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OHS The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography Chapter One Key Terms Flashcards

Mrs. Clark's AP Human Geography Class Vocabulary list for Chapter One of Rubenstein's 9th Edition textbook.

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848983287absolute locationThe position of place of a certain item on the surface of the Earth as expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds of latitude, 0° to 90° north or south of the equator, and longitude, 0° to 180° east or west of the Prime Meridian passing through Greenwich, England.
848996235accessibilitythe degree of ease with which it is possible to reach a certain location from other locations, __________ varies from place to place and can be measured
849012590activity spacesthe space in which daily activity occurs
848983288azimuthal (polar) projectionA map which shows true compass directions; longitude lines are straight and latitude lines are circles; distorts shape and size more toward the outer edges.
194028060base lineAn east-west line designated under the Land Ordinance of 1785 to facilitate the surveying and numbering of townships in the United States.
425816899cartogramA special kind of map that distorts the shapes and sizes of countries or other political regions to present economic or other kinds of data for comparison.
194028061cartographyThe science of making maps.
848983289chorographydescribes places smaller on the earth, such as countries
425809808choropleth mapA thematic map that uses tones or colors to represent spatial data as average values per unit area.
849012591concentrationthe spread of something over a given area
848983290conformal projectiona map projection in which a small area is rendered in its true shape
848983291conic projectiona map projection of the globe onto a cone with its point over one of the earth's poles
849012592connectionsrelationships among people and objects across the barrier of space
849012593connectivitythe degree of direct linkage between one particular location and other locations in a transport network
849012594contagious diffusionthe rapid, widespread diffusion of a feature or trend throughout a population
848983292contour mapan isoline map showing heights at regular intervals above sea level by means of contour lines, used in topography
848983293cylindrical projectiona type of map projection in which distances measured along the equator are correct, but become more distorted along the poles
849012595densitythe frequency with which something exists within a given unit of area
849012596diffusionthe process or spread of a feature or trend from one place to another over time
849012597distance decaythe diminishing in importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin
848983294distancesmeasurement of the physical space between two places
849012598distributionthe arrangement of something across Earth's surface
425816901dot mapMaps where one dot represents a certain number of a phenomenon, such as a population.
848996236environmental determinisma nineteenth- and early twentieth century approach to the study of geography which argued that the general laws sought by human geographers could be found in the physical sciences. Geography was therefore the study of how the physical environment caused human activities
848983295equal-area projectionshows the size of regions in correct relation to one another but distorts shape
425809832EratosthenesThe head librarian at Alexandria during the third century B.C.; he was one of the first cartographers. Performed a remarkably accurate computation of the earth's circumference. He is also credited with coining the term "geography."
849012599expansion diffusionthe spread of a feature or trend among people from one area to another in a snowballing process
848996237formal (or uniform/homogeneous) regionan area in which everyone shares on one or more distinctive characteristics
425826008fractional (representative fraction) scaleA way of representing scale on a map with a fraction or ratio. Eg: 1/24,000 or 1:24,000 The left handed side represents distance on the map. The right handed side represents distance on the Earth.
849012600friction of distancea measure of how much absolute distance affects the interaction between two places
848996238functional (or nodal) regionan area organized around a node or focal point
425809830generalized mapsMaps that show general trends, but do not show all cases of a given phenomena. The scale may be too broad to show all information.
848983296Geographic Information Systems (GIS)a computer system that stores, organizes, analyzes, and displays geographic data
848983297Global Positioning System (GPS)a system that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers.
849012601globalizationactions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope
848983298globea sphere on which a map is represented
425816902graduated circle (or proportional symbol) mapsThe size of the symbol indicates the relative magnitude of some value for a given geographic region. The larger the circle the more frequent something happens.
425826009graphic scale (bar scale)ruler printed on the map and is used to convert distances on the map
848983299Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)the time in the zone encompassing the prime meridian, or 0 degrees longitude
848996239hearththe region from which innovative ideas originate
849012602hierarchical diffusionthe spread of a feature or trend from one key person or node of authority or power to other persons or places
194032573Human Geographythe political/cultural branch of geography concerned with the social science aspects of how the world is physically arranged
848996240human-environment interactionrelationship between people and environment; the second theme of geography
848983300International Date Linean arc that for the most part follows 180 degrees longitude, although it deviates in several places to avoid dividing land areas. When you cross this line heading east (toward America), the clock moves back 24 hours. When you cross the line going west (toward Asia), the calendar moves ahead one day.
425809798isoline mapMap displaying lines that connect points of equal value; for example, a map showing elevation levels
194028084Land Ordinance of 1785A law that divided much of the United States into a system of townships to facilitate the sale of land to settlers.
849012603landscapethe overall appearance of an area. Most ___________ are comprised of a combination of natural and human-induced influences
425826010large scaleA relatively small ratio between map units and ground units. Large-scale maps usually have higher resolution and cover much smaller regions than small-scale maps.
848983301latitudethe numbering system used to indicate the location of parallels drawn on a globe and measuring distance N and S of the equator (0 degrees)
848983302locationthe position of anything on Earth's surface; the first theme of geography
