Introduction Flashcards
Absolute Location
The exact position of an object or place, measured with spacial coordinates of a grid system
Absolute Distance
A distance that can be measured with a standard unit of length, such as a mile or kilometer
Accessibility
The relative ease with which a destination may be reached from some other place
Anthropogenic projection
A map projection in which the plane is the most developable surface
Anthropogenic
Human induced changes on the natural environment
Breaking point
The outer edge of a city’s sphere of influence, used in law of retail gravitation to describe the area of a city’s hinterlands that depend on the city for its retail supplies
Carl Sauer
Geographer from the University of Cal Berkley who defined the concept of cultural landscape as the fundamental unit of geographical analysis. This landscape results from interaction between humans and the physical environment Sauer argued that virtually no landscape has escaped alteration by human activities.
Cartograms
A type of thematic map that transforms space such that the political unit with the greatest value for some type of data is represented by the largest relative area.
Cartography
The theory and practice of making visual representations of Earth’s surface in the form of maps.
Choropleth map
A thematic map that used tones or colors to represent spacial data as average values per unit area.
Cognitive map
An image of a portion of Earth’s surface that an individual crests in his or her mind. Cognitive maps can include knowledge of actual locations and relationships among locations as well as personal perceptions and preferences of particular places.
Complementarity
The actual or potential relationship between two places usually referring to economic interactions
Connectivity
The degree of economic social cultural or political connection between two places
Contagious diffusion
The spread of the disease an innovation or cultural traits through direct contact another person or another place
Coordinate system
Standard grid composed of lines of latitude and longitude used to determine the absolute location of any object place or feature on Earth’s surface
Cultural ecology
The study of interactions between societies and the natural environment which they live
Cultural landscape
The human modified natural landscape specifically containing the imprint of a particular culture or society
Distance decay effect
the decrease in interaction between two phenomena places or people as the distance between them increases
Dot maps
Thematic maps that points to show the precise locations of specific observations or occurrences such as crimes car accidents or birth
Earth System Science
A systematic approach to physical geography that looks at the interaction between Earth’s physical systems and processes on a global scale
Environmental geography
The intersection between human and physical geography which explores the spatial impact humans have on the physical environment and vice versa
Eratosthenes
The head librarian Alexandra during the third century BC one of the first cartographers. preformed a remarkably accurate computation of earth circumference is also credited with coining the term geography
Expansion diffusion
The spread of ideas innovations fashion or other phenomena to surrounding areas through contact and exchange
Fertile Crescent
The name given to the crescent shaped area fertile land stretching from the lower Nile Valley along the east Mediterranean coast and into Syria and present-day Iraq where agriculture and early civilization first began about 8000 BC
Formal Region
Definition of regions based on common themes such as similarities in language climate land-use etc.
Friction of distance
A measure of how much absolute distance affects the interaction between two places
Fuller projection
A type of map projection that maintains accurate size and shape of land masses but completely rearrange direction such that the four cardinal directions north south east and west no longer have any meaning
Functional Region
Definition of regions based on common interaction or function for example a boundary line drawn around the circulation of a particular newspaper
Geographical Information Systems GIS
A set computer tools used to capture store transform analyze and display geographic data
Geoid
The actual shape of earth which is rough and oblate or slightly squashed Earth’s diameter is longer around the equator than along the north-south meridians
Global positioning system GPS
A set of satellites used to help determine location anywhere on earth surface with a portable electronic device
Gravity model
A mathematical formula that describes the level of interaction between two places based on the size of their populations and their distance from each other
Hierarchal diffusion
Type of diffusion in which something is transmitted between places because of the physical or cultural community between those places
Human geography
The study of spatial variation in the patterns and processes related to human activity
Idiographic
Pertaining to the unique facts or characteristics of a particular place
International dateline
The line of longitude that marks where each new day begins centered on the hundred and 180th meridian
Intervening opportunities
If one place is a demand for some good or service and two places have a supply of equal pricing and quality, supplier closer to the buyer will represent an intervening opportunity there by blocking the third from being able to share its supply of goods or services. intervening opportunities are frequently used because transportation costs usually decrease with proximity
Isoline
A map line that connects points of equal or very similar values
Large-scale
A relatively small ratio between map units and ground units large-scale maps usually have higher resolution and cover much smaller regions than small-scale maps
Latitude
The angular distance north or south of the equator defined by lines of latitude or parallels
Law of retail gravitation
A law stating that people will be drawn to larger cities to conduct their business since larger cities have a wider influence on the surrounding hinterlands
Location charts
On a map a chart or graph to get specific statistical information about a particular political unit or jurisdiction
Map projection
