AP Geography > Chapter 1- Thinking Geographically > Flashcards

Chapter 1- Thinking Geographically Flashcards

(54 cards)

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0
Q

Geography

A

Geo- Earth

Graphy- writing

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1
Q

Human Geography

A

The study of where and why human activities are located where they are.
Ex’s: Religions, businesses and cities

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2
Q

Map

A

A two-dimensional or flat scale model of Earth’s surface, or a portion of it.

  1. A tool for storing reference material
  2. A tool for communicating Geographic information
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3
Q

Place

A

A specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular characteristic.

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4
Q

Region

A

An area of Earth distinguished by a distinct combination of cultural and physical features.

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5
Q

Scale

A

The relationship between the portion of the Earth being studied and the Earth as a whole.

  1. Fraction
  2. Written
  3. Graphic
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6
Q

Space

A

The physical gap or interval between two objects.

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7
Q

Connections

A

Relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space.

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8
Q

Cartography

A

The science of map making

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9
Q

Four types of projection distortion

A
  1. Shape- More elongated or squat than in reality
  2. Distance- Area between two points may become increased or decreased
  3. Relative Size- Areas may appear larger or smaller than in reality
  4. Direction- From one place to another may be distorted
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10
Q

Land Ordinance of 1785

A

An indicator of locations which divided much of the US into a system of townships (square 6 miles on each side which are then divided up into 36 sections) and ranges to manage land sales to Western settlers.

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11
Q

GIS

A

Geographic Information System:
A computer system that can capture, store, query, analyze and display geographic information.
-Information in layers (shows relationships)
Ex: impact of farming on water pollution
-Easier and more accurate than hand drawn maps

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12
Q

Remote Sensing

A

The acquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting Earth or other long distance methods.

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13
Q

Robinson Projection

A
  • Useful for displaying information across the oceans

- Land areas are smaller than on interrupted maps of the same size

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14
Q

Mercator Projection

A
  • Shape is distorted very little
  • Direction is consistent
  • size distorted by the poles making high latitude places (like Greenland) look much larger than they actually are.
  • Rectangular
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15
Q

GPS

A 
Global Positioning System:
A system that accurately determines the precise location of something on Earth.
-Navigation of aircrafts and ships
-Directions for pedestrians and drivers
-Info can be entered into a GIS
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16
Q

Toponym

A

The name given to a place on Earth
-People
-Physical features
Historical events

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17
Q

Site

A 
The physical character of a place
-Climate
-Water sources
-Topography
-Soil
-Vegetation
-Latitude
-Elevation
Note: People have the ability to modify the characteristics of a site
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18
Q

Situation

A

The location of a place relative to other places

  1. Helps people find unfamiliar places
  2. Allows for people to understand its importance
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19
Q

Meridian

A

An arc drawn between the North and South Poles

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20
Q

Parallel

A

A circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at right angles to the meridians.

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21
Q

Longitude

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A

The location of each meridian according to a numbering system

22
Q

Prime Meridian

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A

Greenwich, England 0 degrees

23
Q

Latitude

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A

The numbering system to indicate the location of a parallel.

24
GMT
Greenwich Mean Time: | The master reference time for all points on Earth
25
Cultural Landscape
A combination of cultural features such as language and religion, economic features such as agriculture and industry, and physical features such as climate and vegetation.
26
Formal Region
``` Formal/Homogeneous Region: An area within which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics. -Cultural: common language -Economic: production of a certain crop -Environmental: climate EX: MONTANA -Govt. -Recognized boundaries ```
27
Functional Region
``` Nodal Region: An area organized around a node or focal point. -Diminishes in importance outward -Economic EX: newspaper circulation in a city ```
28
Vernacular Region
Perceptual Region: A place people believes exists as part of their cultural identity. EX: the south
29
Culture
``` The body of customary beliefs, maternal traits and social forms that together constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people. Latin root: to care for •what people care about Beliefs, values, religion VS •what people take care of Material wealth, MDCs vs LDCs ```
30
Cultural Ecology
The geographic study of human-environment relationships
31
Environmental Determinalism
Physical environment caused social development.
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Possibilism
The physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment. EX: Greenhouses can be used to grow food in desert locations
33
Resources
Substances that are useful to people, economically and technologically feasible to access and socially acceptable to use.
34
Climate
``` The long-term average weather condition at a particular location. Köppen system: A tropical climates B dry climates C warm mid-lat D cold mid lat E polar climate ```
35
Local VS Global Scale
Local- unique features | Global- broad patterns
36
Globalization
The process that involves the entire world and results in making something worldwide in scope.
37
Transnational Corporation
A corporation which conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries.
38
Distribution
The arrangement of a feature in space. - Density - Concentration - Pattern
39
Density
The frequency with which something occurs in space
40
Arithmetic density
Total number of objects in an area- used to compare distribution of population in different countries.
41
Physiological Density
The number of people per unit of area suitable for agriculture
42
Agricultural Density
The number of farmers per unit area of farmland
43
Concentration
The extent of a features spread over space is its concentration. Clustered VS Dispersed
44
Pattern
The geometric arrangement of objects in space. •Linear distribution •Grid Pattern
45
Space-Time-Compression
A description of the reduction in the time it takes for something to reach another place. •Distant areas seem less remote because of accessible information
46
Diffusion
The process by which a characteristic spreads across space from one place to another over time.
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Hearth
The place from which an innovation originates
48
Relocation Diffusion
The spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another. EX: Pilgrims being taught to survive by Native Americans
49
Expansion Diffusion
The spread of a feature from one place to another in a snowballing process.
50
Hierarchical Diffusion
EXPANSION DIFFUSION | The spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places.
51
Contagious Diffusion
EXPANSION DIFFUSION The rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population. EX: The internet
52
Stimulus Diffusion
The spread of an underlying principle, even though the characteristic itself apparently fails to diffuse. EX: Apple products fail in India, yet a new touch screen smart phone succeeds.
53
Uneven Development
The increasing gap in economic conditions between regions between the core (MDCs) and the periphery (LDCs) that results from the globalization of the economy.
AP Geography
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