AP human geography: Unit 1

4 main properties of a map

shape (geometric shapes) size (space taken up) distance (represented distance between 2 points) direction (degree of accuracy with cardinal directions)

gall-peters projection

shows size, but not shape

geographic model

simplified version of what is on the earth

data aggregation

size of geographic units being represented on a map

cultural ecology

study of human-environment interaction

global positioning system (GPS)

system of satellites used to determine exact location on the earth

remote sensing

technique of obtaining information about objects through the study of data collected by special instruments that are not in physical contact with the objects being analyzed

place

physical/cultural attributes that give each location on the earth its individual "stamp"

node

place from where diffusion of something happens

region

places having similar characteristics

absolute location

position of an object on the global grid (latitude/longitude)

spatial interaction

process in which goods, ideas, information and people move among places

cartography

process of mapmaking

formal region

region composed of areas that have a common cultural/physical feature

perceptual region

region whose boundaries are determined by beliefs

map scale

relationship between distance on the map and the actual measurement in the real world

greenwich mean time (GMT)

baseline for time zones around the world

human geography

branch of geography studying the reason behind the location/interactions of humans on the earth

physical geography

branch of geography that has to do with things of the earth (soil/climate/plants/etc.)

simplification

cartographers process of eliminating unnecessary details on a map

great circles

cicles formed on the surface of the earth by plane routes. (the arc is the shortest distance between 2 points)

relative directions

common directions (up, down, left, right)

geographic information system (GIS)

computer program that stores geographic data and produces map to show the data

primary data

data collected directly from someone

secondary data

data gathered from someone who got it from the geographer

friction of distance

degree to which distance interferes with some interaction

lines of longitude

east-west of prime meridian

anglocentric

focused on the English culture

functional region

group of places linked together by some influence (from a central place)

map

2-D model of the earth

cardinal directions

North, South, East and West

human-environment interaction

human's impact on the environment and the environment's impact on humans

space-time compression

increasing sense of accessibility and connectivity that seems to be bringing humans in distance places closer together

site

internal physical/cultural characteristics of a place

5 themes of geography

location (where something is) human-environment interaction (humans-environment) region (spatial units that share some characteristics) place(the attributes of a spot) movement (how things move)

situation

location of a place relative to the physical/cultural characteristics around it

relative location

location of a place/object in relation to other places/objects

isoline thematic map

map displaying lines that connect points of equal value

cognitive map

map drawn from memory

reference map

map showing common features

mercator projection

map showing shapes but drastically distorting size

equal-are projection

map that maintains area, but distorts other properties

azimuthal projection

map that maintains direction, but distorts other properties

equidistant projection

map that maintains distance, but distorts other properties

conformal projection

map that maintains shape but distorts other properties

choropleth thematic map

map that shows a pattern of a variable by using various colors/degrees of shading

proportional-symbol thematic map

map that uses a symbol to display the frequency of a variable

cartogram

map that uses proportionality to show a particular variable

thematic map

map that zeroes in on one feature

robinson projection

map with slight distortions to all four properties, not just one

movement

movement on the face of the earth of things

distortion

necessary error resulting from trying to portray the earth on a flat map

lines of latitude

north-south from equator

intermediate directions

northwest, southwest, northeast, southeast

spatial perspective

outlook through which geographers identify, explain and predict the human/physical patterns in space and the interconnectedness of different spaces

distance decay

pattern in which the interaction between two places declines as the distance between the two places increases

sense of place

person's perception of that place

dot density map

thematic map that uses dots to represent the frequency of a variable