UNIT 1 Flashcards
Reference Maps
A map helps us to find the shortest route between two places and to avoid getting lost along the way. The maps in an atlas or a smartphone app are especially useful for this purpose.
Thematic Map
A map is often the best means for depicting the distribution of human activities or physical features, as well as for thinking about reasons underlying a distribution.
What’s a Map
A scale model of the real world, made small enough to work with on a desk or computer.
What’s a map maker called?
Cartographer
Choropleth Maps
Displays data by using different colors or shades of colors. Each color or shade shows a different quantity of data
Dot Maps
Shows data by placing points on a map where the data is occurring. Shows spatial situation of data
Graduated Symbol Maps
A graduated symbol map also know as a proportional symbol map is a type of thematic map that uses map symbols that vary in size to represent a quantitative variable. Typically, the size of each symbol is calculated so that its area is mathematically proportional to the variable.
Isoline Maps
Use lines to connect different areas that have similar or equal amounts of data
Weather map (shows areas with similar temperatures)
Cartogram Maps
Shows data in a dynamic way
The greatest value represented by the largest area
Time-distance Decay
Time-distance Decay is a geographical term which describes the effect of distance on cultural or spatial interactions. The distance decay effect states that the interaction between two locales declines as the distance between them increases. Once the distance is outside of the two locales’ activity space, their interactions begin to decrease.
Map Projections
The shape of an area can be distorted, so that it appears more elongated or squat than it is in reality.
The distance between two points may become increased or decreased.
The relative size of different areas may be altered, so that one area may appear larger than another on a map while it is in reality smaller.
The direction from one place to another can be distorted.
Geospatial technologies
GIS, Satellite Navigation, and GPS
Allow businesses, people governments, and organizations to locate places and visualize geographic data
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Computer system that can collect, analyze, and display geographic data
Captures, stores, queries, and displays the geographic data.
It produces maps that are more accurate and attractive than those drawn by hand.
Remote Sensing
The acquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a Satellite orbiting Earth or from other long-distance methods.
Online Mapping and Visualization
The compilation and publication of Web sites that provide exhaustive graphical and text information in the form of maps and databases. Online mapping services are used for tasks such as planning trips, determining geographical positions, finding landmarks and businesses, obtaining addresses and phone numbers, and plotting storm tracks
Satellite Navigation System
Sat Nav provides geo-spatial positioning
Specific location on or above the earth in 3 dimensions
Locate latitude, longitude, altitude, velocity, and time information
Census Data
Censuses can be conducted at various levels, ranging from national censuses that cover an entire country to regional or local censuses that focus on specific areas or communities. The data collected through a census is often used for statistical analysis, research, and the development of public policies. It is an essential tool for governments, businesses, researchers, and policymakers to make informed decisions and address the needs of the population.
What are geographers interested in?
Exploring why phenomena are found where they are
Looking a how actions at one point on earth can affect conditions elsewhere
Place: A Unique Location
A feature’s place on Earth by identifying its location, the position that something occupies on Earth’s surface. In doing so, they consider three ways to identify location: place name, site, and situation.
Place Names
Because all inhabited places on Earth’s surface—and many uninhabited places—have been named, the most straightforward way to describe a particular location is often by referring to its place name. A toponym is the name given to a place on Earth.
Site
The second way that geographers describe the location of a place is by site, which is the physical character of a place. Important site characteristics include climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation, latitude, and elevation. The combination of physical features gives each place a distinctive character.
Situation
Situation is the location of a place relative to other places. Situation is a valuable way to indicate location, for two reasons:
Finding an unfamiliar place. Situation helps us find an unfamiliar place by comparing its location with a familiar one.
Understanding the importance of a place. Situation helps us understand the importance of a location. Many locations are important because they are accessible to other places.
Resource
a substance in the environment that is useful to people, economically and technologically feasible to access, and socially acceptable to use.
Sustainability
the use of Earth’s resources in ways that ensure their availability in the future.
renewable resource
produced in nature more rapidly than it is consumed by humans.
A nonrenewable resource
produced in nature more slowly than it is consumed by humans.
Three Pillars of Sustainability
Environmental Pillar
Society Pillar
Economic Pillar
Environmental Pillar
The sustainable use and management of Earth’s natural resources to meet human needs such as food, medicine, and recreation is conservation.
Society Pillar
Humans need shelter, food, and clothing to survive, so they make use of resources to meet these needs.
Economic Pillar
Natural resources acquire a monetary value through exchange in a marketplace
Sustainability’s Critics
Some environmentally oriented critics have argued that it is too late to discuss sustainability. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), for example, claims that the world surpassed its sustainable level around 1980.
Others criticize sustainability from the opposite perspective: Human activities have not exceeded Earth’s capacity, they argue, because resource availability has no maximum, and Earth’s resources have no absolute limit because the definition of resources changes drastically and unpredictably over time.
Cultural ecology
The geographic study of human–environment relationships
Environmental Determinism
Physical environment caused social development
Possiblism
To explain the relationships between human activities and the physical environment
The physical environment may limit some human actions but people have the ability to adjust to their environment
Globalization
free trade, transportaion and communication equals a growing economy
scale
the relationship between an area of the earth that is being studied and the earth as a whole. The current coronavirus pandemic offers a powerful opportunity to study a global phenomenon at a variety of scales. Geographers conduct geographic analysis on the local, regional and global scales and are increasingly interested in the tensions that exist between scales. Understanding these differences can provide insight into how humans interact with the environment, institutions and each other
Whatare the three types of regions?
The “sense of place” that humans possess may apply to a larger area of Earth rather than to a specific point. Region was defined at the beginning of the chapter as an area of Earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristics. Geographers identify three types of regions: formal, functional, and vernacular.
