unit 1 vocab
Alright, let's get you started with the vocabulary for Unit 1 of AP Human Geography, which typically covers Thinking Geographically:
Basic Geographic Concepts:
* Geography: The study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these.
* Human Geography: The branch of geography dealing with how human activity affects or is influenced by the earth's surface.
* Physical Geography: The branch of geography dealing with natural features and processes.
* Spatial Perspective: Observing variations in geographic phenomena across space.
* Spatial Association: The degree to which things are similarly arranged in space.
* Distribution: The arrangement of something across Earth's surface.
* Density: The frequency with which something exists within a given unit of area.
* Concentration: The extent of a feature's spread over space.
* Clustered: Closely spaced together.
* Dispersed: Spread out.
* Pattern: The geometric arrangement of objects in space.
* Location: The position of anything on Earth's surface.
* Absolute Location: The precise spot where something is according to a system such as latitude and longitude.
* Relative Location: The position of a place or thing in relation to another place or thing.
* Place: A specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular character.
* Region: An area of Earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristics.
* Formal Region (Uniform Region, Homogeneous Region): An area within which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics.
* Functional Region (Nodal Region): An area organized around a node or focal point.
* Vernacular Region (Perceptual Region, Cognitive Region): An area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity.
* Scale: The relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole.
* Map Scale: The ratio of a distance on the map to the corresponding distance on the ground.
* Ratio/Fraction Scale: Shows the numerical ratio between distances on the map and Earth's surface (e.g., 1:100,000).
* Written Scale: Describes the relationship between map and Earth distances in words (e.g., "One centimeter equals ten kilometers").
* Graphic Scale (Bar Scale): Consists of a bar line marked to show distance on Earth's surface.
* Scale of Analysis: The level at which data is aggregated and examined (e.g., global, regional, national, local).
Geographic Tools & Technologies:
* Map: A two-dimensional, or flat, representation of Earth's surface or a portion of it.
* Reference Map: Maps that show the absolute location of places and geographic features.
* Thematic Map: Maps that tell a story about the degree of an attribute, the pattern of its distribution, or its movement.
* Choropleth Map: A thematic map that uses tones or colors to represent spatial data as average values per unit area.
* Dot Distribution Map: A thematic map that uses dots to show the precise location of one or more phenomena.
* Graduated Symbol Map (Proportional Symbol Map): A thematic map that uses symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of a variable.
* Isoline Map (Isopleth Map): A thematic map with lines that connect points of equal value.
* Cartogram: A thematic map that distorts the geographic size of areas in order to reflect a variable.
* Global Positioning System (GPS): A system that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers.
* Geographic Information System (GIS): A computer system that captures, stores, analyzes, and displays geographic data.
* Remote Sensing: The acquisition of data about Earth's surface from a satellite orbiting the planet or from other long-distance methods.
* Geotagging: The process of adding geographical identification metadata (such as latitude and longitude) to various media such as photographs, videos, websites, or SMS messages.
Human-Environment Interaction & Culture:
* Environmental Determinism: The view that the physical environment dictates human culture and societal development.
* Possibilism: The theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives.
* Cultural Landscape: The visible imprint of human activity and culture on the land.
* Culture: The body of customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits that together constitute a group's distinct tradition.
* Cultural Hearth: A center where cultures originated and from which they later spread.
* Diffusion: The process by which a characteristic spreads across space from one place to another over time.
* Relocation Diffusion: The spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another.
* Expansion Diffusion: The spread of a feature from one place to another in a snowballing process.
* Hierarchical Diffusion: The spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places.
* Contagious Diffusion: The widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population.
* Stimulus Diffusion: The spread of an underlying principle, even though a specific characteristic is rejected.
Thinking Spatially:
* Space: The physical gap or interval between two objects.
* Flow: The movement of people, goods, or information between places.
* Distance: The extent of space between two points.
* Absolute Distance: Measured in standard units (e.g., miles, kilometers).
* Relative Distance: Measured in terms of time, cost, or social connectedness.
* Accessibility: The ease with which one place can be reached from another.
* Connectivity: The relationships among people and objects across the barrier of geographic space.