quick AP GEO review test

Cartographer

A map maker

Absolute distance/direction

Exact measurement in units (miles, km, N/S/E/W)

Relative distance/direction

Based on perception, like “20 min drive” or “east of the mall”

Thematic maps

Maps that show data tied to a theme; examples: choropleth (population density), dot distribution (disease cases), isoline (climate)

Reference maps

Maps that show general location; examples: political map, road map, topographic map

Mercator projection

Preserves direction; distorts size (Greenland looks too big)

Robinson projection

Balanced look; slight distortion everywhere

Goode Homolosine projection

Accurate land masses; interruptions in oceans

Gall-Peters projection

Preserves relative size; distorts shape (Africa looks stretched)

Azimuthal (Polar) projection

Preserves distance from center point; distorts edges

Quantitative data

Numeric data (census, surveys)

Qualitative data

Descriptive data (interviews, observations, artwork, field notes)

Data collectors

Governments, companies, organizations; collected for planning, business, and representation

GPS

Uses satellites to find absolute location

GIS

Map system that layers and analyzes data (zoning, disease spread, environmental changes)

Remote sensing

Satellite/aerial data collection; used for weather, environment, disaster mapping

Space

Physical gap between objects

Place

Unique human and physical features of a location

Site

Physical characteristics of a place (soil, climate, elevation)

Situation

Location relative to other places (trade routes, proximity to water)

Distance decay

Interaction decreases as distance increases

Time-space compression

Technology reduces effect of distance (air travel, social media, shipping containers)

Flows/Spatial patterns

Movement of people, goods, ideas; patterns can be clustered, dispersed, linear

Renewable resources

Resources that regenerate naturally (solar, wind, forests if managed)

Nonrenewable resources

Finite resources (oil, coal, minerals)

Land use & culture

Farming styles, urban design, sacred spaces reflect cultural values

Environmental determinism

Belief environment dictates culture; example: tropics stereotype

Possibilism

Belief humans adapt/modify environment; example: Dubai skyscrapers, Dutch polders

Small-scale map

Zoomed out; large area with less detail

Large-scale map

Zoomed in; small area with more detail

Global scale

World-wide data (climate map)

Regional scale

One region (Latin America political map)

National scale

One country (U.S. voting patterns)

Local scale

City/town (zoning, neighborhood map)

Region

An area grouped by common features

Formal (uniform) region

Defined by one trait shared across the area; example: country borders, Corn Belt

Functional (nodal) region

Organized around a node or hub; example: newspaper circulation, metro system

Perceptual (vernacular) region

Based on perception/feelings; example: the South, Midwest, Middle East