't really excel at having a singular purpose other than looking good.
- Ex: Robinson Projection

Map Projections (Big Ideas)

- All map projections have distortions
- Each projection has its own advantages and disadvantages depending on the purpose of the map