Vocab 1 Flashcards
Absolute Direction
the cardinal directions: North, South, East, West
Absolute Distance
distance that can be measured using a standard unit of length
Absolute Location
the exact location of an object, usually expressed in coordinates of latitude and longitude
Cartographer
a person who creates maps
Census
an official count of the number of people in a defined area, such as a state
Core
classification of a country or region that has wealth, higher education levels, more advanced technologies, many resources, strong militaries, and powerful allies
Density
the number of things - people, animals or objects - in a specific area
Distance Decay
a principle that states that the farther away one thing is from another, the less interaction those two things will have
Distribute
to arrange within a given space
Ecological Perspective
the relationships between living things and their environments
Environmental Determinism
the idea that human behavior is strongly effected, controlled, or determined by their physical environment
Formal Region
an area that has one or more shared traits; also called a uniform region
Friction of Distance
a concept that states that the longer a journey, the more time, effort, and cost it will involve
Functional Region
an area organized by its function around a focal point, or the center of interest or activity
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
a computer system that allows for the collection, organization, and display of geographic data for analysis
Globalization
the expansion of economic, cultural, and political processes on a world scale
Global Positioning System (GPS)
a network of satellites that orbit Earth and transmit location data to receivers, enabling users to pinpoint their exact location
Human Geography
the study of the processes that has shaped how humans understand, use, and alter the Earth
Location
the position that a point or object occupies the Earth
Map Scale
the relationship of the size of the map to the size of the area it represents on Earth’s surface
Mental Maps
internalized representations of portions of Earth’s surface
Model
a representation of a reality that presents significant features or relationships in a generalized form
Node
the focal point of a functional region
Pattern
the way in which things are arranged in a particular space
Perceptual Region
a type of region that reflects people’s feelings and attitudes about a place; also called a vernacular region
Periphery
classification of a country or region that has less wealth, lower education levels, and less sophisticated technologies, and also tends to have unstable government and poor health systems
Physical Geography
the study of natural processes and the distribution of features in the environment, such as land forms, plants, animals, soil, and climate
Place
a location on Earth that is distinguished by its physical and human characteristics
Possibilism
theory of human-environment interaction that states that humans have the ability to adopt the physical environment to their needs
Qualitative
involving data that is description of a research subject and is often based on people’s opinions
Quantitative
involving data that can be measured by numbers
Reference Map
a map that focuses on the location of places
Region
an area of Earth’s surface with certain characteristics that make it distinct yet cohesive from other areas
Relative Direction
direction based on a person’s perception, such as left, right, up, or down
Relative Distance
distance determined in relation to other places or objects
Relative location
a description of where a place is in relation to other places or features
Remote Sensing
collecting or analyzing data from a location without making physical contact
Scale
the area of the world being studied
Semi-periphery
classification of a country or region that has qualities o both core and peripheral areas and is often in the process of industrializing
Site
a place’s absolute location, as well as its physical characteristics, such as the land forms, climate, and resources
Situation
location of a place in relation to other places or its surrounding features
Space
the area between two or more things
Spatial Perspective
geographic perspective that focuses on how people live on Earth, how they organize themselves, and why the events of human societies occur where they do
Sustainability
the use of Earth’s land and natural resources in ways that ensure they will continue to be available in the future
Sustainable Development
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Thematic
any map that focuses on one or more variables to show a relationship between geographic data
Time-Space Compression
a key geographic principle that describes the ways in which modern transportation and communication technology have allowed humans to travel and communicate over long distances quicker and easier
Topography
the representation of Earth’s surface to show natural and man-made features, especially their relative positions and elevations
Vernacular region
a type of region that reflects people’s feelings and attitudes about a place; also called perceptual region
World System Theory
theory describing the special and functional relationships between countries in the world economy; categorizes countries as part of a hierarchy consisting of the core, periphery, and semi-periphery
