AMSCO Vocab Chapter 1 Flashcards
spatial approach
considers the arrangement of the phenomena being studied across the surface of the earth
absolute location
the precise spot where something is
latitude
distance north or south of the equator
longitude
distance east or west of the prime meridian
equator
the imaginary line that circles the globe halfway between the north and south poles.
prime meridian
the imaginary line that runs from North pole to South pole
International Date Line
roughly follows the prime meridian but makes deviations to accommodate international boundaries
relative location
description of where something is in relation to other things
connectivity
how well two locations are tied together by roads or other links
accessibility
how quickly and easily people in one location can interact with people in another location
ghost towns
abandoned settlements
place
specific human and physical characteristics of a location
region
group of places in the same area that shares a characteristic
site
characteristics at the immediate location
situation
location of a place based on its surroundings and other places
sense of place
related to the concept of place
toponyms
place names
landscape analysis
the task of defining and describing landscapes
distance
measurement of how far or near things are to one another
proximity
the degree of nearness
time-space compression
the shrinking “time-distance” between locations because of the improved methods of transportation and communication
spatial interaction
refers to the contact, movement, and flow of things between locations
friction of distance
when things are farther apart, they tend to be less well connected
distance decay
the inverse relationship between distance and connection
density
number of something in a specifically defined area
distribution
the way a phenomenon is spread out over an area
spatial association
matching patterns of distribution; indicates that two (or more) phenomena may be related or associated with another
human-environment interaction
connection and exchange between humans and the natural world
cultural ecology
the study of how humans adapt to the environment
environmental determinism
the belief that landforms and climate are the most powerful forces shaping human behavior and societal development
possibilism
a view that acknowledges limits on the effects of the natural environment ad focuses more on the role that human culture plays
field observation
the act of physically visiting a location, place, or region and recording, firsthand, information there
spatial data
information that can be tied to specific locations
aerial photography
professional images captured from planes within the atmosphere
built environment
physical artifacts that humans have created and that form a part of the landscape
cultural landscape
anything built by humans
