Introduction to Geography and Maps Flashcards
Absolute Location
Location based on latitude and longitude coordinates
Aristotle and Plato
Greek philosophers who believed that the Earth was round
Cartograms
Maps that assign space by the size of some datum. For example, world population by country is often illustrated in a cartogram, with countries with larger population appearing larger on the map
Cartographers
Map makers; they are very concerned with the problem of distortion
Concentration
The density of particular phenomena over an area; in terms of concentration, objects can either be clustered of agglomerated
Conformal Maps
Maps that distort area by keep shapes intact
Conic Projection Maps
Maps that put a cone over the Earth and keep distance intact but lose directional qualities
Cultural Landscape
Cultural attributes of an area often used to describe a place (e.g., buildings, theaters, places of worship)
Cylindrical Maps
Maps that show true direction but lose distance (e.g., a Mercator map)
Dark Ages
A time when academic thought was not advancing in Europe but was very active across the rest of the world
Density
Describes how often an object occurs within a given area or space; most often used in terms of population density
Diffusion
Describes the spread of movement of a principle or idea
Distribution
This term comes from the idea that everything on the Earth’s surface must have a physical location. There are three different aspects of distribution: density, concentration, and pattern
Environmental Determinism
An important development in the field of geography in the early 20th century that stated that human behaviors are a direct result of their environment. This philosophy gave some people the justification to believe that Europeans were smarter than other peoples, because they live in a more temperate climate.
Equal-area Projection Maps
Maps that try to distribute distortion equally throughout the map; these maps distort shapes
Expansion Diffusion
The term used to describe the spread of a characteristic from a central node through variation means. There are three different types of expansion diffusion: hierarchical, contagious, and stimulus diffusions
Flow-line Maps
Maps that are good for determining movement, such as migration trends
Formal Regions
Regions where anything and everything inside has the same characteristic or phenomena
Functional Regions
Regions that can be defined around a certain point or node; functional regions are most intense around the center but lose their characteristics as the distance from the focal point increases
Geographic Information System (GIS)
A way for geographers to obtain new information, GIS layers geographic information into a new map, showing specific types of geographic data, Watershed, population density, highways, and agricultural data are geographic features that can be used as layers of data
Geographical Positioning System (GPS)
A way for geographers to obtain new information, GPS technology is found in cars and cellphones; it uses the Earth’s latitude and longitude coordinates to determine an exact location
Geography
The description of the Earth’s surface and the people and processes that shape those landscapes
Hierarchical Diffusion
The notion that a phenomenon spreads as a result of the social elite, such as political leaders, entertainment leaders, or famous athletes, spreading societal ideas or trends
Human Geography
The study of human characteristics on the landscape, including population, agriculture, urbanization, and culture
Latitudes (Parallels)
Parallel lines that run east/west on the surface of the Earth; the highest degree of latitude is 90 degrees
Longitudes (Meridians)
Parallel lines that run north/south on the surface of the Earth
Maps
The basic tools used by geographers to convey information, Maps generally are a representation of the Earth’s surface, although they do come in many forms
Mental Map
A map that contains what a person believes to exist; most people have mental maps, and they prove to be a useful tool in communication
Mercator, Geradus
One of the first people to produce a world map that showed, with relative accuracy, the general outline of the continents. His map exaggerated the landforms around the polar regions, because all lines of latitude and longitude meet and right angles.
Middle Ages
A time after the fall of the Roman Empire and before the Enlightenment
Migration Diffusion
The term used to describe the physical spread of people moving form one place to another
Oval Projection Maps
Maps that combine the cylindrical and conic projections (e.g., the Molleweide projection)
Pattern
Describing how objects are organized in a space, patterns can be anything from triangular to linear or even three-dimensional
Planar Maps
Maps that show true direction and examine the Earth from one point, usually form a pole or a polar direction (e.g., any azimuthal map)
Possiblist
An approach to geography favored by contemporary geographers that suggests that humans are not a product of their environment but possess skills necessary to change their environment to satisfy human needs. With this approach, people can determine their own outcomes without regard to location
Ptolemy
Wrote the series ‘Guide to Geography’, which gave very detailed descriptions of cities and people during the Greek period when the Roman Empire took control of the Mediterranean region
Region
A concept used to link different places together based on any parameter the geographer chooses
Relative Location
A location that is based on, or refers to, another feature on Earth’s surface
Scale
The relationship between the sized of a map to the amount of the planet it represents; the dimension into which one is trying to cast the real world
Spatial Interaction (Movement)
Concerned with how linked a place is to the world, this theme of geography deals mainly with area, because how well an area is connected to the world determines its importance
Thematic Map
Used to determine some type of geographic phenomenon, thematic maps can be represented in various ways: area class maps, area symbol maps, cartograms, choropheth maps, digital images, dot maps, flow-line maps, isoline maps, point symbol maps, and proportional symbol maps
Vernacular Region (Perceptual Region)
A region that exists primarily in the individual’s perception or feelings (e.g., the concept of “the South” differs depending on where someone lives in the United States)
Zheng He
In the mid 1400s, this famous Chinese explorer wrote in his journal of a coast with tall trees and mountains expanding as far as the eye could see. It is suspected that he may have come across the coast of Alaska or even the West Coast of the United States. His most famous explorations include those around the Indian Ocean
