AP HuG Unit 1 Vocabulary
Map - A two dimensional, or flat, representation of Earth’s surface or a portion of it.
Example: A city map showing streets and landmarks.
Cartography - The science of making maps.
Example: The process of creating a topographic map.
Scale - Generally, the relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole.
Example: 1 inch on a map represents 1 mile on the ground.
Projection - A system used to transfer locations from Earth’s surface to a flat map.
Example: Using the Mercator projection for world maps.
Mercator Projection -A projecton where longitutde and latitude is shown at right angles. It preserves the shape of the map but distorts the size massively.
Example: A map of the world used in navigation.
Peters Projection - A projection that Preserves size of map but distorts shape.
Example: A world map emphasizing land area over shape.
Robinson Projection - A projection that preserves the size and shape of continents but distorts polar areas. Often used in atlases.
Example: An atlas map showing continents with balanced proportions.
Goode Projection - an interupted projection that removes much of oceans to preserve size and shape of continents, used in thematic maps.
Example: A thematic map focusing on population distribution.
Meridians - An arc drawn on a map between North and South poles.
Example: Lines of longitude on a globe.
Parallels - A circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at rufgr angles to the meridians.
Example: Lines of latitude, such as the Tropic of Cancer.
Longitude - The numbering system used to indicate the location of meridians drawn on a globe and measuring distance east and west of the prime meridian.
Example: 75° W indicates a location west of the Prime Meridian.
Latitude - The numbering system used to indicate the location of parallels drawn on a globe and measuring distance north and south of the equator.
Example: 30° N indicates a location north of the Equator.
Prime Meridian - The meridian designated as 0 degrees longitude, that passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwhich, England.
Example: The line running through Greenwich, England.
Equator - Imaginary line or circle around Earth that divides it into two equal parts; the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
Example: The imaginary line at 0° latitude.
International Date Line - An arc that for the most part follows 180 degrees longitude, although it deviates in several places to avoid dividing land areas. When it is crossed heading east, the clock moves back 24 hours, and when it is crossed heading west, the clock moves one day ahead.
Example: Crossing it changes the date by one day.
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) - The time in the zone encompassing the prime meridian, or 0 degrees longitude.
Example: The time zone for London, England.
GPS - Geographic Positioning System that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and recievers.
Example: Using a smartphone to find directions.
GIS - Geographic Information System (computer) that stores, organizes, analyzes, and displays geographic data.
Example: Software used for urban planning.
Remote sensing - The aquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a satelite orbiting the planet or from other long-distance methods.
Example: Satellite images of deforestation.
Place - A specific point on Earth, distinguished by a particular characteristic.
Example: Paris, known for the Eiffel Tower.
Sense of Place - emotional connections and attatchments individuals form with specific locations and environments.
Example: Feeling nostalgic about childhood home.
Placelessness - refers to similiarity of popular places and the loss of a place’s unique identity due to the influence of popular culture and globalization.
Example: Chain stores that look the same worldwide.
Absolute Location - defines a point or place on the map using coordinates such as latitude and longitude.
Example: The coordinates of the Eiffel Tower: 48.8584° N, 2.2945° E.
Relative Location - refers to the location of a place compared to a known place or geographic feature.
Example: New York City is located northeast of Philadelphia.
Toponym - The name given to a portion of Earth’s surface.
Example: "Rocky Mountains" as a geographical name.
Site - The physical character of a place.
Example: The physical characteristics of a valley.
Situation - The location of a place relative to another place.
Example: A city located near a capital.
Formal Region - An area in which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics.
Example: The Midwest in the USA, defined by shared agricultural practices.
Functional Region - An area organized around a node or focal point.
Example: The area served by a metropolitan transit system.
Vernacular Region - An area that people believe exists as a part of their cultural identity.
Example: "The South" in the USA, based on cultural identity.
Mental Map - A representation of a portion of Earth’s surface based on what an individual knows about a place that contains personal impressions of what is in the place and where the place is located.
Example: A student's drawing of their neighborhood.
Spatial Association - The relationship between the distribution of one feature and the distribution of another feature.
Example: The correlation between high-income areas and access to parks.
Globalization - Actions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope.
Example: The spread of fast-food chains worldwide.
Distribution - The arrangement of something accross Earth’s surface.
Example: The spread of coffee shops in a city.
Density - The frequency with which something exists withen a given unit of area.
Example: The number of people per square kilometer in a city.
Concentration - The spread of something over a given area.
Example: High concentration of tech companies in Silicon Valley.
Clustered Spatial Pattern - when things are commonly grouped/clustered together on Earth’s surface.
Example: Houses in a suburban neighborhood.
Dispersed Spatial Pattern - when things are spread out on Earth’s surface.
Example: Farms spread across a rural area.
Hearth - The region from which innovative ideas originate.
Example: The Fertile Crescent as the origin of agriculture.
