APHUG Notes

Reference Maps

Maps that show locations of places and geographic features, such as road maps and atlases.

Thematic Maps

Maps that tell a story about the degree of an attribute, the pattern of its distribution, or its movement, showing spatial data.

Mercator Projection

A map projection that preserves shape and direction, but distorts area, especially near the poles.

Gall-Peters Projection

A map projection that preserves area but distorts shape.

Robinson Projection

A compromise map projection used for general-purpose world maps, balancing shape, area, distance, and direction.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

A computer system that stores, analyzes, and displays geographic data.

Population Density

A measure of the number of people per unit area, expressed arithmetically, physiologically, or agriculturally.

Demographic Transition Model

A model that describes the stages of population growth based on birth and death rates.

Push Factors

Negative aspects of the origin that drive people to migrate, such as poverty and war.

Pull Factors

Attractive aspects of a destination that draw people to migrate, such as economic opportunities and political stability.

Ravenstein's Laws of Migration

Principles that explain the patterns and reasons for migration.

Cultural Hearths

The origin of culture.

Lingua Franca

A language that is mutually understood and commonly used in trade by speakers of different native languages.

Universalizing Religions

Global religions that seek converts, such as Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.

Ethnic Religions

Religions associated with a particular group of people, such as Judaism and Hinduism.

Cultural Landscape

Forms superimposed on the physical environment by human activities.

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of an idea through the physical movement of people from one place to another.

Unitary System

A form of governance in which power is centralized.

Federal System

A form of governance in which power is shared between a central authority and constituent political units.

Gerrymandering

The practice of redrawing legislative boundaries to benefit a particular political party.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

The total value of all goods and services produced in a country during one year.

Human Development Index (HDI)

A measure of average achievement in dimensions of human development, including life expectancy, education, and income.

Dependency Theory

A theory that examines the relationships between core, periphery, and semi-periphery countries.

Weber's Least Cost Theory

A theory that determines the optimal location of economic activities based on transportation, labor, and agglomeration factors.

Intensive Agriculture

Agriculture that uses high inputs of labor and/or capital to achieve high yields.

Extensive Agriculture

Agriculture that uses low inputs of labor and/or capital to achieve low yields.