Formal Regions
A formal region, also called a uniform region, is an area within which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics.
Functional Region
A functional region, also called a nodal region, is an area organized around a node or focal point. The characteristic chosen to define a functional region dominates at a central focus or node and diminishes in importance outward. The region is tied to the central point by transportation or communications systems or by economic or functional associations.
Vernacular Region
A vernacular region, or perceptual region, is an area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity. Such regions emerge from people’s informal sense of place rather than from scientific models developed through geographic thought.
Culture: What People Take Care Of
The second element of culture of interest to geographers is production of material wealth—the food, clothing, and shelter that humans need in order to survive and thrive. All people consume food, wear clothing, build shelter, and create art, but different cultural groups obtain their wealth in different ways.
Geographers divide the world into regions of developed countries and regions of developing countries. Various shared characteristics—such as per capita income, level of education, and life expectancy—distinguish developed regions and developing regions. These differences are reviewed.
Culture Regions
Geographers distinguish groups of people according to important cultural characteristics, describe where particular cultural groups are distributed, and offer reasons to explain the observed distribution.
Space
The physical gap or interval between two objects.
Geographers observe that many objects are distributed across space in a regular manner, for discernible reasons.
Connection
Relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space.
Geographers are concerned with the various means by which connections occur.
Interrupted Map
Tries to remove distortion by removing parts of the globe
Uninterrupted Map
A map that displays the entirety of the Earth’s surface
Mercator
Excellent for showing accurate direction
Distortion in size and land masses
The map gives the illusion that Greenland is Larger than Africa
Goode Homolosine
Equal areas
Shows true size in land masses
Has distortion in distances near edges of the map
Interrupted map
Robinson
Distortion near the poles helps preserve the size and shape of land masses
In an attempt to minimize distortion, it spreads distortion out across the entire map
Gall - Peters Projection
More accurate map projection
Shows the true size of earth’s land masses
Has distortion with the shape of land masses and direction
Absolute Direction
The exact direction you are headed
Ex. South 180 degrees
Relative Direction
The direction is given in relation to another object’s current location
Ex. North of Southridge school
Absolute Distance
The exact distance between two objects or places
Measured in miles or kilometers
Relative Distance
The approximate measurement between two places
Clustered
Objects in an area are close together with little to no space between them
Dispersed
Objects in an area are spread out with ample space between them
Topographical maps
A map that uses contour lines to display the terrain and elevation changes in an area
The closer the lines are together the steeper the terrain is.
Flow Line
Shows the movement of different goods, people, animals, services, or ideas between different places
Global Positioning System (GPS)
A system that determines the precise position of something on Earth.
Field Observations
Having people visit places in the world and record first-hand observations
Good for getting accurate data
Can be costly
Personal Interviews
Geographers can learn about a place and collect individuals’ unique perspectives by asking different questions to gain insight
Media Reports
Better understand what people in an area are experiencing and what is happening to that area
Government Documents
Laws that are put in place in an area show cultural values
Provides insight into different systems put in place
Landscape Analysis
Geographers better understand changes to an area
Look at wildlife
Photo Analysis
The process of studying and analyzing photographs, images, and other visual representations of an area
Qualitative Data
Information that is often in word form and is up for interpretation, debate, and discussion. Oftentimes, this data is observed, witnessed, or described and is not measurable.
Quantitative Data
is objective data that is collected, often in numerical form, and is not up for debate
Local Scale
a specific place with unique physical features such as climate, topography, and vegetation.
Regional Scale
vary considerably in size. They are generally larger than one place, such as a town or city, and may include several towns or multiple states or provinces.
National Scale
A map of the world showing population data by country, with clearly defined political boundaries for each country
Global Scale
geographers identify broad patterns encompassing the entire world
Spatial Association
the relationship between different objects in an area
Concentration
how objects and items are spread out in an area
Density
The number of people or objects in that area
Patterns
The arrangement of different objects in an area
Flow
The movement of people, ideas, goods and services from one place to another.
Location
A feature’s place on Earth by identifying the position that something occupies on Earth’s surface.
Toponym
The name given to a place on Earth.
Culture regions
Culture: Body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms
Latin Cultus: To care for
Ratio
Shows the numerical ratio between distances on the map and Earth’s Surface. The unit on the left refers to the distance on the map. The number on the right side refers to the same unit of distance on Earth’s surface.
Written
Describes the relationship between the map and Earth in words.
Graphic
Usually consists of a bar line marked to show distance on Earth’s surface.
Census Data
Censuses can be conducted at various levels, ranging from national censuses that cover an entire country to regional or local censuses that focus on specific areas or communities. The data collected through a census is often used for statistical analysis, research, and the development of public policies. It is an essential tool for governments, businesses, researchers, and policymakers to make informed decisions and address the needs of the population.
Difference between site and situation:
In summary, while “site” looks at the specific physical and cultural attributes of a location, “situation” considers the broader context, including the location’s relationships with other places and its connectivity within a larger geographical framework.
Difference between qualitative and quantitative data:
Geographic data can be qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative data is descriptive information and tends to be more subjective. Quantitative data is numerical information that can be easily transformed into statistics and tends to be more objective.
Difference between absolute and relative location:
In summary, while absolute location provides specific coordinates or an address for a place, relative location describes a place in relation to its surroundings or other features.
Difference between functional, formal, and vernacular regions:
A formal region is an area within which everyone shares distinctive characteristics. A functional region is an area organized around a node. A vernacular region is an area that people believe exists.
Difference between scale and scale of analysis
Scale in geography involves the representation of distances on a map, while the scale of analysis involves choosing the appropriate level of detail or spatial extent for studying geographic phenomena. The two concepts are interconnected but represent different aspects of geographic research and mapping.
