Unit 1
Map projections are used to display a 3D globe on a 2D surface, resulting in distortions. There are hundreds of map projections, but for AP Human Geography, you only need to be familiar with a few.
Projection | Characteristics | Uses |
|---|---|---|
Mercator | Conformal, accurate direction, distortions in size and location | Naval expeditions |
Gall-Peters | Equal-area, accurate size, distortions in shape and direction | |
Robinson | Minimizes distortion, preserves size and shape, distortions near poles | |
Good Homo Scene | Equal-area, pseudo-cylindrical, distortions in distance near edges |
Reference maps are informational maps that show boundaries, toponym, and geographic features of a place.
Topographic maps use contour lines to display terrain and elevation changes in an area.
"The closer the lines are together, the steeper the terrain is."
Thematic maps display spatial patterns of places and use quantitative data to display specific topics.
Chloropluff maps: display data using different colors or shades of color
Dot density maps: show data by placing points on a map where the data is occurring
Graduated symbol maps: use shapes or symbols to show location and amount of data
Isoline maps: use lines to connect areas with similar or equal amounts of data
Cartogram maps: show data in a dynamic way, with the greatest value represented by the largest area
Flowline maps: show movement of goods, people, animals, services, or ideas between different places
Geographers collect data through:
Remote sensing: collecting information about the world from satellites
Field observations: visiting a place and recording first-hand observations
Personal interviews: learning about a place and collecting individuals' unique perspectives
Media reports: understanding what people in an area are experiencing
Government documents: understanding cultural values and priorities
Travel narratives: gaining insight into individuals' experiences and observations
GIS is a computer system that collects, analyzes, and displays geographic data, creating layered maps that give geographers insight into spatial associations and patterns of a place.## Data Acquisition 📊
Geographers acquire data through various methods, including:
Landscape analysis: studying images captured by geospatial technology to understand changes in an area and the impact of human activities on the environment.
Photo analysis: examining photographs or video recordings to observe wildlife, vegetation, geography, and other physical elements of a place.
Places while visiting or living in an area.
There are two main categories of data:
Information that is often in word form, subjective, and open to interpretation.
Collecting data through observations and interviews.
Example: approval rating of a school's lunch food.
Information that is often in number form, objective, and not open to interpretation.
Collecting data through a country's census, which includes demographic data such as age, education level, housing status, sex, and more.
Example: demographic breakdown of India, including population pyramids.
When we change our scale, we gain different insights into geographic data.
Local scale: understanding exact locations and details of an area.
National scale: seeing different spatial relationships within a country's boundary.
Global scale: observing patterns and relying on generalization.
Level | Use of Geographic Data |
|---|---|
Local | City governments use data to make decisions about zoning and planning for future growth. |
Regional | Regional governments allocate funds for infrastructure projects, social services, and pass laws. |
National | Federal governments decide on federal laws and programs. |
Global | Supernational organizations, like the United Nations, use data to counter famine, epidemics, and conflicts. |
Level | Use of Geographic Data |
|---|---|
Local | Businesses use data to understand the needs and wants of customers and operations. |
Regional | Comparing store sales to identify favorable areas. |
National | Identifying good company policies and trends. |
Global | Finding new sources of resources, workers, ideas, and markets. |
Level | Use of Geographic Data |
|---|---|
Local | Using GPS, thematic maps, and crime rates to inform daily decisions. |
Regional | Comparing opportunities and policies between regions. |
National | Informing voting decisions based on economic and social performances. |
Global | Understanding the world, comparing countries, and gaining insight into global systems. |
Absolute location: an exact location on the Earth's surface, using longitude and latitude.
Relative location: the relation a place has to the surrounding area, using descriptions of buildings, geographic features, and other landmarks.
Place: a location with physical and human characteristics, such as rivers, mountains, vegetation, climate, languages, religions, and culture.
Sense of place: an emotional response to a place, influenced by its unique features and personal memories.
Placelessness: when a location lacks identity and unique features, leading to a lack of emotional response.## Spatial Analysis 🗺
Density: the amount of objects or people in an area
Concentration: how things are spread out in an area (e.g. clustered together or dispersed)
Pattern: the arrangement of things in an area (e.g. grid formation or linear pattern)
"We can gain a better understanding of the flow, use, purpose, and culture of that place by observing different spatial distributions of a place."
The concept that the world today is more connected than ever before due to advancements in technology, apology, and communication.
This phenomenon has decreased the impact of distance decay, a geographic concept that looks at how likely a person or place is to interact with another person or place based on distance.
Environmental Determinism | Environmental Possibilism | |
|---|---|---|
Belief | The environment dictates the success of a society | The environment puts limits on a society, but people have the ability to adapt and create their own success |
Influence | Environment determines culture | Environment and culture influence each other |
Agricultural land use: land used for production of different agricultural products
Industrial land use: land used for factories and manufacturing facilities
Commercial land use: land used for businesses and stores
Residential land use: land used for people to live on and build homes
Recreational land use: land set aside for people to relax and unwind
Transportational land use: land used for roads, railroads, airports, and public transportation
Scale | Description |
|---|---|
Global scale | Shows global patterns, not connected to any one country |
National scale | Data and information organized by country |
Regional scale | Data and information organized into different Federal Reserve Districts |
Local scale | Data and information organized by counties or smaller geographic areas |
Small scale maps are zoomed out and use more generalizations
Large scale maps are zoomed in and use less generalizations
Formal regions (uniform regions): geographic areas with common attributes, defined by economic, political, social, or environmental characteristics
Functional regions (nodal regions): geographic areas organized around a node or Center Point, often based on economic activity, travel, or communication
Perceptual regions (vernacular regions): geographic areas linked together due to people's opinions, attitudes, feelings, or perceptions
Map projections are used to display a 3D globe on a 2D surface, resulting in distortions. There are hundreds of map projections, but for AP Human Geography, you only need to be familiar with a few.