Relocation Diffusion - The spread of a feature or trend through bodily movement of people from one place to another.
Example: The spread of pizza from Italy to the USA.
Hierarchical Diffusion - The spread of a feature or trend from one key person or node of authority or power to other persons or places.
Example: Fashion trends spreading from celebrities to the public.
Contagious Diffusion - The rapid, widespread diffusion of a feature or trend throughout a population.
Example: Viral social media challenges.
Stimulus Diffusion - The spread of an underlying principle even though a specific characteristic is rejected.
Example: The adaptation of sushi in various cuisines.
Distance decay - The diminished importance and eventual dissapearence of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin.
Example: Decreased sales of a product further from its origin.
Time-space compression - The decrease in time and relative distance between places.
Example: The impact of the internet on global communication.
Koppen System - categorizes climate zones throughout the world based on local vegetation.
Example: Classification of climates as tropical, arid, temperate, etc.
Sustainability - The use of Earth’s renewable and nonrenewable natural resources in ways that do not constrain resource use in the future.
Example: Solar energy use to reduce fossil fuel dependency.
Environmental Determinism - A nineteenth and early twentieth century approach to the study of geography which argued that the general laws sought by human geographers could be found in the physical sciences. Geography was therefore the study of how the physical environment caused human activities.
Example: The influence of climate on agricultural practices.
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.
Example: Urban development in flood-prone areas with levees.
Probabalism - the idea that the environment sets certain limits, but humans have a range of choices within those limits.
Example: Choosing crops based on climate limits.
Poststructuralist Geography - The study of space and the product of ideologies or value systems of ruling elites.
Example: Analyzing urban spaces through the lens of power dynamics.
Humanistic Geography - The study of different ways that individuals form ideas about place and give those places symbolic meanings.
Example: Personal meanings attached to a childhood home.
Behavioral Geography - The study of the phychological basis for individual human actions in space.
Example: Studying how people navigate a city.
Conservation - The sustainable management of a natural resource.
Example: Managing a forest to prevent overlogging.
Preservation - The maintenence of resources in their present condition, with as little human impact as possible.
Example: Protecting a national park from development.
Quantitative - involving numbers and data
Example: Analyzing population statistics.
Qualitative data - involving words and descriptive characteristics
Example: Interviews about community experiences.
Accessibility - the degree of ease with which it is possible to reach certain locations from other locations.
Example: Proximity of public transport to residential areas.
Connectivity - Refers to the relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space.
Example: A long-distance relationship flourishing because of social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok.
Map - A two dimensional, or flat, representation of Earth’s surface or a portion of it.
Example: A city map showing streets and landmarks.
Cartography - The science of making maps.
Example: The process of creating a topographic map.
Scale - Generally, the relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole.
Example: 1 inch on a map represents 1 mile on the ground.
Projection - A system used to transfer locations from Earth’s surface to a flat map.
Example: Using the Mercator projection for world maps.
Mercator Projection -A projecton where longitutde and latitude is shown at right angles. It preserves the shape of the map but distorts the size massively.
Example: A map of the world used in navigation.
Peters Projection - A projection that Preserves size of map but distorts shape.
Example: A world map emphasizing land area over shape.
Robinson Projection - A projection that preserves the size and shape of continents but distorts polar areas. Often used in atlases.
Example: An atlas map showing continents with balanced proportions.
Goode Projection - an interupted projection that removes much of oceans to preserve size and shape of continents, used in thematic maps.
Example: A thematic map focusing on population distribution.
Meridians - An arc drawn on a map between North and South poles.
Example: Lines of longitude on a globe.
Parallels - A circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at rufgr angles to the meridians.
Example: Lines of latitude, such as the Tropic of Cancer.
Longitude - The numbering system used to indicate the location of meridians drawn on a globe and measuring distance east and west of the prime meridian.
Example: 75° W indicates a location west of the Prime Meridian.
Latitude - The numbering system used to indicate the location of parallels drawn on a globe and measuring distance north and south of the equator.
Example: 30° N indicates a location north of the Equator.
Prime Meridian - The meridian designated as 0 degrees longitude, that passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwhich, England.
Example: The line running through Greenwich, England.
Equator - Imaginary line or circle around Earth that divides it into two equal parts; the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
Example: The imaginary line at 0° latitude.
International Date Line - An arc that for the most part follows 180 degrees longitude, although it deviates in several places to avoid dividing land areas. When it is crossed heading east, the clock moves back 24 hours, and when it is crossed heading west, the clock moves one day ahead.
Example: Crossing it changes the date by one day.
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) - The time in the zone encompassing the prime meridian, or 0 degrees longitude.
Example: The time zone for London, England.
GPS - Geographic Positioning System that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and recievers.
Example: Using a smartphone to find directions.
GIS - Geographic Information System (computer) that stores, organizes, analyzes, and displays geographic data.
Example: Software used for urban planning.
