Chapter 1- Thinking Geographically Flashcards
Geography
Geo- Earth
Graphy- writing
Human Geography
The study of where and why human activities are located where they are.
Ex’s: Religions, businesses and cities
Map
A two-dimensional or flat scale model of Earth’s surface, or a portion of it.
- A tool for storing reference material
- A tool for communicating Geographic information
Place
A specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular characteristic.
Region
An area of Earth distinguished by a distinct combination of cultural and physical features.
Scale
The relationship between the portion of the Earth being studied and the Earth as a whole.
- Fraction
- Written
- Graphic
Space
The physical gap or interval between two objects.
Connections
Relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space.
Cartography
The science of map making
Four types of projection distortion
- Shape- More elongated or squat than in reality
- Distance- Area between two points may become increased or decreased
- Relative Size- Areas may appear larger or smaller than in reality
- Direction- From one place to another may be distorted
Land Ordinance of 1785
An indicator of locations which divided much of the US into a system of townships (square 6 miles on each side which are then divided up into 36 sections) and ranges to manage land sales to Western settlers.
GIS
Geographic Information System:
A computer system that can capture, store, query, analyze and display geographic information.
-Information in layers (shows relationships)
Ex: impact of farming on water pollution
-Easier and more accurate than hand drawn maps
Remote Sensing
The acquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting Earth or other long distance methods.
Robinson Projection
- Useful for displaying information across the oceans
- Land areas are smaller than on interrupted maps of the same size
Mercator Projection
- Shape is distorted very little
- Direction is consistent
- size distorted by the poles making high latitude places (like Greenland) look much larger than they actually are.
- Rectangular
GPS
Global Positioning System: A system that accurately determines the precise location of something on Earth. -Navigation of aircrafts and ships -Directions for pedestrians and drivers -Info can be entered into a GIS
Toponym
The name given to a place on Earth
-People
-Physical features
Historical events
Site
The physical character of a place -Climate -Water sources -Topography -Soil -Vegetation -Latitude -Elevation Note: People have the ability to modify the characteristics of a site
Situation
The location of a place relative to other places
- Helps people find unfamiliar places
- Allows for people to understand its importance
Meridian
An arc drawn between the North and South Poles
Parallel
A circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at right angles to the meridians.