human geography notes

Geography

The study of places and spaces on Earth, focusing on why things are where they are and how people and environments affect each other.

Movement

How do people, goods, and ideas travel?

Region

How can we group areas with similar traits?

Human-Environment Interaction

How do people adapt to, depend on, and change the environment?

Human Geography

The study of people and how they live, organize space, and create patterns on Earth.

Culture

Shared beliefs, customs, language, and traditions of a group.

Population Density

The number of people living in a given area.

Urbanization

The growth of cities and the shift from rural to urban living.

Migration

The movement of people from one place to another.

Economy

How people produce, trade, and use resources.

Human Environment Interaction

The relationship between how people depend on, adapt to, and modify the environment.

Cartography

The science and art of making maps.

Map

A symbolic representation of selected characteristics of a place, usually drawn on a flat surface.

Scale

A part of a map that shows the relationship between distances on the map and actual distances on the ground.

Compass Rose

A figure on a map that indicates the orientation of the cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west.

Legend/Key

A part of a map that explains the symbols and colors used on the map.

GPS (Global Positioning System)

A system that uses satellite signals to determine the exact location of a device on Earth.

Physical Map

A map that shows different landforms and physical features of an area.

Political Map

A map that shows countries, states, territories, capitals, and major cities.

Thematic Map

Maps focused on a specific theme or subject, such as economic or demographic data.

Robinson Projection

A map projection that shows the entire world at once and is designed to compromise between various distortions.

Peters Projection

A map projection that aims to show areas true to size, emphasizing landmass proportions.

Mercator Projection

A cylindrical map projection that preserves angles, commonly used for navigation.

Goode’s Interrupted Projection

An equal-area projection composed of 12 regions that form six lobes, minimizing distortion of area.

Formal Region

An area of the world defined by one or more common characteristics, like states in the U.S.

Functional Region

An area organized around a focal point, used to display information about geographical areas.

Vernacular Region

A region defined by people's perceptions or cultural identity, like the Southern U.S.