APHG unit 1

what are reference maps

informational maps that spans boundaries, names, and geographic features of that area, and directions

topographic maps

maps that uses contour lines to show terrain and elevation changes

what are thematic maps

maps that displays spatial patterns and uses quantitative data to display specific topics 

what are small scale maps 

show a large portion of the Earth’s surface but has less details in data

what are large scale maps

shows a smaller portion of the Earth’s surface but shows more details 

chloropleth maps

1. uses colour to display information 

2. good at showing density and size of data 

3. cons are that the data is generalised over an area 

dot density maps

1. uses dots to display information 

2. good at showing spatial distribution and concentration and density

3. clustered data can be hard to distinguish

graduated symbol map

1. uses shapes and symbols to display information

2. very visual 

3. overlapping information is hard to see

isoline maps

1. lines to connect areas with similar area

2. can be hard to see

cartogram map

1. distortions to show data

2. good at showing the differences between different places

3. distortions of shape and size of land masses can be difficult to see

flowline map

1. uses lines to show the flow of goods and stuff

2. good at showing the movement of people, goods, etc  

absolute and relative distance

1. absolute distance — exact distance, measures in standard length units

2. relative distance — approximate measurement of distance, measured in time and non-length units 

absolute vs relative direction

1. absolute direction — the exact direction in NSEW

2. relative direction — using the surroundings / landmarks to tell direction 

absolute location vs relative location 

1. exact location in terms longitude and latitude 

2. relative location — description of location using geographical landmarks 

how can geographers gather data? (8 in total in this list)

1. remote sensing 

2. field observations 

3. media reports 

4. personal interviews

5. travel narratives 

6. government documents 

7. landscape analysis 

8. photo analysis 

place definition

a specific point on a Earth’s surface that has one or more unique characteristics

distance decay

effect of distance on cultural or spacial interactions — larger distance = less interaction

supply chain

network of people, organizations, resources, and activities that work together to create and sell products

time-space compression

reduction of time it takes for something to get from one place to another (counters distance decay)

flow

movement of people, ideas, goods or services from one place to another

spatial association

relationships between different objects in an area (arrangement, connection, isolation)

density

amount of objects in an area

concentration

spread of objects in an area

pattern

arrangement of objects in an area

physical characteristics

natural characteristics 

• terrain

• climate

• geography

human characteristics

• people 

• culture 

• demographics…

sense of place

strong feeling / perception towards a place

sense of placelessness

does not invoke any strong response from individuals due to a lack of unique characteristics / identity

site factors

1. characteristics that are at a specific location

2. climate, resources, absolute location…

3. located where the place is

situation factors

1. locations surrounding places and the connections between places

2. in relation / proximity / connection to others

environmental possibilism

the environment puts limits on society, but people have the ability to adjust / modify the physical environment to overcome those limits

environmental determinism

1. environment sets possibilities for humans and society

2. restrictions for society development

human-environment interaction

environment influences human lifestyle

land use definition

how land has been changed to be used for a specific purpose / task / goods / services

what types of land use are there? (6 in this list)

1. industrial

2. commercial

3. residential

4. recreational

5. agricultural

6. transportation

scale of analysis

observation of data at the global, national, regionals (states, districts…), and / or local scale (smaller than a state / district)

scale

distance on the map in elation to the actual distance on the Earth's surface

‘state’ definition

geographic area organised into one political unit, controlled by an organised environment

formal (uniform) regions

area with common attributes, traditionally defined by economic, social, political or environmental characteristics

functional (nodal) regions

area organized around a node / centre point, often based around economic activities, travel, or communication

perceptual (vernacular) region

1. area that has no perfect definition, and it only exists because of people’s beliefs, feelings, and attitudes of the region

2. usually with directions, NSEW divisions 

what are some different factors

1. economic

2. social

3. political

4. environmental