Ch. 1 - Introduction to Geography and Maps Flashcards
Absolute location
Location based on the latitude and longitude coordinates
Diffusion
Describes the spread or movement of a principle or idea
Cartograms
Maps that assign space by the size of some datum
Cartographers
Map makers; concerned with problem of distortion
Concentration
The density of particular phenomena over an area; objects can either be clustered or agglomerated
Conformal maps
Maps that distort area but keep shapes intact
Conic projection maps
Maps that put a cone over the Earth and keep distance intact but lose directional qualities
Cultural landscape
Cultural attributes of an area often used to describe a place
Cylindrical maps
Maps that show true direction but lose distance
Dark Ages
A time when academic thought was not advancing in Europe but was very active across the rest of the world
Density
Describes how often an object occurs within a given area or space
Distribution
The term comes from the idea that everything on Earth’s surface must have a physical location. The three aspects: density, concentration, and pattern
Environmental determination
Stated that human behaviors are a direct result of their environment
Equal-area projection maps
Maps that try to distribute distortion equally throughout the map; may distort shapes
Expansion diffusion
The term used to describe the spread of a characteristic from a central node through various means: hierarchical, contagious, and stimulus diffusion
Flow-line maps
Maps that are good for determining movement, such as migration trends
Formal regions
Regions where everything and anything inside has the same characteristic or phenomena
Functional regions
Regions that can be defined around a certain point or node; characteristics are most intense around the center but are lost or weaken the further away from the node
Geographic information systems (GIS)
Layers geographic information into a new map, showing specific types of geographical data
Geographical positioning systems (GPS)
Uses the Earth’s latitude and longitude coordinates to determine an exact location
Geography
The description of the Earth’s surface and the people and processes that shape those landscapes
Hierarchical diffusion
The notion that a phenomena spreads as a result of the social elite, such as political leaders, entertainment leaders or famous athletes, spreading societal ideas or trends
Human geography
The study of human characteristics on the landscape, including population, agriculture, urbanization, and culture
Latitudes (parallels)
Parallel lines that run east/west on the surface of the Earth; the highest degree of latitude is 90 degrees