Unit 1 - Reading 1 Flashcards
Analyze
break down into parts and study each part carefully
Theory
a system of ideas and concepts that attempt to explain and prove why or how interactions have occurred in the past or will occur in the future
Concepts
key vocabulary, ideas, and building blocks that geographers use to describe our world
Process
involve a series of steps or actions that explain why or how geographical patterns occur
Spatial Models
look like stylized maps; illustrate theories about spatial distributions
Non-spatial Models
illustrate theories and concepts using words, graphs, or tables; depict changes over time rather than across space
Spatial Patterns
refer to general arrangement of things being studied
Quantitative Data
any information that can be measured and recorded using numbers
Geospatial Data
quantitative and spatial; it has geographic location and components to it such as a country, city, zip code, longitude, latitude, and address
Qualitative Sources
not usually represented by numbers; collected as interviews, photographs, remote satellite images, descriptions, or cartoons
Cartographic Scale
refers to the way the map communicates the ratio of its size to the size it represents
Direction
describes where things are in relation to each other (north, south, east, west)
Elevation
distance of features above sea level
Clustered/Agglomerated
arranged in a group or concentrated are
Linear
arranged in a straight line
Dispersed
Spread out over a large area
Circular
equally spaced from a certain point, forming a circle
Geometric
regular arrangement, like squares and blocks
Random
appear to have no order to their positions
Physical Geography
the study of spatial characteristics of various elements
Identify
to state a clear, concise, specific answer
Define
to give the precise meaning or the basic qualities of something
Describe
to give a representation in words
Explain
to give an account or add details as to why or how processes, outcomes, relationships, or patterns occurred
Compare
to describe or explain similarities and/or differences
Human Geography
the study of the spatial characteristic of humans and human activities
Four-Level Analysis
spatial framework that will guide your thinking, provide an approach to spatial thinking, and help you think like a geographer
Models
representations of reality or theories about reality, to help geographers
Scale of Analysis
involves studying phenomena by zooming in and out in order to understand topics
Patterns
general arrangement of things being studied
Scale
the ratio between the size of things in the real world and the size of those things on the map
Small-Scale Maps
show a larger amount of area in less detail
Large-Scale Maps
show a smaller amount of area in more detail
Equator
imaginary line that circles the globe exactly between the north and south pole
Prime Meridian
imaginary line that runs from pole to pole
Distribution
description of the pattern of where specific phenomena are located
International Date Line
boundary from which each calendar day starts
Connectivity
relationship among people and objects across the barrier of space
Accessibility
degree of ease with which it is possible to reach certain locations from other locations
Geographical Scale (relative scale)
refers to an area of the world being studied
Global Scale
the entire world
World Regional
multiple countries of the world
Natinal
one country
National Regional
a portion of a country of region(s) within a country
Local
a province, state, city, country, or neighborhood
Time-distance Decay
the inverse relationship between distance and connection
Thematic Maps
show spatial aspects of information or of a phenomenon
Choropleth Maps
use various colors, shades of one color, or patterns to show the location and distribution of spatial data
Dot Distribution Maps
used to show the specific location and distribution of something across a map
Graduated Symbol Maps (proportional symbol maps)
uses symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of something
Isoline Maps (isometric maps)
use lines that connects points of equal value to depict variations in the data across space
Topographic Maps
points of equal elevation are connected, creating contours that depict surface features
Cartogram
the sizes of countries are shown according to some specific status
Absolute Location
the precise spot where something is according to a system
Relative Location
a description of where something is in relation to other things
Latitude
the distance north or south of the equator
Longitude
the distance east or west of the prime meridian
Absolute Distance
usually measured in terms of feet, miles, meters, or kilometers
Relative Distance
indicated the degree of nearness based on time or money and is often dependent on the mode of travel
