Unit 1 Flashcards
Thematic Maps
Display specific data or theme, such as climate or population density
Reference Maps
Show general geographic information, such as borders and cities
Map Projections
Methods of representing the curved Earth on a flat map, can cause distortion in shape, area, distance, or direction
Distance Decay
The decrease in interaction or influence between two places as the distance between them increases
Scale
The ratio of the distance on a map to the corresponding distance in reality
Scale of Analysis
The level of detail at which data is organized, can be national, local, or global
Small Scale
Shows a large area, but with less detail
Large Scale
Shows a small area, but with more detail
Environmental Determinism
The environment sets restrictions on society and culture
Possibilism
How society can shape and modify the environment to suit its needs
Functional Regions
Organized around a central node, such as an airport or city
Perceptual Regions
Geographic areas that only exist because of peoples beliefs or attitudes
Formal Regions
Geographic areas with common attributes, such as climate or economy
Mercator Projection
A projection of a map of the world on to a cylinder in such a way that all the parallels of latitude have the same length as the equator
Robinson Projection
The Robinson projection is a map projection of a world map that shows the entire world at once. It is neither conformal nor equal-area
