AP Human Unit 1 Quiz 1 Vocab

Absolute Location

The exact position of a place on Earth usually identified by latitude and longitude coordinates

Agricultural Density

The number of farmers per unit of arable land used to measure pressure on productive farmland

Arithmetic Density

The total number of people divided by the total land area also called population density

Base Lines

In the United States township and range land survey system east west lines used with principal meridians to divide land into a grid

Cartography

The science and practice of making maps and representing geographic information

Concentration

The extent to which a feature is spread out or clustered within an area

Contagious Diffusion

The rapid widespread spread of a cultural trait or idea through direct contact from one person or place to nearby others

Cultural Ecology

The study of how humans adapt to and modify the natural environment

Cultural Landscape

The visible imprint of human activity and culture on the natural landscape

Culture

The shared beliefs practices behaviors values and technologies of a group of people

Density

The frequency with which something occurs within a given unit of area

Distance Decay

The principle that interaction between places decreases as the distance between them increases

Distribution

The arrangement of a feature in space described by its density concentration and pattern

Environmental Determinism

The belief that the physical environment determines or strongly controls human behavior and cultural development

Formal Region (Uniform)

An area defined by one or more measurable shared characteristics that are relatively uniform throughout the region

Functional Region

An area organized around a central node or focal point and linked by movement communication or economic activity

Geographic Information System (GIS)

A computer system used to store analyze and display layers of spatial or geographic data

Geospatial Data

Information that identifies the geographic location and characteristics of features on Earth

Geovisualization

The use of maps GIS graphs and other visual tools to analyze and communicate spatial information

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A satellite based system used to determine the precise location of a receiver on Earth

Globalization

The increasing interconnectedness of people places economies and cultures across the world

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

The time measured at the Prime Meridian in Greenwich England used as a global reference for time zones

Hearth

The place or region where a cultural trait idea innovation or practice originates

Hierarchical Diffusion

The spread of an idea or trait from important or influential people or places to other people or places

Human Geography

The study of people cultures economies and societies and how they interact with places and environments

International Date Line

An imaginary line near 180 degrees longitude where crossing it causes the calendar date to change by one day

Land Ordinance of 1785

A United States law that created the township and range survey system for dividing and selling western lands

Latitude

The angular distance north or south of the Equator measured in degrees

Location

The position of something on Earth described using absolute or relative terms

Longitude

The angular distance north or south of the Prime Meridian measured in degrees

Map

A two dimensional representation of Earths surface or a portion of it

Mental Map

A persons internal image or perception of the spatial organization of places and environments

Meridian

A line of longitude running from the North Pole to the South Pole

Parallel

A line of latitude that runs east west and remains parallel to the Equator

Pattern

The geometric or spatial arrangement of objects or features in an area

Physical Geography

The study of natural processes and features of Earth such as climate landforms water and ecosystems

Physical Map

A map that shows natural features such as mountains rivers elevation and landforms

Physiological Density

The number of people per unit of arable land showing the pressure a population places on land that can produce food

Place

A location distinguished by its physical and human characteristics

Possibilism

The view that the environment sets limits but humans can choose among many possible ways to adapt and develop

Prime Meridian

The line of zero degrees longitude that passes through Greenwich England and divides Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres

Projection

A method of transferring Earths curved surface onto a flat map which always causes some distortion

Regional Studies

The study of a particular regions unique combination of physical and human characteristics

Relative Location

The position of a place in relation to other places features or landmarks

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of an idea culture or trait through the physical movement of people from one place to another

Remote Sensing

The collection of information about Earths surface from a distance usually by satellites aircraft or drones

Region

An area of Earth defined by one or more shared characteristics or by connections among places

Site

The physical characteristics of the specific location where a place is located such as terrain water and climate

Relative Location

The location of a place relative to surrounding places transportation routes and other geographic features

Space Time Compression

The reduction in the time it takes for people goods or information to travel between places because of improved transportation and communication

Spatial Association

The relationship between the geographic distributions of two or more phenomena

Spatial Patterns

The ways in which people objects or features are arranged across space such as clustered dispersed or linear patterns

Stimulus Diffusion

The spread of an underlying idea or concept even when the original trait itself is modified or not adopted

Toponym

The name given to a place often reflecting its history culture language or physical environment

Vernacular Region (Perceptual)

An area people believe exists because of shared perceptions or cultural identity even though its boundaries are not officially define