AP Human Geography All Vocab Terms Part 1

the degree of ease with which it is possible to reach a certain location from other locations. Accessibility varies from place to place and can be measured.

one of the two major divisions of systematic geography; the spatial analysis of the structure, processes, and location of the Earth's natural phenomena such as climate, soil, plants, animals, and topography.

the degree of direct linage between one particular location and other locations in a transport network.

the notion that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape

physical location of geographic phenomena across space

they are location, human-environment, region, place, and movement

a logical attempt to explain the locational pattern of an economic activity and the manner in which its producing areas are interrelated. The agricultural location theory contained in the von Thunen model is a leading example.

the study of health and disease within a geographic context and from a geographical perspective. Among other things, medical geography looks at sources, diffusions routes, and distribution of diseases.

observing variations in geographic phenomena across space

one of the major divisions of geography; the spatial analysis of human population, its cultures, activities, and landscapes

regional outbreak of a disease

the visible imprint of human activity and culture on the landscape. The layers of buildings, forms, and artifacts sequentially imprinted on the landscape by the activities of various human occupants.

the overall appearance of an area. Most landscapes are comprised of a combination on natural and human-induced influences.

belief or "understanding" about a place developed through books, movies, stories or pictures

state 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.

the design of a spatial distribution (e.g. scattered or concentrated)

pertaining to space on the Earth's surface; sometimes used as a synonym for geographic

the study of geographic phenomena by visiting places and observing how people interact with and thereby change those places

the fourth theme of geography; uniqueness of a location

an outbreak of a disease that spreads worldwide. (see also - endemic)

the expansion of economic, political, and cultural processes to the point that they become global in scale and impact. The processes of globalization transcend state boundaries and have outcomes that vary across places and scales.

the first theme of geography as defined by the Geography Educational National Implementation Project; the geographical situation of people and things.

measurement of the physical space between two places

see complementarity (a condition that exists when two regions, through an exchange of raw materials and/or finished products, can specifically satisfy each others demands) and intervening opportunity (the presence of a nearer opportunity that greatly diminishes the attractiveness of sites farther away)

the second theme of geography; reciprocal relationship between humans and environment.

the third theme of geography; an area on the Earth's surface marked by a degree of formal, functional, or perceptual homogeneity of some phenomenon

the fifth theme of geography; the mobility of people, goods, and ideas across the surface of the planet.

Maps that show the absolute location of places and geographic features determined by a frame of reference, typically latitude and longitude

The position or 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 (a suburb of London)

Geographic viewpoint—a response to determinism—that holds that human decision making, not the environment, is the crucial factor in cultural development. Nonetheless, possibilists view the environment as providing a set of broad constraints that limits the possibilities of human choice

Sequential diffusion process in which the items being diffused are transmitted by their carrier agents as they evacuate the old areas and relocate to new ones. The most common form of relocation diffusion involves the spreading of innovations by a migrating population

Heartland, source area, innovation center; place of origin of a major culture

"When mapping data, whether human or physical geographers, cartographers, the geographers who make maps, generalize the information the present on maps." (de Blij, Murphey, Fouberg, ph 16)

Prevailing cultural attitude rendering certain innovations, ideas or practices unacceptable or unadoptable in that particular culture

Involvement of players at other scales to generate support for a position or an initiative (e.g., use of the Internet to generate interest on a national or global scale for a local position or initiative)

The distance-controlled spreading of an idea, innovation, or some other item through a local population by contact from person to person—analogous to the communication of a contagious illness

A form of diffusion in which an idea or innovation spreads by passing first among the most connected places or peoples. An urban hierarchy is usually involved, encouraging the leapfrogging of innovations over wide areas, with geographic distance a less important influence

Satellite-based system for determining the absolute location of places or geographic features

A form of diffusion in which a cultural adaptation is created as a result of the introduction of a cultural trait from another place

A type of region marked by a certain degree of homogeneity in one or more phenomena; also called uniform region or homogeneous region

The regional position or situation of a place relative to the position of other places. Distance, accessibility, and connectivity affect relative location

the space within which daily activity occurs

The art and science of making maps, including data compilation, layout, and design. Also concerned with the interpretation of mapped patterns

The sum total of the knowledge, attitudes, and habitual behavior patterns shared and transmitted by the members of a society. This is anthropologist Ralph Linton's definition; hundreds of others exist

The view that the natural environment has a controlling influence over various aspects of human life, including cultural development. Also referred to as environmentalism

The expansion and adoption of a cultural element, from its place of origin to a wider area

Maps that tell stories, typically showing the degree of some attribute or the movement of a geographic phenomenon

The term for a trait with many cultural hearths that developed independent of each other

collection of computer hardware and software permitting spatial data to be collected, recorded, stored, retrieved, used, and displayed.

The declining degree of acceptance of an idea or innovation with increasing time and distance from its point of origin or source

A related set of cultural traits, such as prevailing dress codes and cooking and eating utensils

Line on a map connecting points of equal temperature values

The multiple interactions and relationships between a culture and the natural environment

A method of collecting data or information through the use of instruments (e.g., satellites) that are physically distant from the area or object of study

An approach to studying nature—society relations that is concerned with the ways in which environmental issues both reflect, and are the result of, the political and socioeconomic contexts in which they are situated

A single element of normal practice in a culture, such as the wearing of a turban

Image or picture of the way space is organized as determined by an individual's perception, impression, and knowledge of that space

A region defined by the particular set of activities or interactions that occur within it

A hunt for a cache, the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates which are placed on the Internet by other geocachers

The spread of an innovation or an idea through a population in an area in such a way that the number of those influenced grows continuously larger, resulting in an expanding area of dissemination

Ways of seeing the world spatially that are used by geographers in answering research questions

The population of a country or region expressed as an average per unit area. The figure is derived by dividing the population of the areal unit by the number of square kilometers or miles that make up the unit

A periodic and official count of a country's population

A figure that describes the number of children that die between the first and fifth years of their lives in a given population

Generally long-lasting afflictions now more common because of higher life expectancies

The number of live births yearly per thousand people in a population

The number of deaths yearly per thousand people in a population

Multistage model, based on Western Europe's experience, of changes in population growth exhibited by countries undergoing industrialization. High birth rates and death rates are followed by plunging death rates, producing a huge net population gain; this is followed by the convergence of birth rates and death rates at a low overall level

Maps where one dot represents a certain number of a phenomenon, such as a population

The time required for a population to double in size