AP Human Vocab 1 Flashcards
Map
Map- a two-dimensional model of Earth’s surface, or a portion of it.
Place
Place- a specific point of Earth distinguished by a particular character.
Region
Region- an area of Earth distinguished by a distinctive combination of cultural and physical features.
Scale
Scale- the relationship between a map’s distances and the actual distances on Earth.
space
Space- the physical gap between two objects.
connections
Connections- relationships among people and objects across a barrier of space.
Cartography
Cartography- the science of map-making.
Projection
Projection- the method of transferring locations on Earth’s surface to a map.
Geographic Information System (GIS)
Geographic Information System- (GIS) a computer that can capture, store, query, analyze, and display geographic date.
Remote sensing
Remote Sensing- the acquisition of data about Earth’s surface for a satellite.
Global positioning system (GPS)
Global Positioning System- (GPS) a system that determines one’s exact location on Earth.
Absolute distance
Absolute Distance- exact measurement of the physical space between two places
Relative distance
Relative Distance- approximate measurement of the physical space between two places
location
Location- the position that something occupies on Earth’s surface.
absolute location
Absolute Location-position on Earth’s surface using the coordinate system of longitude and latitude
relative location
Relative Location- position on Earth’s surface relative to other features (ex. My house is south of the James River)
friction of distance
Friction of distance- based on the idea that distance usually requires some amount of effort, money, and energy to overcome. Because of this “friction,” spatial interactions will tend to take place more often over shorter distances; quantity of interaction will decline with distance
distance decay
Distance Decay- the diminishing importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin. Usually, the farther away one group is from another, the less likely the two groups are to interact. Internet and e-mail have aided in eliminating barriers to interaction between people who are far from each other.
networks
Networks- term defined by Manuel Castells as a set of interconnected nodes without a center
accessibility
Accessibility- degree of ease with which it’s possible to reach a certain location from other locations. Varies from place to place and can be measured.
toponym
Toponym- the name given to a place on Earth.
Place names commonly have:
-British origins in N. America and Australia
-Portuguese origins in Brazil
-Spanish origins elsewhere in Latin America
-Dutch origins in S. Africa
-The Board of Geographical Names was established in the late nineteenth century to be the final arbiter of names on U.S. maps.
site
Site- the physical character of a place.
Situation.
Situation- the location of a place relative to other places.
meridian
Meridian- (longitude) an arc drawn between the North and South poles.
parallel
Parallel- (latitude) a circle drawn around the globe parallel to equator and perpendicular to meridians.
Greenwich mean time (GMT)
Greenwich Mean Time- (GMT) the internationally agreed official time reference for Earth.
international date line
International Date Line- the longitude at which one moves forward or backward 1 day.
cultural landscape
Cultural Landscape- defined by Carl Sauer, it is the area of Earth modified by human habitation. Also regional studies.
sequent occupance
Sequent Occupance- notion that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape. Symbolizes how humans interact with their surroundings
formal region
Formal region- an area within which everyone shares one or more distinctive characteristics.
functional region
Functional region- an area organized around a node or focal point.
vernacular region
Vernacular region- a place that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity. Also the area in which a specific language dialect is widely used.
mental map
Mental map- one’s perceived image of the surrounding landscape’s organization.
culture
Culture- the body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people.
cultural ecology
Cultural ecology- the geographic study of human-environment relations.
environmental determinism
Environmental determinism- belief that the physical environment causes social development.
Proponents include:
-Alexander von Humboldt
-Carl Ritter
-Friedrich Ratzel
-Ellen Churchill Semple
-Ellsworth Huntington (argued that climate was determining factor)
possibilism
Possibilism- the counter to e.d. (above), it is the belief that while environment can limit certain actions of a people, it cannot wholly predestine their development.
resources
Resources- the substances found on Earth that are useful to people.
climate
-Climate is often classified using the system developed by German Vladimir Köppen. The modified Koppen system divides the world into five main climate regions:
-A Tropical Climates -B Dry Climates -C Warm Mid-Latitude Climates -D Cold Mid-Latitude Climates -E Polar Climates
Each of these divisions is further subdivided based on precipitation levels and seasons.
polder
Polder- a piece of land that is created by draining water from an area. First built in 13th century in the Netherlands.
globalization
Globalization- a process that involves the entire world and results in making something worldwide in scope.
transnational
Transnational: a company that conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters or shareholders are located
distribution
Distribution- the arrangement of a feature in a space.
spatial distribution
Spatial Distribution- physical location of geographic phenomena across space
size
Size- estimation or determination of extent
density
Density- the frequency with which something occurs.
arithmetic density
Arithmetic density- the total number of people in an area.
physiological
Physiological density- the total number of people per unit of arable land.
agricultural density
Agricultural density- the total number of farmers per unit of arable land.
concentration
Concentration- the extent of a feature’s spread over space.
pattern
Pattern- the geometric arrangement of objects in space. Some features are organized in geometric patterns, while others are distributed irregularly. Many objects form a linear distribution, like the arrangement of houses on a street or stations on a subway line.
space time compression
Space-time compression- the reduction in the time it takes for something to reach another place.
distance decay
Distance decay- the farther away one group is from another, the less likely the two groups are to interact.
diffusion
Diffusion- the process by which a characteristic spreads across space.
-Innovations spread from the place they originated, hearths.
-Two types of Diffusion:
Relocation
Expansion
relocation diffusion
-Relocation diffusion is the spread of an idea through the physical movements of people.
expansion diffusion
-Expansion diffusion is the spread of an idea through “snowballing” and is further divided into 3 subgroups:
hierarchical
contagious
stimulus
Hierarchical diffusion
-Hierarchical diffusion is the spread of something through only certain or elite classes of society, such as through a fax machine.
contagious diffusion
-Contagious diffusion is the spread of something rapidly through all levels of society, such as popular fads.
stimulus diffusion
-Stimulus diffusion is the spread of an underlying principle, even if a characteristic itself fails to diffuse.
