Unit I: Geo: Its Nature and Perspective: Vocabulary Flashcards
Cartogram
a map that is a diagram used to present statistical information
Chloropleth maps
a map which shows differences using colors
Cultural ecology
the study of the processes by which a society adapts to its environment
Cultural landscape
visible imprint of human activity on the landscape
Expansion diffusion
the spread of an idea through a population so that the number influenced grows continuously larger
Absolute direction
a compass direction such as north and south
Relative direction
directions such as left, right, up, down, etc. based on people’s perception of places
Absolute distance
the distance that can be measured with a standard unit of length such as a mile or kilometer
Relative distance
a measure of distance that often describes the amount of social, cultural, or economic connectivity between two places.
Distance decay
the diminishing importance of an idea with increasing distance from its origin
Distribution
arrangement of features in space, including density, concentration, and pattern
Formal/uniform regions
a region marked by a degree of uniformity or hemogeneity
Friction of distance
a measure of the retarding or restricting effect of distance on spatial interaction (The greater the distance, the greater the friction, and the less exchange that takes place)
Functional regions
a region defined by the activities or interactions that occur within it
Geospatial data (census, satellite)
Information about a physical object that can be recorded by numerical values in a geographic coordinate system
Census: an official count or survey of a population
Satellite: something that is separated from or on the periphery of something but is nevertheless controlled by it
Geographic Information System
computer hardware or software that permits spatial data to be collected, recorded, stored, retrieved, manipulated, analyzed, and displayed
Global Positioning System
satellite-based system for determining absolute location of places and geographic features
Globalization
expansion of economic, political, and cultural processes until they reach a global scale and impact. These processes transcend state boundaries. Their outcomes vary from place to place.
Hearth independent invention
a trait with many hearths that developed independent of each other
Absolute location
specific place as expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds of latitude
Relative location
regional position of a place relative to the position of other places (affected by distance, accessibility, and connectivity
Perceptual/vernacular regions
a region that only exists as a conceptualization of an idea (e.g. “the South”)
Physical maps
maps that indicate the locations of landforms such as deserts, mountains, and plains
Political ecology
society relations concerned with the ways in which environmental issues reflect and are the result of the political and socioeconomic contexts in which they are situated
Political maps
maps that show governmental boundaries of countries, states, and counties
Reference maps
maps that show locations of places and geographic features, including unique identifiers for regions
Remote sensing
collection of data through the use of instruments that are physically distant from the object of study
Scale
representation of a real-world phenomenon at a certain level of reduction or generalization; the ratio of map distance to ground distance
Sequent occupance
idea that successive societies leave their impacts on a place and contribute to the cumulative cultural landscape
Spatial
pertaining to space on Earth’s surface (synonym: geography)
Thematic maps
maps that tell stories, especially the degree of an attribute or movement of a geographic phenomena
Time-space convergence
(Donald Janelle) the accelerated movement of goods, information, and ideas during the twentieth century made possible by technological innovations in transportation and communications
Site
the internal physical attributes of a place (including its absolute location, spatial character, and physical setting)
Situation
the external physical attributes of a place; its relative position with references to other nonlocal places
