Ch. 1 Vocabulary Flashcards
(24 cards)
Spatial Approach
Perspective that considers the arrangement of the phenomena being studied. (Considerations like location, distance, direction, orientation, pattern, and interconnection)
Human Geography
The study of spatial characteristics of humans and human activities.
Absolute Location
The exact/precise spot where something is according to the system being used. (ex. longitude and latitude)
Equator
An imaginary line that goes around the world exactly between the North and South poles.
Latitude
The distance North or South of the equator.
Longitude
The distance East or West of the prime meridian.
Prime Meridian
An imaginary line that runs from pole to pole through Greenwich, England.
International Date Line
Roughly follows a 180 degrees longitude(north-south) line on the Earth, but makes deviations to accommodate international boundaries.
Relative Location
A description of where something is in relation to other things.
Site
Can be described as the characteristics at the immediate location- like the soil type, climate, labor force, and human structures.
Situation
Refers to the location of a place relative to its surroundings and other places near it.
Sense of Place
How a place’s characteristics are perceived based on personal beliefs of humans.
Human-environment interaction
The connection and exchange between humans and the natural world.
Cultural ecology
The study of how humans adapt to the environment.
Environmental determinism
The belief that landforms and climate are the most powerful forces shaping human behavior.
Possibilism
A veiw that confirms limits on the effects of the natural enviroment and focuses more on the role that human culture has.
Built environment
Pysical artifacts that humans have created that form part of the landscape.
Cultural landscape
Anything built by humans.
Toponyms
names of places that include descriptions of their physical factors
time-space compression spatial interaction
the changing of time-distance between places because of transportation or communication advancements
friction of distance
indicates that when things are farther apart, they usually tend to be less well-connected, and vice versa
distance-decay
when this relationship between distance and connection is weakened
density
the number of something in a specific area
distribution
the way an amount of something is spread out over an area
