AP Human Geography Chapter 1- Basic Concepts Flashcards
atmosphere
the thin layer of gases surrounding Earth
biosphere
All living organisms on Earth, including plants and animals, as well as microorganisms.
cartography
the science of mapmaking
climate
average weather in a place
concentration
extent of feature’s spread over space
contagious diffusion
the rapid, widespread diffusion of a feature of trend throughout a population
cultural ecology
a geographic approach that emphasizes human-environment relationships
cultural landscape
the fashioning of a natural landscape by a cultural group
culture
the body of customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits that together constitute a group’s distinct tradition
density
the frequency with which something exists within a given unit of area.
diffusion
the process of spread of a feature or trend from one place to another over time.
distance decay
the diminishing in importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin
distribution
arrangement of something across Earth’s surface
ecosystem
a group of living organisms and the abiotic spheres with which they interact.
environmental determinism
a nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuray approach to the study of geography with 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.
equator
latitude at 0°.
equal-area projection
a map projection that shows the sizes of regions in correct relation to one another but distorts shapes
expansion diffusion
the spread of a feature or trend among people from one area to another in an additive process
formal region
an area in which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics
functional region
an area organized around a node or focal point
GIScience
the development and analysis of data about Earth acquired through satellite and other electronic information technologies.
GIS
a computer system that stores, organizes, analyzes, and displays geographic data.
GPS
a system that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers.
globalization
actions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope
GMT
the time in the zone encompassing the prime meridian, or 0° longitude.
hearth
the region from which innovative ideas originate
hierarchical diffusion
the spread of a feature or trend from one key person or node of authority or power to other persons or places.
housing bubble
a rapid increase in the value of houses followed by a sharp decline in their value
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 you cross it heading towards America, you gain a day. When you cross it towards Asia, you lose a day.
latitude
indicates parallels drawn on a globe and measuring distance north and south of the equator. ‘fatitude’
location
the position of anything on Earth’s surface.
longitude
indicates the location of meridians drawn on a globe and measuring distance east and west of the prime meridian
map projection
a system used to transfer locations from Earth’s surface to a flat map
map scale
the relationship between the size of an object on a map and the size of the actual feature on Earth’s surface
mercator projection
a true conformal cylindrical map projection, the Mercator projection is particularly uyseful for navigation because it maintains accurate direction. Mercator projections are famous for their distortion in area that makes landmasses at the poles appear oversized
mental math
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
meridian
an arc drawn on a map between the North and South poles
network
a chain of communication that connects places
nonrenewable research
something produced in nature more slowly than it is consumed by humans
parallel
a circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at right angles to the meridians
pattern
the geometric or regular arrangement of something in a study area
place
specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular characteristic
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
preservation
maintenance of a resource in its present condition, with as little human impact as possible
prime meridian
the meridian, designated at 0° longitude, that passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England
region
an area distinguished by a unique combination of trends or features
regional studies
an approach to geography that emphasizes the relationships among social and physical phenomena in a particular study area
relocation diffusion
the spread of a feature or trend through bodily movement of people from one place to another
remote sensing
the acquisition of data about earth’s surface form a satellite orbiting the planet or form other long-distance methods
robinson projection
projection that attempts to balance several possible projection errors. It does not maintain completely accurate area, shape, distance, or direction, but it minimizes errors in each
renewable resource
something produced in nature more rapidly than consumed by humans
scale
generally, the relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole
site
the physical character of a place
situation
the location of a place relative to another place
space-time compression
the reduction in the time it takes to diffuse something to a distant place as a result of improved communications and transportation systems
spatial analysis
examining geographic patterns to identify relationships; Thinking necessary to answer questions like: Why is what where? What are the patterns?
stimulus diffusion
the spread of an underlying principle even though a specific characteristic is rejected
sustainability
the use of earth’s renewable and nonrenewable natural resources in ways that do not constrain resource use in the future
toponym
the name given to a portion of earth’s surface
transnational corperation
a company that conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters or shareholders are located
uneven development
the increasing gap in economic conditions between core and peripheral regions as a result of the globalization of the economy
vernacular region
an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity (the South)
