Geography - AP Human Geography

Cartography is the science of making maps. While historically this involved exploring the land to map and then drawing maps by hand, technology has greatly improved this process. Today, cartographers are trained in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and produce maps through computer programs. Data is collected mostly by satellite imaging but also some by field research.

The etymology of the term Cartography comes from French and Greek. The first half of the word, "carto" comes from the French word for map, "carte". Graph comes from the Greek word "graphein" meaning to write or to draw. Combining these two words thus signifies the writing or drawing of maps. The "y" at the end of the word signifies that it is the scientific study or skill of this specialty.

Relative location is how we describe any give location. This can be done in a nearly infinite number of ways. Texas, for example, is south of Oklahoma and North of Mexico. It is also west of the UK and north of South Africa. Relative location is one of the two types of location which is one of the Five Themes of Geography.

Human-environment interaction is how we modify and adapt our environment and is one of the Five Themes of Geography.

Absolute location is the method we use to designate a specific place using map coordinates. Absolute location is one of the two types of location, which is one of the Five Themes of Geography.

Physical Geography is one of the two major branches of geography. It studies the natural features of earth, as well as earth's natural processes. Physical Geography includes the study of mountains, geology, weather and climate, and much more. It looks at how the physical formation of the earth affects other aspects of geography. It does not directly deal with humans and social constructs — that is cultural or human geography.

A region is a man-made construct that geographers utilize to distinguish the features of an area. Formal regions, also known as uniform regions, are determined by having similar physical, cultural, or political traits. An example of a formal region is the state of North Carolina or the French-speaking region of Canada.

Lines of longitude are the set of curving imaginary lines that run North-South, coming together at the poles. They measure distance, in degrees, East or West of the Prime Meridian.

Cartography incorporates science, aesthetics, and technique to communicate spatial information effectively (usually through maps). Cartography has a long, rich history that dates back to around 700 B.C.

Formal or uniform, functional or nodal, and perceptual or vernacular are all types of regions. You will see each called by either or both names.

Sequent occupance is the term that best describes this concept. Cities are good examples of sequent occupance. Many modern cities have old warehouses and industrial centers that have been converted into apartments, shopping areas, and condos. These warehouses remain from previous generations when that city used to be a manufacturing or shipping center and have influenced the use of space in the city after they served their initial purpose.

Spatial interaction is not a good answer here because the term means that there is a dynamic flow of people, goods, or intangibles (like ideas or beliefs) from one area to another.

Connectivity describes the tangible and intangible ways that places can be connected and does not apply to this scenario.

Future imprinting is not a real term used by geographers.

Spatial perspective is a framework used to evaluate the locations at which a specific phenomenon occurs and evaluate that phenomenon in the context of those various locations. As this questions refers to one location over time, this concept is not a good answer.

The US Land Ordinance of 1785 set up a system by which settlers could purchase portions of land in the unsettled West of the United States. This law divided land into standard-sized parcels. These parcels were named and included townships, ranges, quarter-sections, and sections.

Absolute location defines the location of a place based on a fixed point. A street address is a fixed point that describes the location of a place, and so is an example of absolute location.

Relative position defines the location of a place relative to another place or the surroundings of a place. As a street address is a fixed point, this is not the correct answer to the question.

Situation, like relative position, describes the location of a place relative to its surroundings.

Prime position is not a real term used by geographers.

The five themes to geography are: location, region, movement, place, and human-environment interaction. Time is important because all of these things change over time, but it is not considered a foundational theme of geography as a discipline.

Eratosthenes was an Ancient Greek mathematician and geographer who is notable for determining the circumference of the Earth using geometry. By measuring the sun’s angles from two separate places at the same time, on the same day, he was able to determine that the circumference of the Earth was around 46,000 km. Modern conclusions show that he was only off by a few hundred kilometers, a remarkable achievement for the third century BCE.

The geographer William Morris Davis is often credited with being the “father of American geography.” He wrote his seminal piece on the cycle of erosion which focused on the effects of rivers on the surrounding landscape. Carl Ritter was German and was referred to as one of the "founders of modern geography." Carl Sauer was an American geographer and his work represents his emphasis on cultural geography. Ernest W. Burgess was a Canadian sociologist and is credited with the formation of the method of unit-weightless regression that could be used to predict the success/failure of inmates on parole. Arno Peters was a German historian.

A model is a simplified abstraction of reality, structured to clarify causal relationships. Globes and maps are both types of models.

Sharia law is the strict Islamic law that imposes often cruel punishments to lawbreakers.

Lines of latitude, also called "parallels," measure the angular distance of points north and south of the Equator. On maps, they appear as horizontal lines across the surface of the Earth.

A dot map may easily be used to demonstrate the distribution of a particular item across a space. Here, dots may be used to represent each federal prison and its location across a map of the United States.