Unit 1 Flashcards
cartography
science of mapmaking
census data
a survey taken that counts people and other demographics
contagious diffusion
the spread of an idea/characteristic from person-to-person or online (ex: trends in clothing, slang, humor)
culture
a particular group’s material characteristics, behavioral patterns, beliefs, social norms, and attitudes that are shared and transmitted
density
how compact or spread out a characteristic/population is
diffusion
the spread of a characteristic or idea
distance-decay
the idea that the more space between two places, the less interactions they will have
distribution
the places where a characteristic/population is spread
what is the difference between distribution and density?
distribution focuses on the location, while density focuses on the ratio of the characteristic/population, the numbers
equator
an imaginary line in the middle of the Earth which separates the Northern and Southern Hemisphere
expansion diffusion
a idea spreading from place to place and within a society with popularity
field data
data that is found by physically visiting a location and recording it there
formal region
an official region where it shares one universal characteristic (political, economic, cultural)
friction of distance
the idea that distance usually requires some amount of effort, money, and/or energy to overcome
functional/nodal region
a main focal/nodal point surrounded by it’s connection links (usually trade, communication, and transportation)
geospatial data
the location information and features or attributes of places
GIS
Geographic Information Systems: a software that creates different map layers of data
globalization
impact on local culture and economics caused by increased interaction between geographically distinct regions
GPS
a navigational tool that finds a places absolute location
gravity model
the interaction between two places can be determined by the product of the population of both places, divided by the distance from one another
hierarchical diffusion
a characteristic that is passed from a place/person with power, to someone with less power, repeated
hearth
the place where an idea originates from
international date line
boundary from which each calendar day starts: When you cross the International Date Line heading east (toward America), the clock moves back 24 hours, or one entire day. When you go west (toward Asia), the calendar moves ahead one day.
latitude
coordinate that shows the north/southness of a location
location
a place’s position on Earth
absolute: exact
relative: location in relation to other places
longitude
coordinates showing how west/east and place is (think: x-coordinates)
Mercator projection
good for navigation, but severely distorts the shape. may suggest that euro-centric places are superior than those that are non-white
model
theoretical frameworks that let us predict things
pattern
arrangement of objects on earth’s surface in relationship to one another
place
a specific location
prime meridian
a line of longitude (stretches from north to south) that is define to 0 degrees, divides earth into eastern and western hemispheres
projections
the earth’s curved surface being put onto a flat surface, will always result in distortion
regions
an area differentiated with a specific characteristic (formal, perceptual, functional, physical)
relocation diffusion
idea spreading with the movement of people (ex: English coming to the United States)
robinson projection
a curved map that is overall good, but has slight distortions in all areas
scale
relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole
site
absolute location of a settlement on the Earth, includes the physical characteristics of the landscape specifically inside the settlement (climate, soil, etc)
situation
settlement is in relation to other settlements and the features of the surrounding area, outside the settlement
space
the distance between two locations
space-time compression
reduction in the time it takes to diffuse something to a distant place, as a result of improved communications and transportation system (phones, social media, planes)
spatial analysis
process of extracting or creating new information about a set of geographic features to perform routine examination, assessment, evaluation, analysis or modeling of data in a geographic area
stimulus diffusion
an idea that is adapted/changed, but the underlying principle is still behind it
sustainability
the process of using resources that prioritizes the future
time zones
an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes, separated by approximately 15 degrees longitude
toponym
a name for a place with specifics origins or meanings
uneven development
development takes place at different rates in different regions
vernacular/perceptual region
an unofficial region that holds cultural meaning (Chinatown, Little Italy, The South)
simplification
technique where shapes of retained features are altered to enhance visibility and reduce complexity
symbolization
graphical device used to visually represent a real-world feature on a map
categorization
the specific data/category converyed
induction
the generalization and reasoning from details
