Exam 1 Flashcards
Physical Geography (Natural Science)
studies the characteristics of the physical environment. Concentrates on topics such as climate, soil, and vegetation.
Human Geography (Social Science)
studies human groups and their activities, such as language, industry, and the building of cities.
Cultural Geography
study of cultural products and norms and their variations across and relations to spaces and places
Cartography
study and practice of making maps
Regional Geography
describes and analyzes places in terms of categories such as local population, customs, politics, economy, and religion
Topical Geography
topics of universal application or occurrence. ie: geography of climate, water, vegetation, or minerals
Formal Region
exhibits essential uniformity in one or more physical or cultural features, such as climate type or language area
Functional Region
interactions among places, such as trade or communication
Vernacular Region
widespread popular perception of their existence by people within or outside them
Spatial Analysis
looks for patterns in the distribution of human actions, environmental processes, and interactions among and between places or regions
Distribution
its position, placement, or arrangement throughout space
Density
frequency of occurrence of a phenomenon in relation to geographic area
Concentrations
distribution of a phenomenon within a given area
Patterns
geometric arrangement of objects within an area
Distance Decay
the presence or impact of any phenomenon may diminish away from its origin, just as the volume of a sound diminishes the further it gets from its source
Diffusion
an item or feature that spreads across space
Natural Landscape
without evidence of human activity
Cultural Landscape
one that reveals the many ways people modify their local environment
Geographic Grid
used to accurately measure the position of any place on the surface of the Earth
Latitude
angular distance north or south of the equator; 0º to 90º N or S of the equator; 1º = 69 mi; 1’ (minute) = 1.2 mi; 1” (seconds) = 101 ft
Parallels
lines connecting all points of the same latitude
Longitude
angular distance east or west of Prime Meridian; 0º to 180º E or W
Meridians
extending from pole to pole and crossing all parallels at right angles
Prime Meridian
the meridian from which longitude is measured (where it starts 0º. Passes through royal observatory in Greenwich, England
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
time at 0º longitude; a clock advances one hour from GMT for each 15º traveled east; moves back an hour for 15º traveled west
International Date Line
follows the 180º longitude; crossing the line towards America (E) the calendar moves back 1 day while towards Austraila (W) moves ahead 1 day
Thematic Mapping
can portray physical, social, political, cultural, economic, sociological, agricultural, or any other aspects of a city, state, region, nation, or continent
Maps
2D representations of some portion of Earth’s surface
Graphic Scale
a quantitive statement of the relative sizes of an object on the map and in reality
Small-scale Maps
maps like the world maps show a lot of land on a small page; 1:1,000,000
Large-scale Maps
city street map that shows a small part of the Earth area on a large sheet of paper; 1:62,500
Projections
the transferral of locations on Earth’s surface to locations on a flat map
Conformal Maps
distorts size but preserve shapes
Equal Area Maps
preserves size but distort shape
GPS (Global Positioning System)
navigational tool originally developed by the US government for military use, but now available for civilian purposes worldwide
GIS (Geographic Information System)
a special form of database software in which spatial information is an important part of the database
Mercator Projection
displays correct shapes but exaggerates sizes in high-latitude areas
Raster Data
type of GIS data format that uses pixels
Vector Data
type of DIS data format that uses points, lines, and polygons
Topographic Maps
more specialized and show elevation and terrain features, especially fixed objects such as roads, buildings, and power lines
Map Scales
written statement (1in = 1mi), representative fraction (1:36,360), graphic scale (using bars)
7.5 Minute Series
1:24,000 scale, 1 in = 2,000 ft, approx 6 mi x 8.5 mi, smaller area but more details
Contour Lines
shows the height and steepness of land
Contour Intervals
vertical distance between contour lines
Bench Marks
measured and marked elevation
Map Color Black
Buildings
Map Color Red
fences, roads, property
Map Color Pink
urban areas
Map Color Purple
updates
Map Color Brown
contour lines
