Unit 1: Thinking Geographically - AP Human Geography

Key Concepts

• Space: Geometric surface of the Earth; objects defined by location and distance from others.
• Activity Space: Area where daily activities occur.
• Place: Bounded area of human significance; recognized with a place-name or toponym.
• Regions: Types of places, including urban areas, workplaces, and transportation nodes.
  • Regions change over time; concept of sequent occupancy involves layers of cultural and societal influences.
• Scale: Relationship of an object/place to the Earth.
  • Map Scale: Ratio of map distance to real-world distance.
  • Relative Scale: Level of aggregation for examination, ranging from local to global.

Types of Regions

• Formal Regions: Defined by homogeneous characteristics (e.g., common language).
• Functional Regions: Have a central place or node serving a practical purpose (e.g., market areas).
• Vernacular Regions: Based on residents' perceptions, can vary within the region.

Location

• Absolute Location: Coordinates such as latitude and longitude.
• Relative Location: Location compared to known places or features.
• Site and Situation: Physical characteristics and interrelatedness with other places.

Distance

• Absolute Distance: Linear measurement (e.g., miles, kilometers).
• Relative Distance: Concept of distance decay and Tobler's Law; friction of distance.
• Space-Time Compression: Reduced time and distance due to technology.

Spatial Interactions

• Central Places: Nodes of human activity, often economic centers.
• Core and Periphery: Relationships in cultural, economic, political, and environmental contexts.

Patterns

• Cluster and Agglomeration: Grouping and purposeful clustering around central points.
• Random and Linear Patterns: Distribution without reason or along lines.

Density

• Arithmetic Density: Number of things per square unit.
• Physiologic Density: People per arable land unit.
• Agricultural Density: Farmers per arable land unit.

Diffusion Patterns

• Hearth: Origin point of innovation.
• Expansion Diffusion: Spreads outward in all directions.
• Hierarchical Diffusion: Moves from first-order to lower-order locations.
• Contagious Diffusion: Outward movement to nearby locations.
• Stimulus Diffusion: Principles that stimulate new products or ideas.
• Relocation Diffusion: Crosses physical barriers to new locations.

Geographic Tools

• Types of Maps:
  • Topographic Maps: Show elevation, urban, and natural features.
  • Thematic Maps: Focus on specific subjects.
  • Choropleth Maps: Use color variations to show geographic data.
  • Isoline Maps: Calculate data values between points.
  • Dot Density Maps: Use dots for volume and density.
  • Flow-line Maps: Use lines to show movement patterns.
  • Cartograms: Use simplified geometries to represent places.
• Map Scale: Absolute and ratio scales; large-scale for detail, small-scale for broader areas.

Projections

• Equal-area Projections: Maintain spatial area but distort shape.
• Conformal Projections: Maintain shape but distort area.
• Robinson and Goode's Homolosine Projections: Balance area and form.

Models

• Spatial Models: Show common patterns in landscapes.
• Urban Models: Analyze city spatial relationships and structures.
• Demographic Transition Models: Non-spatial, show population growth dynamics.
• Gravity Model: Used for analyzing transportation flow and influence areas.

Geographic Technology

• GIS (Geographic Information Systems): Use data layers for spatial analysis and mapping.
• GPS (Global Positioning System): Satellite network for location data.
• Aerial Photography and Remote Sensing: Used for geographic data collection, with increasing digital imagery use.

These notes provide a structured summary of key geographic concepts, regions, distances, spatial interactions, patterns, densities, diffusion patterns, geographic tools, projections, models, and technology relevant to thinking geographically in AP Human Geography.