A mathematical method that involves transferring Earth sphere onto a flat surface this term can also be used to describe the type of map that results from the process of projecting all map projections have distortions in area, direction, distance or shape
Map scale
The ratio between the size of an area on the map and the actual size of that same area on Earth surface
George Perkins Marsh
Inventor diplomat politician and scholar is classic work, man in nature or physical geography as modified by human action, provided the first description of the extent to which natural systems had been impacted by human actions
Mercator projection
A true conformal cylindrical map projection, the Mercator projection is particularly useful for navigation since it maintains accurate direction Mercator projections are famous for their distortion in area that makes landmasses at the poles appear oversized
Meridian
And longitude that runs north-south all lines of longitude are equal length and intersect at the polls
Natural landscape
The physical landscape environment that has not been affected by human activities
Nomothetic
Concepts or rules that can be applied universally
Parallel
And east-west line of latitude that runs parallel to the equator in that marks distance north or south of the equator
Perceptual region
Highly individualized definition of regions based on perceived commonalities in culture and landscape
Peters Projection
An equal area projection purposely centered on Africa in an attempt to treat all regions of earth equally
Physical geography
The realm of geography that studies the structures processes distributions and changes through time of the natural phenomenon of earths surface
Preference map
A map that displays individual preferences for certain places
Prime Meridian
Imaginary line passing through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich England that marks the zero degree line of longitude
Proportional symbols map
A thematic map in which the size of a chosen symbol such as a circle or triangle indicates the relative magnitude of some statistical value for a given geographic region
Ptolemy
Roman geographer astronomer, author of guide to geography which included maps containing a grid system of latitude and longitude
Qualitative data
Data associated with the more humanistic approach to geography often collected through interviews empirical observations or the interpretation of texts artwork old maps and other archives
Quantitative data
Data associated with mathematical models statistical techniques used to analyze spatial location and association
Quantitative revolution
A period in human geography associated with the widespread adoption of mathematical models and statistical techniques
Reference map
Map type that shows reference information for particular place making it useful for finding landmarks and for navigation
Region
A territory that encompasses many places that share similar physical and or cultural attributes
Regional geography
The study of geographic regions
Relative distance
A measure of distance that includes the cost of overcoming the friction of absolute distance separating two places. relative distance often describes the amount of social cultural or economic connectivity between two places
Relative location
The position of a place relative to the places around
Relocation diffusion
The diffusion of ideas innovations behaviors and so on. from one place to another through migration
Remote-sensing
The observation and mathematical measurement of earths surface using aircraft and satellites. the sensors include photographic images thermal images multispectral scanners and radar images
Resolution
A maps smallest discernible unit. if for example an object has to be 1 km long in order to show on a map, the maps resolution is 1 km
Robinson projection
A projection that attempts to balance several possible projection errors. it does not maintain area shape distance or direction completely accurately but it minimizes errors in each
Sense of place
Feelings evoked by people as a result of certain experiences and memories associated with a particular place
Site
The absolute location of the place described by local relief landforms and other cultural or physical characteristics
Situation
The relative location of a place in relation to physical and cultural characteristics of the surrounding area and the connections in interdependencies with in that system in a place’s spatial context
Small-scale
A map scale ratio in which the ratio of units on the map to units on earth is quite small. small-scale maps usually depicts large area
Spatial diffusion
The ways in which phenomena such as technological innovations cultural trends or even outbreaks of disease travel over space
Spatial perspective
An intellectual framework that looks at the particular location of a specific phenomenon how and why that phenomenon is where it is and finally how it is spatially related to phenomenon in other places
Sustainability
The concept of using it earths resources in such a way that they provide for people’s needs in the present without diminishing earths ability to provide for future generations
Thematic layers
Individual maps of specific features that are overlaid on one another in a geographical information system to understand and analyze a spatial relationship
Time space convergence
The idea that distance between some places is actually shrinking as technology enables more rapid communication and increased interaction among those places
Topographic maps
Maps to use ISA lines to represent constant elevations if you took a topographic map out into the field and walked exactly along the path of an iso I’m on your map you will always stay at the same elevation
Topological space
The amount of connectivity between places regardless of the absolute distance separating
Transferability
The costs involved in moving goods from one place to another
Visualization
Use of sophisticated software to create dynamic computer maps some of which are three-dimensional or interactive
W. D. Patterson
He claimed that geography Drew from four distinct traditions the earth science tradition the cultural environment tradition the locational tradition and the area analysis tradition
Azimuthal projection
A projection in which the plane is the most developable surface.
