Chapter 1 Flashcards
(57 cards)
Geography
The study of how natural and human phenomena are distributed across the Earth’s surface and how they interact.
Spatial Science
A way geographers approach their work, focusing on understanding how and why things vary across Earth’s surface.
Location
Refers to the specific position of something in space. It identifies where an object or place exists geographically.
Place
Describes the human and natural characteristics that make a location unique. It focuses on what gives a specific area its identity.
Spatial Pattern
The arrangement of natural or human phenomena across the Earth. It shows how things like populations or landscapes are spread out.
Spatial Interaction
How different elements within the Earth system influence each other to form geographic patterns. It studies movement and connections between places.
Human Geography
The study of spatial aspects of human activities, culture, and society. It includes how people interact with their environments and create places.
Physical Geography
Focuses on the natural aspects of geography, such as climate, landforms, and ecosystems. It examines Earth’s physical processes and landscapes.
Continuum of Geography
Describes how geography is a broad field that spans from physical to human geography, showing its interconnected nature. It can be visualized through diagrams that illustrate this range.
Hypothesis
An educated guess or proposed explanation made based on limited evidence. It serves as a starting point for further investigation.
Theory
A well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world that is supported by repeated experiments and observations.
Maps
Essential tools for geographers, used to represent spatial distributions of phenomena. They visually display data like locations, densities, or relationships.
Spatial Data
Information that is collected to create maps, showing how objects or phenomena are distributed in space.
Qualitative Map Data
Information expressed in terms of qualities, such as the presence or absence of a feature, like vegetation types in a region.
Quantitative Map Data
Numerical data, such as elevation or temperature, used to show precise measurements on maps.
Choropleth Map
A map that uses different colors to show variations in quantities, like population density, within defined areas.
Dasymetric Map
A map that combines statistical data with geographic information to highlight patterns across similar areas.
Isarithmic Map
A map that uses lines (isolines) to connect points of equal value, such as elevation or air pressure, to show continuous data.
Topographic Map
A map that uses contour lines to depict elevation and landforms. It shows the three-dimensional features of the Earth’s surface.
Index Contour
The heavier contour lines on a topographic map that have elevations printed on them, marking significant height differences.
Intermediate Contour
The lighter contour lines between index contours on a topographic map, indicating less significant elevation changes.
Supplemental Contour
Additional contour lines used on topographic maps to show small elevation changes in flat areas.
Benchmark
A point of known elevation on a map, marked with symbols like “BM” or a triangle, used as a reference for elevation measurements.
Graduated Circle Map
A map that uses circles of varying sizes to represent the magnitude of a geographic phenomenon, such as population size.
