AP HUG Unit 1 vocab

Arithmetic Density

The total number of people divided by the total land area.

Built landscape

man-made or constructed parts of a landscape or area

Climate

the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years

Concentration

a property of population distribution that measures how evenly or unevenly people are spread out across an area

Connection

The relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space.

Conservation

Protecting and preserving natural resources and the environment

Contagious Diffusion

The process of an idea being spread rapidly throughout the population; all places and individuals in the region are affected

Cultural Ecology

the geographic study of human-environment relationships

Cultural Landscape

the visible imprint of human activity and culture on the landscape

Culture

the set of values, beliefs, and behaviors shared by a group of people, such as a nation or religious group

Diffusion

the spread of an idea or characteristic over time

Distance-Decay

contact diminishing with increasing distance and eventually disappear.

Distribution

The arrangement of something across Earth's surface.

Ecology

the study of organisms and how they interact with the environment around them

Environmental Determinism

the idea that human behavior is controlled by the physical environment

Equator

the imaginary center line of latitude that divides the northern and southern hemispheres.

Expansion Diffusion

the spread of a feature from one place to another in a snowballing process

Formal Region

a group of places that have similar attributes, for example, a political region

Friction of distance

the increase in time and cost that usually comes with increasing distance

functional region

Consists of a central place and the surrounding places affected by it

Geotagging

identification and storage of a piece of information by its precise latitude and longitude coordinates

GIS

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

GPS

A system that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers.

Hearth

The region from which innovative ideas originate

Hierarchical Diffusion

the spread of a feature or trend from one key person or node of authority or power to other persons or places

International Date Line

the line of longitude that marks where each new day begins, centered on the 180th meridian

Latitude

the distance in degrees north or south of the equator

Longitude

Distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees

Mental Map

A map which represents the perceptions and knowledge a person has of an area

Mercator Projection

accurately shows shape and direction, but distorts distance and size of land masses; used for navigation across and ocean

Network

A chain of communication that connects places

Pattern

recurring characteristics or events

Absolute location

The exact position of a place on the earth's surface.

atmosphere

A mixture of gases that surrounds a planet or moon.

Behavioral Geography

emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychological basis for individual human actions in space

Cartogram

a type of map used to present statistical info - stretch

Physiological Density

The number of people per unit of area of arable land, which is land suitable for agriculture.

Place

A specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular character.

Possibilism

The theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives.

Preservation

Maintenance of a resource in its present condition, with as little human impact as possible.

Prime Meridian

0 degrees longitude - passes through Greenwich, England

Projection

a method of representing the Earth's curved surface on a flat map

region

An area distinguished by a unique combination of trends or features.

relative location

the regional position or situation of a place relative to the position of other places

relocation diffusion

The spread of a feature or trend through bodily movement of people from one place to another.

remote sensing

the scanning of the earth by satellite or high-flying aircraft in order to obtain information about it.

Robinson Projection

The lines of latitude and longitude almost intersect at right angles except near edges.Useful projection for display of oceans but land masses are distorted.

scale

the relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole THREE types: cartographic, geographic, scale of data

sequent occupance

the idea that multiple cultures leave their mark on a place over time, each contributing to the region's cultural landscape

site

The physical character of a place

situation

the location of a place relative to other places

space

The physical gap or interval between two objects

space-time compression

term for the reduction in time it takes for something to diffuse to a distance place

stimulus diffusion

a type of cultural diffusion that occurs when a cultural idea spreads from a single source and changes as it spreads to new cultures

thematic map

A map that shows a particular theme a map that shows specialized information

toponym

name given to a portion of Earth's surface

uneven development

The unequal distribution of resources, opportunities, and wealth among different regions or countries in the world.

vernacular region

an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity