Unit 1- Thinking Geographically

Place

the unique physical and human characteristics of a location

Location

where something is positioned not the earth

Space

the physical gap or interval between objects

Scale

The relationship between a portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole.

Region

an area defined by one or more distinctive characteristics

Place vs. Space?

“Place" refers to the human and physical characteristics of a location, while "space" refers to the physical gap between objects.

Referance Maps

Show locations of places and geographic features. (general)

Thematic Maps

display specific data or information (e.g., population density).

Map Projections

methods of representing the Earth's surface on a flat map, each with distortions

Mercator

preserves direction but distorts shape (marine use)

Robinson

balances size and shape, with some distortion

Gall-Peters/Peters

equal-area projection that distorts shape

Distance Decay:

the diminishing importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin.

Time-Space Compression

reduction in the time it takes for something to reach another place due to advancements in technology and transportation

Spatial Interaction

the movement and flows involving human activity

Quantitative Data:

numerical information

Qualitative Data:

describe information

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

computer systems that analyze and display geographically referenced information

Remote Sensing

the collecting of data about Earth's surface from satellites or other long-distance methods

Global Scale:

looking at data or phenomena across the entire world

National Scale:

analyzing data within a specific country

Regional Scale

focusing on a particular area within a country or across countries

Local Scale

examining data at a community or city level

Formal Region

an areas with a high level of consistency in a certain cultural or physical attribute

Functional Region

defined by a set of activities or interactions (a node)

Perceptual(Vernacular) Region

defined by people’d feeling and attitudes about an area (ex. “The South in the U.S.)

Environmental Determinism

the belief that the physical environment shapes human behavior and culture

Possibilism

theory that the environment sets certain constraints, but culture is otherwise determined by social conditions.