World Studies Unit 1 Vocab

Geography Location

Used to identify a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere

Geography Place

An area that is defined by everything in it. All places have features that give them personality and distinguished them from other places

Geography Region

An area that is defined by certain similar characteristics. Those unifying or similar characteristics can be physical, natural, human, or cultural

Geography Movement

the way people, products, information, and ideas move from one place to another

Geography Human/Environment Interaction

looks at the relationships between people and their environment; how people adapt to the environment and how they change

Physical Geography

study of the four spheres (lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere)

Human Geography

study of the spatial differentiation and organization of the human activity on the earth's surface

Cartography

the science or practice of drawing maps

Global Positioning System (GPS)

a satellite-based navigation system placed into orbit by the US department of Defense

Geographic Information System (GIS)

A computer data system used to capture, store, manage, retrieve, analyze and display spatial information

Political Map

Designed to show governmental boundaries of countries, states, and countries. They can also indicate the location of major cities, and they usually include significant bodies of water

Physical Map

designed to show governmental boundaries of countries, states and counties. They can also indicate the location of major cities, and they usually include significant bodies of water

Choropleth Map

A map that uses differences in shading, coloring, or the placing of symbols within predefined areas to indicate the average values of a property or quantity in those areas

Dot Map

a map type that uses a dot symbol to show the presence of a feature or phenomenon

Isoline Map

A line on a map, chart, or graph, connecting points of equal value

Statistical Map

a special type of map in which the cariatin in quantity of a factor such as rainfall, population, or crops in a geographic area is indicated; dot map is one type

Cartogram Map

a map in which some thematic mapping variable- such as travel time, population, or Gross National Product- is substituted for land area or distance

Proportional Arrow Map

A map that may show district by the use of arrows

Scale

A map is the ratio of a distance on the map to the corresponding distance on the ground

Toponyms

a place name, especially one derived from a topographical feature

Site

the internal characteristics of a place that describes where it is

Situation

the external characteristics that make that location attractive

Latitude

The angular distance of a place north or south of the earth's equator, or of a celestial object north or south of the celestial equator, usually expressed in degrees and minutes

Longitude

the angular distance of a place east or west of the merdian at Greenwich, England, or west of the standard merdian of a celestial object, usually expressed in degrees or minutes

Formal Region

A region delineated on the basis of one or more identifiable trait which sets it apart from other regions

Functional Region

a region that has a defined core that retains a specific characteristic that diminishes outwards

Vernacular Region

an area defined by subjective perceptions that reflect the feelings and images about key place characteristics

Relocation

to locate again, establish or layout a new place

Expansion

the action of becoming larger or more extensive

Contagious diffusion

spreads and hits anything in its path

Stimulus Diffusion

diffusion in which one people receives any cultural element from another but gives it a new and unique form