Unit 1 Flashcards
Geographic Location
Where is it?
Why is it here or there?
How much of it is here or there?
Geographic Distribution
Is it distributed locally or globally?
Is it spatially clustered or dispersed?
Where are the boundaries?
Geographic Association
What else is near it?
What else occurs with it?
What is absent in its presence?
Geographic Interaction
Is it linked to something else?
What is the nature of this association?
How much interaction occurs between the locations?
Geographic Change
Has it always been here?
How has it changed over time and space?
What causes its diffusion or contraction?
Mental Maps
Psychological tools that we use to understand, relate to, and navigate through the environment in which we live, work, and play.
Unique to the individual.
Location
A position on the surface of the earth.
Nearly everything can be assigned a geographic location.
Nominal Location
Described by Name
Ex: New York, Sydney, Cairo
Absolute Location
Define positions on the earth’s surface using a reference system
Ex: latitude and longitude, or postal codes and street addresses
Relative Location
Define and describe places in relation to other known locations
Ex: Cairo, Egypt, is north of Johannesburg, South Africa
Direction
Refers to the position of something relative to something else usually along a line.
In order to determine direction, a reference point or benchmark from which direction will be measured needs to be established
True North
Based on the point at which the axis of the earth’s rotation intersects the earth’s surface.
In this respect the North and South Poles serve as the geographic benchmarks for determining direction.
Magnetic North
(and south)
Refers to the point on the surface of the earth where the earth’s magnetic fields converge.
This is also the point to which magnetic compasses point.
Note that magnetic north falls somewhere in northern Canada and is not geographically coincident with true north or the North Pole.
Grid North
Refers to the northward direction that the grid lines of latitude and longitude on a map, called a graticule, point to.
Distance
The degree or amount of separation between locations
