Unit 1 AP Human Geography: Thinking Geographically

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts in AP Human Geography for the topic of Thinking Geographically.

space

geometric surface of the Earth

activity space

an area wherein activity occurs on a daily basis

place

an area of bounded space of some human importance

toponym

place-name

regions

a type of place

sequent occupancy

the succession of groups and cultural influences throughout a place's history

scale

the relationship of an object or place to the Earth as a whole

map scale

ratio of distance on a map to distance in the real world

relative scale

scale that describes the level at which you group things together for examination

level of aggregation

the level at which you group things together for examination

formal region

an area of bounded space that possesses some homogenous characteristic

functional region

areas that have a central place or node

vernacular region

a region based upon the perception or collective mental map of a region's residents

homogeneous characteristic

a characteristic that is the same everywhere within the regional boundary

linguistic region

a region where everyone speaks the same language

culture region

a region where people have many shared cultural traits

political region

a region that is finite and well defined

environmental region

a region which has boundaries that are transitional and measurable between biomes

bioregion

an assemblage of local plants and animals covering a large area

ecotone

a region of transition between two biological communities

central place

a focus or point of origin that expresses some practical purpose

market area

a type of functional region where a service/product is offered in the node and people from neighboring areas are attracted to it

area of influence

the spatial extent to which the influence of a node is felt

absolute location

defines a point or place on the map using coordinates such as latitude and longitude

relative location

refers to the location of a place compared to a known place or geographic feature

latitude

measure distance (degrees) north or south of the equator

longitude

measures distance (degrees) east or west of the prime meridian

equator

an imaginary line drawn around the Earth equally distant from both poles, dividing the Earth into the North and South hemispheres

North Pole

the northernmost point of the Earth's axis (90 degrees latitude)

South Pole

the southernmost point of the Earth's axis (90 degrees latitude)

Prime Meridian

an imaginary line that divides the earth into Western and Eastern hemispheres, runs through Greenwich, England (0 degrees longitude)

International Date Line

an imaginary line that marks where each new day begins (centered at 180 degrees longitude)

site

physical characteristics of a place

situation

the place's interrelatedness with other places

absolute distance

the distance between two places as measured in linear units

distance decay

the farther away different places are from a place of origin, the less likely interaction will be with the original place

relative distance

distance measured in terms such as cost or time

Tobler's Law

all places are interrelated, but closer places are more related than farther ones

friction of distance

when the distance between two places becomes a factor that inhibits the interaction between two points

space-time compression

decreased time and relative distance between places

central place theory

a theory that explains the distribution of services, based on the fact that settlements serve as centers of market areas for services (Walter Christaller)

core and periphery

core is the center of a particular thing and the periphery is the areas surrounding the core

cluster

similar things that are grouped together

growth pole

a concentrated area that acts as a catalyst for economic development

agglomeration

when clustering occurs purposely around a central point or an economic growth pole

random pattern

when there is no reason to the distribution of a spatial phenomenon

scattered pattern

when objects that are normally ordered but appear dispersed

linear pattern

when objects occur along a straight line

sinuous pattern

when objects occur in a wavy line

land survey patterns

the way in which land is divided

metes and bounds

land surveys based on natural landscapes to divide the land

township and range

land surveys based on latitude and longitude

long-lot patterns

land surveys based on narrow frontage along a road or waterway with a very long lot shape behind

arithmetic density

number of things per square unit of distance

physiologic density

number of people per square unit of arable land

agricultural density

number of farmers per square unit of arable land

diffuse

spread across the Earth's surface

hearth

origin or place of innovation

diffusion patterns

the multiple different ways and patterns in which human phenomena diffuse

expansion diffusion

originates in a central place and then expands outward in all directions to other locations

hierarchical diffusion

originates in a first-order location and then moves down to second-order locations and from each of these to subordinate locations at increasingly local scales

contagious diffusion

originates at the point of origin and then moves outward to nearby locations, especially along transportation lines

stimulus diffusion

a general concept diffuses and then is adapted to suit the cultural norms of its new location

relocation diffusion

begins at a point of origin and crosses a significant physical barrier, the journey can often influence and modify the items being diffused

topographic maps

maps that show the contour lines of elevation as well as the urban and vegetation surface

thematic maps

maps that express a particular subject and do not show land forms or other features

contour lines

a line that connects points of equal elevation in maps

choropleth maps

maps that express the geographic variability of a particular theme using color variations

isoline maps

maps that use contour lines to show the change in data

dot density maps

maps that use dots to express the volume and density of a particular geographic feature

flow-line maps

maps that use lines of varying thickness to show the direction and volume of a particular geographic movement pattern

cartograms

maps that use simplified, often distorted geometries to represent real-world places

mental map

the cognitive image of landscape in the human mind

projections

mathematical methods to map the Earth on a flat surface

equal-area projections

projections that attempt to maintain the relative spatial science and the areas on the map, however these can distort the actual shape of polygons

conformal projections

projections that attempt to maintain the shape of polygons on the map, however these can distort the relative area

model

an abstract generalization of real-world geographies that share a common pattern

spatial model

attempt to show the commonalities in pattern among similar landscapes

urban model

models that try to show how different cities have similar spatial relationships and economic or social structures

non-spatial model

a model that does not reference an entity's location or spatial position

gravity model

a mathematical model that is used in a number of different types of spatial analysis: (location1 population x location2 population)/(distance^2)

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

systems that incorporate one or more data layers in a computer program capable of spatial analysis and mapping

data layers

numerical, coded, or textual data that is attributed to specific geographic coordinates or areas

Global Positioning System (GPS)

a system that utilizes a worldwide network of satellites, which emit a measurable radio signal

aerial photography

photography of the Earth taken from the air

satellite-based remote sensing

data recorded by a computerized scanner from satellites that can capture visual light, infrared light, and radar information