AP Human Geography Unit 1 Vocabulary

Choropleth Map

Thematic map that shows data combined/gathered for a specific geographic area; uses color or shading to show different values (normally darker shade = greater value)

Isoline Map

On a map, a line that connects or links different places that share a common or equal value, such as elevation.

Dot Distribution Map

Thematic map that uses dots to represent objects or count: one-to-one, one-to-many.

Proportional Symbol Map (Graduated Symbol Map)

Thematic map that uses symbols/sizes to represent numerical values.

Cartogram

Thematic map that distorts the geographic shape of an area to show a specific variable.

Absolute Distance

The distance that can be measured with a standard unit of length, such as foot, yard, mile, or kilometer.

Relative Distance

Measurement of the level of cultural, social, or economic similarity between places despite absolute distance from each other.

Time-Space Compression

The decreasing distance between places, as measured by travel time or cost; often summarized by the phrase “the world is shrinking.”

Map Projection (Map distortion)

Represents the surface of Earth or a celestial sphere on a 2-D/flat surface.

Mercator Projection

Useful for navigation, lines represent true compass; land becomes distorted further North and South.

Robinson Projection (compromise projection)

Keeps distortion low throughout the map.

GIS

GPS

Global Positioning System

Remote Sensing

Distance-Decay

AKA, the 1st law of geography, the idea that near things are more related than distant things, and the interaction between two places decrease that farther apart they are.

Environmental Determinism

Possibilism

Geographic Scale

Cartographic Scale

Cartographic Scale (2)

Geographic Scale (2)

Data Scale (scale of analysis)

Formal (uniform) Region

Functional (nodal) Region

Region

Perceptual (vernacular) Region