848983303longitudethe numbering system used to indicate the location of meridians drawn on a globe and measuring distance E and W of the prime meridian (0 degrees)
194028088mapA two-dimensional, or flat, representation of Earth's surface or a portion of it, also called a projection
848983304mental mapa representation of a portion of the earth's surface based on what an individual knows about a place, containing personal impressions of what is in a place and where places are located
425821350Mercator ProjectionA true conformal cylindrical map projection, the Mercator projection is particularly useful for navigation because it maintains accurate direction. Mercator projections are famous for their distortion in area that makes landmasses at the poles appear oversized.
848983305meridianan arc drawn on a map between the North and South poles
849012604movementthe fifth theme of geography; the mobility of people, goods, and ideas across the surface of the planet
848983306oblate spheroida sphere that flattens at its poles and bulges at its equator, the shape of the earth
848983307parallela circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at right angles to the meridians
849012605patternthe geometric or regular arrangement of something in a study area
848983308perceptions of placesbelief or "understanding" about a place developed through books, movies, stories, and pictures
425821349Peters ProjectionA cylindrical map projection that attempts to retain accurate sizes of all the world's land masses
848983309physical geographythe study of physical features of the earth's surface
848983310physical mapa map that shows mountains, hills, plains, rivers, lakes, oceans, etc.
194028094placeA specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular character. Also defined as a geographical term that describes the unique physical and human characteristics of a location; the fourth theme of geography
849012606placelessnessdefined by the geographer Edward Relph as the loss of uniqueness of place in the cultural landscape so that one place looks like the next
848996241polderland created by the Dutch by draining water from an area
848983311political mapa map that shows man-made features such as city, state, and country boundaries
848996242possibilismthe theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives
848983312prime meridianthe meridian, designated at 0 degrees longitude, that passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England
194028098principal meridianA north-south line designated in the Land Ordinance of 1785 to facilitate the surveying and numbering of townships in the United States.
194028099projectionThe system used to transfer locations from Earth's surface to a flat map, also simply a flat map.
848983313reference mapsmaps that show the absolute location of places and geographic features determined by a frame of ___________, typically latitude and longitude.
848996243regionan area defined by an unique combination of one or more natural or cultural characteristics that set it apart from other areas, the third theme of geography
848996244regional (or cultural landscape) studiesan approach to geography that emphasizes the relationship among social and physical phenomena in a particular study area
848983314relative locationthe regional position or situation of a place in ___________ to the position of other places
849012607relocation diffusionthe spread of a feature or trend through bodily movement of people from one place to another
848983315remote sensingthe acquisition of data about Earth's surface from a satellite orbiting the planet or other long-distance methods.
849012608resourcea substance in the environment that is useful to people, is economically and technologically feasible to access, and is socially acceptable to use
425821348Robinson ProjectionProjection that attempts to balance several possible projection errors. It does not maintain completely accurate area, shape, distance, or direction, but it minimizes errors in each.
194028105scaleGenerally, the relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole, specifically the relationship between the size of an object on a map and the size of the actual feature on Earth's surface.
194028106sectionsA square normally one (1) mile on a side. The Land Ordinance of 1785 divided townships in the United States into 36 sections.
848983316sense of placestate of mind derived through the infusion of a place with meaning and emotion by remembering important events that occurred in that place or by labeling a place with a certain character
849012609sequent occupancethe notion that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape
848983317sitethe physical character of the place
848983318situationthe location of a place relative to other places
425826011small scaleMap scale ratio in which the ratio of units on the map to units on the earth is quite small; usually depict large areas
194028109spaceThe physical gap or interval between two objects.
849012610space-time compressionthe reduction in the time it takes to diffuse something to a distant place, as a result of improved communications and transportation systems
849012611spatialpertaining to or involving or having the nature of space
849012612spatial distributionthe patterns of geographic features over Earth's surface
849012613spatial interactionthe movement (e.g.. of people, goods, information) between different places; an indication of interdependence between different geographic locations or areas
849012614spatial perspectivean intellectual framework that looks at the locations of specific phenomena, how and why that phenomena is, and finally, how it is spatially related to phenomena in another place
849012615stimulus diffusionthe spread of an underlying principle, even though a specific characteristic is rejected
848983319thematic layersindividual maps of specific features that are overlaid on one another in a Geographical Information System to understand and analyze a spatial relationship
848983320thematic mapsMaps that tell stories, typically showing the degree of some attribute or the movement of a geographic phenomenon
848983321topographythe surface features of a place or region. The ____________ of a region includes hills, valleys, streams, lakes, bridges, tunnels, and roads.
848983322toponymthe name given to a portion of the earth's surface
194042991townshipA square normally 6 miles on a side. The Land Ordinance of 1785 divided much of the United States into a series of townships.
849012616transnational corporationa company that conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters or shareholders are located
849012617uneven developmentthe increasing gap in economic conditions between core and peripheral regions as a result of the globalization of the economy
425826012verbal scaledescription of scale using words "one inch equal four miles"
848996245vernacular (perceptual) regionan area that people believe to exist as part of their cultural identity

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