Projection | Characteristics | Uses |
|---|---|---|
Mercator | Conformal, accurate direction, distortions in size and location | Naval expeditions |
Gall-Peters | Equal-area, accurate size, distortions in shape and direction | |
Robinson | Minimizes distortion, preserves size and shape, distortions near poles | |
Good Homo Scene | Equal-area, pseudo-cylindrical, distortions in distance near edges |
Reference maps are informational maps that show boundaries, toponym, and geographic features of a place.
Topographic maps use contour lines to display terrain and elevation changes in an area.
"The closer the lines are together, the steeper the terrain is."
Thematic maps display spatial patterns of places and use quantitative data to display specific topics.
Chloropluff maps: display data using different colors or shades of color
Dot density maps: show data by placing points on a map where the data is occurring
Graduated symbol maps: use shapes or symbols to show location and amount of data
Isoline maps: use lines to connect areas with similar or equal amounts of data
Cartogram maps: show data in a dynamic way, with the greatest value represented by the largest area
Flowline maps: show movement of goods, people, animals, services, or ideas between different places
Geographers collect data through:
Remote sensing: collecting information about the world from satellites
Field observations: visiting a place and recording first-hand observations
Personal interviews: learning about a place and collecting individuals' unique perspectives
Media reports: understanding what people in an area are experiencing
Government documents: understanding cultural values and priorities
Travel narratives: gaining insight into individuals' experiences and observations
GIS is a computer system that collects, analyzes, and displays geographic data, creating layered maps that give geographers insight into spatial associations and patterns of a place.## Data Acquisition 📊
Geographers acquire data through various methods, including:
Landscape analysis: studying images captured by geospatial technology to understand changes in an area and the impact of human activities on the environment.
Photo analysis: examining photographs or video recordings to observe wildlife, vegetation, geography, and other physical elements of a place.
Places while visiting or living in an area.
There are two main categories of data:
Information that is often in word form, subjective, and open to interpretation.
Collecting data through observations and interviews.
Example: approval rating of a school's lunch food.
Information that is often in number form, objective, and not open to interpretation.
Collecting data through a country's census, which includes demographic data such as age, education level, housing status, sex, and more.
Example: demographic breakdown of India, including population pyramids.
When we change our scale, we gain different insights into geographic data.
Local scale: understanding exact locations and details of an area.
National scale: seeing different spatial relationships within a country's boundary.
Global scale: observing patterns and relying on generalization.
Level | Use of Geographic Data |
|---|---|
Local | City governments use data to make decisions about zoning and planning for future growth. |
Regional | Regional governments allocate funds for infrastructure projects, social services, and pass laws. |
National | Federal governments decide on federal laws and programs. |
Global | Supernational organizations, like the United Nations, use data to counter famine, epidemics, and conflicts. |
Level | Use of Geographic Data |
|---|---|
Local | Businesses use data to understand the needs and wants of customers and operations. |
Regional | Comparing store sales to identify favorable areas. |
National | Identifying good company policies and trends. |
Global | Finding new sources of resources, workers, ideas, and markets. |
Level | Use of Geographic Data |
|---|---|
Local | Using GPS, thematic maps, and crime rates to inform daily decisions. |
Regional | Comparing opportunities and policies between regions. |
National | Informing voting decisions based on economic and social performances. |
Global | Understanding the world, comparing countries, and gaining insight into global systems. |
Absolute location: an exact location on the Earth's surface, using longitude and latitude.
Relative location: the relation a place has to the surrounding area, using descriptions of buildings, geographic features, and other landmarks.
Place: a location with physical and human characteristics, such as rivers, mountains, vegetation, climate, languages, religions, and culture.
Sense of place: an emotional response to a place, influenced by its unique features and personal memories.
Placelessness: when a location lacks identity and unique features, leading to a lack of emotional response.## Spatial Analysis 🗺
Density: the amount of objects or people in an area
Concentration: how things are spread out in an area (e.g. clustered together or dispersed)
Pattern: the arrangement of things in an area (e.g. grid formation or linear pattern)
"We can gain a better understanding of the flow, use, purpose, and culture of that place by observing different spatial distributions of a place."
The concept that the world today is more connected than ever before due to advancements in technology, apology, and communication.
This phenomenon has decreased the impact of distance decay, a geographic concept that looks at how likely a person or place is to interact with another person or place based on distance.
Environmental Determinism | Environmental Possibilism | |
|---|---|---|
Belief | The environment dictates the success of a society | The environment puts limits on a society, but people have the ability to adapt and create their own success |
Influence | Environment determines culture | Environment and culture influence each other |
Agricultural land use: land used for production of different agricultural products
Industrial land use: land used for factories and manufacturing facilities
Commercial land use: land used for businesses and stores
Residential land use: land used for people to live on and build homes
Recreational land use: land set aside for people to relax and unwind
Transportational land use: land used for roads, railroads, airports, and public transportation
Scale | Description |
|---|---|
Global scale | Shows global patterns, not connected to any one country |
National scale | Data and information organized by country |
Regional scale | Data and information organized into different Federal Reserve Districts |
Local scale | Data and information organized by counties or smaller geographic areas |
Small scale maps are zoomed out and use more generalizations
Large scale maps are zoomed in and use less generalizations
Formal regions (uniform regions): geographic areas with common attributes, defined by economic, political, social, or environmental characteristics
Functional regions (nodal regions): geographic areas organized around a node or Center Point, often based on economic activity, travel, or communication
Perceptual regions (vernacular regions): geographic areas linked together due to people's opinions, attitudes, feelings, or perceptions
