AP Human Geography Chapter 1 Flashcards

Questions and Answers

What is the study of the earth's physical and cultural landscapes called?

Human Geography

Geography (correct)

Physical Geography

Cartography

What does Tobler's First Law of Geography state?

All things are related, but near things are more related than far things.

What is distance decay?

The effect of distance on cultural or spatial interactions.

What does the friction of distance refer to?

The notion that distance usually requires effort, money, and/or energy to overcome. Signup and view all the answers

What is physical geography?

The study of the natural environment, including climates, landforms, and vegetation. Signup and view all the answers

What is human geography?

The study of the location of people and human activities across Earth's surface. Signup and view all the answers

What is meant by 'sense of place'?

Feelings evoked among people as a result of experiences and memories associated with a place. Signup and view all the answers

What is latitude?

Circles the Earth parallel to the equator and measures the distance north or south of the equator. Signup and view all the answers

Where does the equator lie?

At 0 degrees latitude. Signup and view all the answers

Where do the poles lie?

90 degrees N (north) and 90 degrees S (south). Signup and view all the answers

What is longitude?

Circles the Earth from pole to pole. Signup and view all the answers

What is the Prime Meridian?

0 degrees longitude; runs through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. Signup and view all the answers

What is the International Date Line?

An arc that mostly follows 180 degrees longitude and indicates time changes as you travel east or west. Signup and view all the answers

How many degrees are in 1 minute?

1 degree equals 60 minutes. Signup and view all the answers

What is a spatial scale?

A shorthand for discussing relative lengths, areas, distances, and sizes. Signup and view all the answers

What are small scale maps?

Maps that show large areas with less detail. Signup and view all the answers

What are large scale maps?

Maps that represent smaller areas with greater detail. Signup and view all the answers

What is a representative fraction?

The relationship between the size of an object on a map and the size of the actual feature on Earth's surface. Signup and view all the answers

What is an isoline?

A line that connects places of equal data value. Signup and view all the answers

What do isoline maps show?

Changes in the variable being mapped across a surface by lines that connect points of equal value. Signup and view all the answers

What are general-purpose maps?

Maps that show a wide range of general information about an area. Signup and view all the answers

What do physical maps depict?

The location and topography (shape) of the Earth's physical features. Signup and view all the answers

What do political maps show?

The boundaries between countries. Signup and view all the answers

What is an image map?

Maps that use satellite images or aerial photos. Signup and view all the answers

What is a cartogram?

A map where space is distorted to emphasize a particular attribute. Signup and view all the answers

What do dot maps use to represent frequency?

A dot to represent the occurrence of some variable. Signup and view all the answers

What is a chloropleth map?

A map that depicts ranked classes of some variable with colors for predefined zones. Signup and view all the answers

What is cartography?

The art and science of mapmaking. Signup and view all the answers

What does GIS stand for?

Geographic Information System. Signup and view all the answers

What is possibilism?

The theory that the environment sets constraints or limitations, but culture is determined by social conditions. Signup and view all the answers

What does density refer to in geography?

Frequency in space. Signup and view all the answers

What does concentration refer to?

The spread of something over space. Signup and view all the answers

What does dispersed mean?

Objects relatively far apart. Signup and view all the answers

What is a pattern in geography?

The geometric arrangement of something in a study area. Signup and view all the answers

What is a toponym?

A name derived from a place or region. Signup and view all the answers

The four ways to identify location are: name, mathematical, , and .

site, situation Signup and view all the answers

What are uniform regions?

Areas with distinctive characteristics and/or similar landscapes. Signup and view all the answers

What are functional regions?

Regions defined by a node of activity and distance decay. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Geography Fundamentals

Geography encompasses the study of Earth’s physical and cultural landscapes, examining spatial patterns and interrelationships.
Tobler's First Law of Geography notes that all things are interconnected, with proximity enhancing relationships.

Spatial Concepts

Distance decay refers to the diminishing effect of distance on cultural or spatial interactions.
The distance decay effect highlights how interaction between two locales decreases as the distance increases.
Friction of distance signifies that overcoming distance involves effort, money, and energy.

Branches of Geography

Physical geography studies the natural environment, including climates, landforms, and vegetation.
Human geography focuses on the spatial distribution of people and human activities, analyzing their relationships.

Place and Sense of Place

Place refers to the meaningful associations people have with specific locations.
Sense of place describes emotions and memories people associate with particular locations.

Coordinate Systems

Latitude is measured in degrees, with the equator at 0 degrees and poles at 90 degrees north and south.
Longitude, or meridians, runs from pole to pole, with the Prime Meridian established at 0 degrees.

Map Interpretation

The International Date Line roughly follows 180 degrees longitude, affecting calendar dates based on direction traveled.
Small scale maps represent large areas with less detail; large scale maps focus on local specifics with greater detail.
A representative fraction shows the size relation between map objects and their real-world counterparts.

Mapping Techniques

Isolines connect points of equal data value on a map, while isoline maps depict variations across surfaces.
General-purpose maps provide a broad overview of areas, contrasting with physical maps that detail Earth’s topography.
Political maps illustrate boundaries between countries, whereas image maps use satellite imagery for representation.
Cartograms distort space to emphasize particular data attributes, while dot maps visualize density through dot representation.
Choropleth maps use color to denote ranked classes of variables across defined regions.

Cartography and GIS

Cartography is the art and science involved in mapmaking.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) integrate various data forms (maps, satellite images, statistics) to create informative maps.

Determinants of Cultural and Physical Geography

Possibilism suggests that the environment restricts certain conditions, yet social factors predominantly shape culture.
Density refers to the frequency of a phenomenon in a given space, while concentration describes how spread out objects are.
Dispersed indicates objects that are relatively far apart; patterns represent the geometric arrangement of phenomena in an area.

Identifying Locations

Locations can be identified through name, mathematical coordinates, site characteristics, and situational context.
Uniform regions are characterized by distinct features or landscapes, while functional regions are defined by activity nodes and distance decay.

Important Vocabulary

Toponym refers to a name derived from a place or region, highlighting the significance of location in cultural identity.

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Description

This quiz covers key terms and concepts from Chapter 1 of AP Human Geography. Understand the fundamental ideas such as geography, Tobler's First Law of Geography, and the concept of distance decay. Perfect for students preparing for assessments in this foundational subject.