APHG Unit 1

region

An area distinguished by a unique combination of trends or features. Three types - formal, functional, or perceptual

mental map

An internal representation of a portion of Earth's surface based on what an individual knows about a place, containing personal impressions of what is in a place and where places are located.

Parallels

Another name for lines of latitude

Meridians

Another name for lines of longitude

Robinson Projection

Area and distance is accurate oceans are distorted

Carl Sauer

Argued that cultural landscapes should be the fundamental focus of geographic inquiry

Functional Region

A ______ defined by the particular set of activities or interactions that occur within it. Ex - pizza delivery, school districts, cable service providers. Also known as a nodal region.

Perceptual Region

A ______ that only exists as a conceptualization or an idea and not as a physically outlined area. May be different from person to person. Example - What is considered part of the Southern United States will vary from person to person. Also known as a vernacular region.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

A collection of computer hardware and software that permits spatial data to be collected, recorded, stored, retrieved, manipulated, analyzed, and displayed to the user. Layering of data

Five Themes

Developed by the Geographic Educational National Implemention Project (GENIP), the _______ _____ of geography are location, human-environment, region, place, and movement.

Formal Region

A region that is defined by some trait of homogeneity including political boundaries, a common language, or climate. Als called uniform region.

cultural trait

A single element of normal practice in a culture, such as the wearing of a turban.

Isoline Map

A thematic map with lines that connect points of equal value.

Quantitative research

Research that provides data that can be expressed with numbers, such as ranks or scales.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Satellite-based system for determining the absolute location of places or geographic features.

Map (cartographic) Scale

Small scale = large area such as the world, Large Scale = small area such as a city

cultural barrier

Something that stops the spread of a culture or a culture trait

activity space

The area within which people move freely on their rounds of regular activity

spatial distribution

The arrangement of phenomenon across the Earth's surface

Cartography

The art and science of making maps, including data compilation, layout, and design. Also concerned with the interpretation of mapped patterns.

Time-Distance Decay

The declining spread of an idea or innovation due to increasing time and distance from its hearth.

contagious diffusion

The distance-controlled spreading of an idea, innovation, or some other item through a local population by contact from person to person. - type of expansion diffusion

Absolute Location

The exact position of a place on the earth's surface. Given in latitude and longitude or address

Environmental Determinism

The idea that the natural environment will determine how and what a culture develops

location

The position of anything on Earth's surface. Absolute or relative

diffusion

The process of spread of a feature or trend from one place to another over time

Relative Location

The regional position or situation of a place relative to the position of other places. Also referred to as situation.

expansion diffusion

The spread of a feature or trend among people from one area to another in a snowballing process.

relocation diffusion

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

stimulus diffusion

The spread of an underlying principle, even though a specific characteristic is rejected. - type of expansion diffusion

independent invention

The term for a trait with many cultural hearths that developed independent of each other

Mercator Projection

a map that has parallel lines of latitude and longitude. Distorts the poles.

culture complex

a unique combination of culture traits for a particular culture group

Polar projection

an azimuthal projection that is centered on one of the poles

latitude

an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator, measures distance north or south of the equator.

Eratosthenes

calculated the circumference of the earth

Gall-Peters Projection

equal area projection that distorts the shape of land masses (looks stretched out)

Two categories of diffusion

expansion and relocation

Movement

how people, goods, and ideas get from one place to another

Choropleth Map

map based on colors to show patterns

Graduated Symbol Map

map in which point or line data are displayed by varying symbol size or thickness

spatial

pertaining to space on the Earth's surface; sometimes used as a synonym for geographic.

site

physical character of a place, includes absolute location, climate, type of soil

Prime Meridian

the earth's zero degree of longitude, which by convention passes through Greenwich, England.

Globalization

the expansion of economic, political, and cultural processes & impacts to the global scale and impact.

International Date Line

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

longitude

the lines on a map that run north to south, but measure distance east or west of the prime meridian.

sequent occupance

the notion that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape

hierarchical diffusion

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

Fieldwork

the study of geographic phenomena by visiting and observing how people interact with and thereby change those places. Observing geography in action.

Human Environment Interaction

the study of the interrelationship between people and their physical environment

political ecology

the study of the relationships between political, economic and social factors with environmental issues and changes

cultural landscape

the visible imprint of human activity and culture on the landscape

Place

uniqueness of a location - What it is like somewhere.

terra incognita

unknown land

location theory

A logical attempt to explain the location of an economic activity and the manner in which its producing areas are interrelated. Should a Chick-fil-a come to Crestwood?

Contour Map

A map using contour lines to show elevation

Remote Sensing

A method of collecting data or information through the use of instruments (such as satellites or drones) that are distant from the area or object of study.

Perception of Place

Belief or "understanding" about a place developed through books, movies, stories or pictures.

culture

Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people.

Possibilism

Geographic viewpoint- a response to determinism- that holds that human descision making, not the environment, is the critical factor in cultural development.

geographic scale

Level of imapct or spread - local, regional, national, regional, globabl

Five Themes of Geography

Location, Place, Human-Environment Interaction, Movement, Region

cultural hearth

Locations on Earth's surface where specific cultures first arose.

generalized maps

Maps that show general trends, but do not show all cases of a given phenomena. The scale may be too broad to show all information.

Reference Maps

Maps that show the absolute location of places and geographic features. Examples include: physical, political and road maps

Thematic Maps

Maps that tell stories, typically showing the degree of some attribute of the movement of a geographic phenomenon. Examples include: choropleth, dot, graduated symbol, isoline

Dot Map

Maps where one dot represents a certain number of a phenomenon, such as a population.

Qualitative research

Market research concerned with collecting data on attitudes, opinions, beliefs, intentions etc.

Human Geography

One of the two major divisions of Geography; the spatial analysis of human population, its cultures, activities, and landscapes.

Physical Geography

One of the two major divisions of systematic geography; the spatial analysis of the structure, processes, and location of Earth's natural phenomena such as climate, soil, plants, animals, and topography.

Sense of Place

State of mind developed through the infusion of a place with meaning and emotion by remembering important events that occurred in that place or by labeling a place with a certain character. The way a place you have visited makes you feel.

Cultural Ecology

The multiple interactions and relationships between a culture and the natural environment. Similar to human-environment interaction.

toponym

The name of a place, often can provide details about the area or who settled there.

Flow Map

Used to show the sequence of events or organizational structure.