APHG Unit 1

ABSOLUTE DISTANCE

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

ABSOLUTE LOCATION

The exact position of an object or place, measured within the spatial coordinates of a grid system.

ACCESSIBILITY

The relative ease with which a destination may be reached from some other place.

AGGREGATION

To come together into a mass, sum, or whole.

AZIMUTHAL PROJECTION

A map projection in which the plane is the most developable surface.

BREAKING POINT

The outer edge of a city’s sphere of influence, used in the law of retail gravitation to describe the area of a city’s hinterlands that depend on that city for its retail supplies.

CARTOGRAMS

A type of thematic map that transforms space such that the political unit with the greatest value for some type of data is represented by the largest relative area.

CARTOGRAPHY

The theory and practice of making visual representations of Earth’s surface in the form of maps.

CHOROPLETH MAP

A thematic map that uses tones or colors to represent spatial data as average values per unit area.

COGNITIVE MAP

An image of a portion of Earth’s surface that an individual creates in his or her mind.

COMPLEMENTARITY

The actual or potential relationship between two places, usually referring to economic interactions.

CONNECTIVITY

The degree of economic, social, cultural, or political connection between two places.

CONTAGIOUS DIFFUSION

The spread of a disease, an innovation, or cultural traits through direct contact with another person or another place.

COORDINATE SYSTEM

A standard grid, composed of lines of latitude and longitude, used to determine the absolute location of any object, place, or feature on Earth’s surface.

CULTURAL ECOLOGY

Also called nature-society geography, the study of the interactions between societies and the natural environments in which they live.

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

The human-modified natural landscape specifically containing the imprint of a particular culture or society.

DISTANCE DECAY EFFECT

The decrease in interaction between two phenomena, places, or people as the distance between them increases.

DOT MAPS

Thematic maps that use points to show the precise locations of specific observations or occurrences.

ENVIRONMENTAL GEOGRAPHY

The intersection between human and physical geography, which explores the spatial impacts humans have on the physical environment and vice versa.

EXPANSION DIFFUSION

The spread of ideas, innovations, fashion, or other phenomena to surrounding areas through contact and exchange.

FORMAL REGION (UNIFORM REGION)

Definition of regions based on common themes such as similarities in language, climate, land use, etc.

FRICTION OF DISTANCE

A measure of how much absolute distance affects the interaction between two places.

FULLER PROJECTION

A type of map projection that maintains the accurate size and shape of landmasses but completely rearranges direction.

FUNCTIONAL REGION (NODAL REGION)

Definition of regions based on common interaction (or function)—for example, a boundary line drawn around the circulation of a particular newspaper.

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS)

A set of computer tools used to capture, store, transform, analyze, and display geographic data.

GEOGRAPHIC SCALE

The scale at which a geographer analyzes a particular phenomenon.

GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS)

A set of satellites used to help determine location anywhere on Earth’s surface with a portable electronic device.

GRAVITY MODEL

A mathematical formula that describes the level of interaction between two places, based on population and distance.

HIERARCHICAL DIFFUSION

A type of diffusion in which something is transmitted between places because of a physical or cultural community between those places.

HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

The study of the spatial variation in the patterns and processes related to human activity.

INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE

The line of longitude that marks where each new day begins, centered on the 180th meridian.

INTERVENING OPPORTUNITY

If one place has a demand for a good or service and two places have supply, the closer one often fulfills it due to lower transport costs.

ISOLINE

A map line that connects points of equal or very similar values.

LARGE SCALE

A relatively small ratio between map units and ground units, covering a small region with more detail.

LATITUDE

The angular distance north or south of the equator, defined by lines of latitude or parallels.

LAW OF RETAIL GRAVITATION

People will be drawn to larger cities to conduct business because of their wider influence.

LOCATION CHART

On a map, a chart or graph that gives specific statistical information about a particular political unit.

LONGITUDE

The angular distance east or west of the prime meridian, defined by lines of longitude or meridians.

MAP PROJECTION

A mathematical method that involves transferring Earth’s sphere onto a flat surface.

MAP SCALE

The ratio between the size of an area on a map and the actual size of that area on Earth.

MERCATOR PROJECTION

A conformal cylindrical map projection that maintains direction but distorts area, especially near the poles.

MERIDIAN

A line of longitude that runs north-south and intersects at the poles.

NATURAL LANDSCAPE

The physical landscape or environment that has not been affected by human activities.

NATURE-SOCIETY

Also called nature-society geography, the study of the interactions between societies and their environments.

PARALLEL

An east-west line of latitude that runs parallel to the equator.

W. D. PATTISON

Geographer who claimed geography had four traditions: earth-science, culture-environment, locational, and area-analysis.

PERCEPTUAL REGION (VERNACULAR REGION)

A highly individualized definition of regions based on perceived commonalities in culture and landscape.

PETERS PROJECTION

An equal-area projection centered on Africa to treat all regions equally.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

The study of the natural features and processes of the Earth.

PREFERENCE MAP

A map that displays individual preferences for certain places.

PRIME MERIDIAN

The 0° line of longitude passing through Greenwich, England.

PROJECTION

The system used to transfer locations from Earth's surface to a flat map.

PROPORTIONAL SYMBOLS MAP

A thematic map where symbol size indicates the magnitude of a statistical value.

PTOLEMY

Roman geographer-astronomer who wrote "Guide to Geography" with a grid system of latitude and longitude.

QUALITATIVE DATA

Data collected through interviews, observations, and interpretation, often used in humanistic geography.

QUANTITATIVE DATA

Data analyzed using statistical techniques and mathematical models.

REFERENCE MAP

A map that shows reference information useful for finding landmarks or navigation.

REGION

A territory that shares similar physical or cultural attributes.

REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY

The study of geographic regions.

RELATIVE DISTANCE

A distance measure that includes social, cultural, or economic connectivity between places.

RELATIVE LOCATION

The position of a place in relation to other locations.

RELOCATION DIFFUSION

The spread of ideas through physical movement from one place to another.

REMOTE SENSING

Measurement of Earth's surface using aircraft and satellite sensors like radar or photography.

RESOLUTION

A map's smallest discernible unit.

ROBINSON PROJECTION

A projection that attempts to minimize errors in area, shape, distance, and direction.

CARL SAUER

Geographer who defined the concept of cultural landscape as the main unit of geographic analysis.

SCALE OF ANALYSIS

The geographic unit at which patterns or processes are investigated.

SENSE OF PLACE

Feelings evoked by experiences and memories associated with a particular location.

SITE

The absolute location of a place based on physical and cultural characteristics.

SITUATION

The relative location of a place and its connections within a broader system.

SMALL SCALE

A map scale that covers a large area with less detail.

SPATIAL DIFFUSION

The spread of phenomena such as ideas or diseases across space.

SPATIAL PERSPECTIVE

A framework for understanding the location and spatial relationships of phenomena.

SUSTAINABILITY

Using Earth's resources in ways that meet current needs without compromising future generations.

THEMATIC LAYERS

Individual map layers used in GIS to analyze spatial relationships.

THEMATIC MAP

A map that displays one or more variables within a specific area.

TIME-SPACE CONVERGENCE

The idea that technological advances are reducing the time required to connect places.

TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS

Maps that use isolines to show elevation and terrain.

TRANSFERABILITY

The costs of moving goods from one place to another.

VISUALIZATION

The use of computer software to create interactive or 3D maps for spatial analysis.