AP Human Geography
Unit 1: Geography (Its Nature and Perspectives)
Vocabulary and Concepts
Chapter 1 in textbook (pages 1-33) and Appendix A (A1-9)
1. human geography (8): focuses on how people make places, how we organize space and society, how we interact
with each other in places and across space, and how we make sense of others and ourselves in our locality, region,
and world.
2. globalization (8): a set of processes that are increasing interactions, deepending, relationships, and heightening
interdependence without regard to country borders.
3. spatial perspective (11): observing variations in geographic phenomena across space; used to study a multitude of
phenomena ranging from political elections and urban shantytowns to gay neighborhoods and folk music.
4. location (11): the position of people and things on Earth
a. location theory (11): predicts the why and where of people and things
b. absolute location (14): uses latitude and longitude
c. relative location (15): describes a place in relation to other humans or physical features; constantly changing
d. site: initial, physical characteristics of a place
e. situation: location of a place in relation to surrounding characteristics
5. human-environment interactions (11): relationship between humans and the physical world and the results of those
relationships
6. place (11): the unique human and physical characteristics associated with a place
a. sense of place (11): we infuse what a place means to us by our own experiences
b. perception of place (11): books/movies/stereotypes give us ideas about a place even if we have never been
there (i.e. images of the Swiss Alps)
7. movement (11): the mobility of goods, people, and ideas; spatial interaction is determined by distances among
places, their accessibility and connectivity
a. complementary: exchanging goods between regions that satisfy each other’s demands
b. intervening opportunity: the presence of a nearer community that greatly diminishes the attractiveness of
sites farther away (instead of visiting China, visit Chinatown in NY)
8. landscape (11): the material character of a place, the complex of natural features, human structures, and other
tangible objects that give a particular place form
a. cultural landscape (12): visible imprint of human activity on the landscape identified by Carl Sauer
b. sequent occupance (12): the successive occupiers of a landscape that bring their own technological and
cultural traditions; proposed by Derwent Whittiesey (new inhabitants to a neighbor land
9. maps:
a. distortion: fundamental problem with maps
i. equal-area projection maps: attempt to maintain the relative spatial science and the areas on the
map; may distort the actual shape of polygons
ii. conformal maps: attempt to maintain the shape of polygons on a map; may distort the relative area
from one part of the map to another
b. scale (G/A-1): the ratio between an actual distance and distance shown on a map
c. cylindrical projection maps: are true in direction and good for navigation but exaggerates the size and shape
of higher-altitude areas and areas along the equator are true
d. planar projection maps: examine the Earth in one direction such as using a pole or polar region so that you
see the parallel as circles; distortion increases as you move away from the center point of projection
e. conic projection maps: puts a cone over the Earth to keep distance in
f. oval projection maps: uses a combination of cylindrical and conic projections such as the Molleweide
projection. It is good for showing data distribution; all parallels are true, but the greatest distortion is at the
poles.
g. reference maps (14): show locations; uses latitude and longitude (i.e. GPS)
h. thematic maps (14): tell stories (often use colors, distortions, and sizes to tell stories)
i. cartograms: chart and assign data by size so they distort on a map
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ii. choropleth maps: put data into spatial format using patterns or colors
iii. dot maps: dots represent a certain number of phenomena
iv. flow-line maps: show data based on line thickness and can be drawn from one base to another
v. isoline maps: use continuous lines to join pointes of the same value
vi. statistical maps: show variations of quality of a point
i. grid system: used in maps; created through latitude and longitude
j. parallels/latitude (A-2): run from East to West; highest measure is 90 degrees North or South
k. meridians/longitude (A-2): run from North to South; highest measure is 180 degrees East of West
l. equator: located at 0 degrees North/South; divides the Earth into Northern and Southern hemispheres
m. North and South Poles: located at 90 degrees North and South
n. prime meridian: located at 0 degrees East/West; runs through Greenwich, England
o. time zones: broken down by longitude; used to organize time within different regions
p. International Date Line: located at 180 degrees East/West; where the date changes everyday
q. mental maps (15): use activity spaces to create images in our head (think drawing a map for a person to give
directions)
global positioning systems (14): uses satellites to locate position on Earth; many times used for giving directions
remote sensing (17): way of collecting data that allows geographers to understand the scope and rate of changes
over small and long periods of time; uses instruments physically distant from objects (i.e. satellites)
geographic information systems (17): uses computer technology and data storage to create maps with patterns and
other relationships (layering data)
regions (22): Areas that have a shared feature
a. formal/uniform region (23): regions that can be defined by physical or crucial criteria (Midwest/Corn belt)
b. functional/nodal region (24): based on product of interactions, of movement of various kinds; also called a
spatial system (shopping centers; broadcast area for radio tower)
c. perceptual/vernacular region (25): intellectual designs that help us understand the nature and distribution
of phenomena(The South)
culture (26): way of life; sum total of the knowledge, attitudes, and habitual behavior patterns shared and
transmitted by the members of society
a. cultural trait (27): a single attribute (i.e. Muslim men wear turbans)
b. culture complex (27): when more than one culture exhibits a particular trait with a discrete combination of
traits (i.e. herding cattle occurs in many counties but with different characteristics)
c. cultural hearth (27): an area where cultural traits develop and from which the cultural trait develops
d. independent invention (28): a trait with many hearths that have developed independently of each other
diffusion (28): the spatial spreading or dissemination of a culture element or some other phenomenom
a. culture diffusion (28): occurs throught the movement of people, goods, and ideas across space
b. time-distance decay (28): the time and distance involved in the diffusion; the declining degree of acceptance
of an idea or innovation with increasing time and distance from its point of origin or source
c. cultural barriers (28): prevent the diffusion of ideas (i.e. religion/politics/language)
d. expansion diffusion (29): 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
e. contagious diffusion (29): when all adjacent individuals are affected
f. hierarchical diffusion (29): a pattern in which the main channel of diffusion is through some segment such
as social elite
g. stimulus diffusion (29): an idea that was stimulated through diffusion but took on a new form to create an
innovative product
h. relocation diffusion (30): actual movement of individuals who have already adopted the idea/innovation,
and who carry it to a new, perhaps distant, locale, where they proceed to disseminate it
distribution: how things are organized on the Earth’s surface
a. density: how often an object occurs within an area or space; it is quite often associated with population
b. physiological density(G): the number of people per area of farmable land
c. arithmetic density (G): the number of people per total area of land
d. concentration: proximity of a particular phenomenon over the area in which it is spread
e. clustered/agglomerated concentration(G): describes objects that are close together
f. dispersed/scattered concentration: describes objects that are more spread out
g. pattern: related to how things are organized in their given space; patterns are often described in geometric
shapes
h. linear patterns: laid out in a straight line
i. random: no pattern exists
17. environmental determinism (30): idea that human behavior, individually or collectively, is affected by or even
controlled or determined by the physical environment; climate is a factor in how humans hehave; led by Carl Ritter,
Ellen Churchill Semple, and Ellsworth Huntington
a. isotherms (31): lines connecting points of equal temperature values
18. possibilism (30): counter arguments to the environmental determinism theory; opponents have said the
environment serves to limit the range of choices available to a culture and the choices a society makes depends on
its members (requirements and technology); led by Cal Sauer
a. cultural ecology (31): the multiple interaction and relationships between a culture and the natural
environment
b. political ecology (31): an approach to studying nature; concerned with environmental issues