Remote sensing - The aquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a satelite orbiting the planet or from other long-distance methods.
Example: Satellite images of deforestation.
Place - A specific point on Earth, distinguished by a particular characteristic.
Example: Paris, known for the Eiffel Tower.
Sense of Place - emotional connections and attatchments individuals form with specific locations and environments.
Example: Feeling nostalgic about childhood home.
Placelessness - refers to similiarity of popular places and the loss of a place’s unique identity due to the influence of popular culture and globalization.
Example: Chain stores that look the same worldwide.
Absolute Location - defines a point or place on the map using coordinates such as latitude and longitude.
Example: The coordinates of the Eiffel Tower: 48.8584° N, 2.2945° E.
Relative Location - refers to the location of a place compared to a known place or geographic feature.
Example: New York City is located northeast of Philadelphia.
Toponym - The name given to a portion of Earth’s surface.
Example: "Rocky Mountains" as a geographical name.
Site - The physical character of a place.
Example: The physical characteristics of a valley.
Situation - The location of a place relative to another place.
Example: A city located near a capital.
Formal Region - An area in which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics.
Example: The Midwest in the USA, defined by shared agricultural practices.
Functional Region - An area organized around a node or focal point.
Example: The area served by a metropolitan transit system.
Vernacular Region - An area that people believe exists as a part of their cultural identity.
Example: "The South" in the USA, based on cultural identity.
Mental Map - A representation of a portion of Earth’s surface based on what an individual knows about a place that contains personal impressions of what is in the place and where the place is located.
Example: A student's drawing of their neighborhood.
Spatial Association - The relationship between the distribution of one feature and the distribution of another feature.
Example: The correlation between high-income areas and access to parks.
Globalization - Actions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope.
Example: The spread of fast-food chains worldwide.
Distribution - The arrangement of something accross Earth’s surface.
Example: The spread of coffee shops in a city.
Density - The frequency with which something exists withen a given unit of area.
Example: The number of people per square kilometer in a city.
Concentration - The spread of something over a given area.
Example: High concentration of tech companies in Silicon Valley.
Clustered Spatial Pattern - when things are commonly grouped/clustered together on Earth’s surface.
Example: Houses in a suburban neighborhood.
Dispersed Spatial Pattern - when things are spread out on Earth’s surface.
Example: Farms spread across a rural area.
Hearth - The region from which innovative ideas originate.
Example: The Fertile Crescent as the origin of agriculture.
Relocation Diffusion - The spread of a feature or trend through bodily movement of people from one place to another.
Example: The spread of pizza from Italy to the USA.
Hierarchical Diffusion - The spread of a feature or trend from one key person or node of authority or power to other persons or places.
Example: Fashion trends spreading from celebrities to the public.
Contagious Diffusion - The rapid, widespread diffusion of a feature or trend throughout a population.
Example: Viral social media challenges.
Stimulus Diffusion - The spread of an underlying principle even though a specific characteristic is rejected.
Example: The adaptation of sushi in various cuisines.
Distance decay - The diminished importance and eventual dissapearence of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin.
Example: Decreased sales of a product further from its origin.
Time-space compression - The decrease in time and relative distance between places.
Example: The impact of the internet on global communication.
Koppen System - categorizes climate zones throughout the world based on local vegetation.
Example: Classification of climates as tropical, arid, temperate, etc.
Sustainability - The use of Earth’s renewable and nonrenewable natural resources in ways that do not constrain resource use in the future.
Example: Solar energy use to reduce fossil fuel dependency.
Environmental Determinism - A nineteenth and early twentieth century approach to the study of geography which argued that the general laws sought by human geographers could be found in the physical sciences. Geography was therefore the study of how the physical environment caused human activities.
Example: The influence of climate on agricultural practices.
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.
Example: Urban development in flood-prone areas with levees.
Probabalism - the idea that the environment sets certain limits, but humans have a range of choices within those limits.
Example: Choosing crops based on climate limits.
Poststructuralist Geography - The study of space and the product of ideologies or value systems of ruling elites.
Example: Analyzing urban spaces through the lens of power dynamics.
Humanistic Geography - The study of different ways that individuals form ideas about place and give those places symbolic meanings.
Example: Personal meanings attached to a childhood home.
Behavioral Geography - The study of the phychological basis for individual human actions in space.
Example: Studying how people navigate a city.
Conservation - The sustainable management of a natural resource.
Example: Managing a forest to prevent overlogging.
Preservation - The maintenence of resources in their present condition, with as little human impact as possible.
Example: Protecting a national park from development.
Quantitative - involving numbers and data
Example: Analyzing population statistics.
Qualitative data - involving words and descriptive characteristics
Example: Interviews about community experiences.
Accessibility - the degree of ease with which it is possible to reach certain locations from other locations.
Example: Proximity of public transport to residential areas.
Connectivity - Refers to the relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space.
Example: A long-distance relationship flourishing because of social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok.
