Introduction To Geography Test Questions – Flashcards
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The study of people, places and the environment from a spatial perspective
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How would you define geography?
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What? Where? Why?
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What are the main questions that geographers ask?
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Places all depend on each other to a certain extent. No matter what you are studying, it has some effect on another place because the scale is comparing something and Earth as a whole Refugees are an example because they can't live in a place but another place provides them somewhere, migrants also because they move from one place to live in another. NYC wouldn't be diverse without interdependence, wall street
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What is meant by the interdependence of places? The interdependence of scales? And interdependence as a two-way process?
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Human- where people live, how they live, how they sustain themselves Physical- the actual landscape, vegetation, soil, climates etc.
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What is the difference between human and physical geography?
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Distinctive patters of human environment interaction
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What is regional geography?
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They share a spatial perspective
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What perspective do human and physical geographers share?
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Small scale maps show a large area, large scale maps show a smaller area but enlarged. Small scale
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Explain the difference between a large-scale map and a small-scale map. Which would be most appropriate for showing the world?
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Scale only allows people to see part of something instead of the whole thing so it omits many details but focuses on one point
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How does scale act as a filter to what we see?
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A map projection is showing lat and long on a flat surface. When this is done, distortion occurs but it allows for a better view of whatever is being illustrated
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What are map projections and why are they necessary?
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An isoline map is a contour map and it connects points of equal value or elevation
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What is an isoline map, and what would be a typical use for such a map?
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A chloropleth map is a shaded map with administrative boundaries. An example of this type of map is a shaded map of different countries/continents/states
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What is a choropleth map? Illustrate a use for such a map.
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They are used to symbolize something that is representative of a certain value
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How might proportional symbols be used on a map?
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A map with lots of dots each indicating a certain amount of something. They can be used to show the number of people in a town or state or anything like that
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What are dot maps, and when might they be useful?
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A located chart map shows statistics in specific places
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What is a located chart map?
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Cognitive maps are maps made in your mind. They can be useful if they are somewhat accurate or pertain to something that you are very familiar with
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What are cognitive maps? Can you illustrate their use?
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A cartogram depicts values associated with places. It illustrates things by distorting them. Can be useful for showing the amount of oil produced in different countries.
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What is a cartogram? When might such a map be useful?
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Remote sensing is the gathering of data from space by the use of satellites
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What is remote sensing?
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Geographic Information Systems are hardware/software for computer mapping that allows you to isolate information and combine in in patterns.
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What is GIS, and how is it used?
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Location, distance, space, accessibility, spatial interaction, spatial diffusion
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What are the six key concepts of spatial analysis?
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Absolute-uses latitude and longitude Relative- describes where a place is in relation to other places
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Explain and illustrate the difference between absolute and relative location.
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Site- the physical attributes of a location Situation- location of a site and the affect from its location
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Explain and illustrate the difference between site and situation.
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Absolute- how many miles or feet (etc.) something is from point A to point B Relative- distance measured in time, effort, or cost Cognitive- how long we think it will take use to get somewhere
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Explain and illustrate the difference between absolute, relative, and cognitive distance.
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The deterrent or inhibiting effect of distance on human activity. Ex. A family wants to move from Iran to America but the friction of distance is discouraging because it is the amount of work and effort it will take to move such a great distance
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What is meant by the friction of distance? Illustrate the term.
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The drop in the percentage of people that travel somewhere due to the friction of distance. Example, the number of commuters to Boston has decreased because it is physically/mentally exhausting and it costs money
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Explain and illustrate distance decay.
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The connections between places in space (a measure of the degree of connectivity between places) Example, a map of the subway lines in London
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What is topological space?
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Places aren't isolated from one another. Based on movement and flow between places that connects them
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What is meant by spatial interaction? What is it based on?
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Places have to be able to meet eachothers needs. Ex supply and demand or a person living in NH that goes to Florida in the winter for warmth
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What is complementarity? Provide an example?
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The cost in time or money to move an item from one place to another. Varies with the weight, shape or fragility of an object
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Define transferability. What are some examples of how it varies?
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The rate at which places are moving together in travel/communication Ex. In the 1840's it was hard to get to Miami, now it is a 3hr plane ride
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What is time-space convergence?
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Why go far away to find something that you can find closer to you
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What is meant by intervening opportunity?
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The way that things spread through space over time
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What is meant by spatial diffusion?
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Major Types: Expansion- the spread of something through population from area to area Example, a disease spreading Relocation- when someone moves from one place to another and brings something with them Example, disease, guns, ideas, food Subtypes: Contagious Expansion- "snowball effect" areas close by are effected and it spreads Hierarchical Expansion- spreads from one major place to the next Ex Starbucks from NYC to LA
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What are the two major types (and subtypes) of spatial diffusion? Provide examples of each.
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Absorbing barriers- doesn't allow diffusion to progress at all Ex a mountain or ocean Permeable- permit some of what is diffusing through a barrier Ex immigration checkpoints
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What are absorbing and permeable barriers? Examples?
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Formal, functional, and vernacular
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What are the three main types of region?
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There can be more than one culture in an area and the area that each culture is in is a core but there is no actual boundary as to how far it can spread out so they overlap and form peripheries
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In what sense do formal culture regions have cores and peripheries?
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An area that has been organized to function politically, socially, or economically as one unit
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What is a functional region?
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Regions that are perceived to exist from the people that live there
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What is a vernacular region?
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All of the forms superimposed on the land from human activities
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What is meant by the cultural landscape?
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The sequence of occupance, a record of imprint on the landscape of successive groups of people
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Define and illustrate sequent occupance.
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Toponyms are place names. It is important to study them because you can determine or understand who the founders/ancestors of a place are. They can tell you the history about a place
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What are toponyms, and why can it be important to study them?
