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Chapter 1
AP Human Geography
Term | Definition |
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Geography | the spatial study of people, place, space, and environment |
Human Geography | one of the two major divisions of geography, the spatial analysis of human phenomena, with the resources needed to produce them |
Globalization | processes heightening social interaction, increasing interdependence, and deepening relations across country borders |
Fieldwork | observations researchers make of cultural and physical landscapes observing similarities and differences |
Patterns | description of the spatial distribution of physical or human phenomena (e.g., scattered or concentrated) |
Physical geography | the other subdivision of geography; the spatial analysis of physical phenomena, including climate, environmental hazards, weather systems, animals, and topography |
Spatial distribution | physical locations of geographic phenomena, usually shown on a map |
Pandemic | an outbreak of a disease that spreads worldwide (e.g. coronavirus) |
Epidemic | widespread, rapid diffusion of disease among people specifically at a certain location or region at a particular time |
Spatial perspective | looking at where things occur, why they occur where they do, and how places are interconnected to each other |
Geographic Concepts | mental categories used to analyze the world spatially in an organized way |
Location | position on Earth, with includes absolute and relative location (one of the five themes of geography) |
Absolute Location | precise location of a place, usually defined by latitude and longitude |
Relative Location | the location of an attribute or place in comparison to another attribute or place |
Location Theory | understanding the distribution of cities, industries, services, or consumers with a goal of explaining why certain sites are chosen for production and consumption (e.g. von Thünen model) |
Human-environment | reciprocal relationship between humans and environment (another theme of geography) |
Environmental Determinism | set of theories that use environmental differences that explain everything from intelligence to wealth |
Hearth | a place or area when a new innovation, idea, or technology arises |
Possibilism | a geographical theory that humans, not the physical environment, shape culture |
Carrying Capacity | the idea that land can hold a measurable amount of plant and animal life |
Cultural Ecology | study of the historical interaction between humans and environment in a place, including ways humans have modified and adapted to environment |
Political Ecology | study of human-environmental interactions in context of political, economic, and historical conditions operating at multiple scales |
Region | area of Earth identified as sharing a formal, function, or perceptual community which makes it distinguishable from regions around it (a theme of geography) |
Formal Region | an area with common cultural or physical traits |
Cultural Trait | a learned belief, value, or norm passed down through generations in a culture |
Functional Region | area of land defined as sharing a common purpose in society |
Nodes | connection point in a network, where goods and ideas flow in and out of the network |
Perceptual/Vernacular Region | area of land that some individual perceives as being similar |
Place | uniqueness of a location (another theme of geography) |
Sense of Place | infusing a place with meaning as a result of experiences in that place |
Perception of Place | how a place is envisioned |
Movement | mobility of people, goods, and services across Earth (one of the five themes of geography) |
Diffusion | spread of an idea, innovation, or technology from its hearth to other people and places |
Spatial Interaction | level of connectedness or contact among people or places |
Distance | the amount of space from one place to another |
Accessibility | ease of flow between 2 places |
Connectivity | position of a place or area relative to others in a network |
Expansion Diffusion | the spread of an idea or innovation from its hearth across space without the aid of people moving |
Contagious Diffusion | spread of an idea or innovation from one person or place to another person or place based on proximity (type of expansion diffusion) |
Hierarchical Diffusion | spread of an idea or innovation from one person or place to another person or place based on a hierarchy of connectedness (type of expansion diffusion) |
Stimulus Diffusion | a process of diffusion where two cultural traits blend to create a distinct trait |
Relocation Diffusion | spread of an idea or innovation from its hearth by act of people moving and taking the idea or innovation with them |
Cultural Landscape | the visible human imprint on the landscape |
Sequent Occupance | imprints left on the cultural landscape by a series of successive societies, Each society contributed to the cumulative cultural landscape. |
Scale | Geographical scope (local, national, global) in which we analyze and understand a phenomenon |
Rescale | change the geographical scope at which a problem is addressed by engaging decision makers and gatekeepers at another scale |
Context | physical and human geographies shaping the environment, place and space, where events occur and people act |
Cartography | the art and science of making maps |
Reference Maps | maps showing absolute location of places and geographic features |
Thematic Maps | a map that tells a story, typically showing the degree of some atribute or the movement of some geographic phenomena using symbols on the map |
Global Positioning System (GPS) | satellite-based system determining the absolute location of places or geographic features |
Mental maps | maps of an area made from memory or experience by groups or individuals (also known as cognitive maps) |
Activity Spaces | places within the rounds of daily activity |
Terra Incognita | areas on a map that are unknown to the map maker or off limits, resulting in them not being defined well |
Remote Sensing | a method of collecting data or information through the use of instruments (e.g., satellites) that are physically distant from the area of study |
Geographic Information System (GIS) | a system of computer hardware and software designed to show, analyze, and represent geographic data (data that have locations) |
Culture | group of belief systems, norms, and values practiced by a people |
Cultural Complex | a group of interrelated cultural traits, such as prevailing dress codes and cooking and eating utensils |