AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ALL VOCAB
TERMS EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
Accessibility - answer-the degree of ease with which it is possible to reach a certain
location from other locations. Accessibility varies from place to place and can be
measured.
Physical geography - answer-one of the two major divisions of systematic geography;
the spatial analysis of the structure, processes, and location of the earth's natural
phenomena such as climate, soil, plants, animals, and topography.
Connectivity - answer-the degree of direct linage between one particular location and
other locations in a transport network.
Sequent occupance - answer-the notion that successive societies leave their cultural
imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape
Spatial distribution - answer-physical location of geographic phenomena across space
Five themes (of geography) - answer-they are location, human-environment, region,
place, and movement
Location theory - answer-a logical attempt to explain the locational pattern of an
economic activity and the manner in which its producing areas are interrelated. The
agricultural location theory contained in the von thunen model is a leading example.
Medical geography - answer-the study of health and disease within a geographic
context and from a geographical perspective. Among other things, medical geography
looks at sources, diffusions routes, and distribution of diseases.
Spatial perspective - answer-observing variations in geographic phenomena across
space
Human geography - answer-one of the major divisions of geography; the spatial
analysis of human population, its cultures, activities, and landscapes
Epidemic - answer-regional outbreak of a disease
Cultural landscape - answer-the visible imprint of human activity and culture on the
landscape. The layers of buildings, forms, and artifacts sequentially imprinted on the
landscape by the activities of various human occupants.
,Landscape - answer-the overall appearance of an area. Most landscapes are comprised
of a combination on natural and human-induced influences.
Perception of place - answer-belief or "understanding" about a place developed through
books, movies, stories or pictures
Sense of place - answer-state of mind derived through the infusion of a place with
meaning and emotion by remembering important events that occurred in that place or
by labeling a place with a certain character.
Pattern - answer-the design of a spatial distribution (e.g. Scattered or concentrated)
Spatial - answer-pertaining to space on the earth's surface; sometimes used as a
synonym for geographic
Fieldwork - answer-the study of geographic phenomena by visiting places and
observing how people interact with and thereby change those places
Place - answer-the fourth theme of geography; uniqueness of a location
Pandemic - answer-an outbreak of a disease that spreads worldwide. (see also -
endemic)
Globalization - answer-the expansion of economic, political, and cultural processes to
the point that they become global in scale and impact. The processes of globalization
transcend state boundaries and have outcomes that vary across places and scales.
Location - answer-the first theme of geography as defined by the geography educational
national implementation project; the geographical situation of people and things.
Distance - answer-measurement of the physical space between two places
Spatial interaction - answer-see complementarity (a condition that exists when two
regions, through an exchange of raw materials and/or finished products, can specifically
satisfy each others demands) and intervening opportunity (the presence of a nearer
opportunity that greatly diminishes the attractiveness of sites farther away)
Human-environment - answer-the second theme of geography; reciprocal relationship
between humans and environment.
Region - answer-the third theme of geography; an area on the earth's surface marked
by a degree of formal, functional, or perceptual homogeneity of some phenomenon
Movement - answer-the fifth theme of geography; the mobility of people, goods, and
ideas across the surface of the planet.
,Reference maps - answer-maps that show the absolute location of places and
geographic features determined by a frame of reference, typically latitude and longitude
Absolute locations - answer-the position or place of a certain item on the surface of the
earth as expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds of latitude, 0° to 90° north or
south of the equator, and longitude, 0° to 180° east or west of the prime meridian
passing through greenwich, england (a suburb of london)
Possibilism - answer-geographic viewpoint—a response to determinism—that holds that
human decision making, not the environment, is the crucial factor in cultural
development. Nonetheless, possibilists view the environment as providing a set of
broad constraints that limits the possibilities of human choice
Relocation diffusion - answer-sequential diffusion process in which the items being
diffused are transmitted by their carrier agents as they evacuate the old areas and
relocate to new ones. The most common form of relocation diffusion involves the
spreading of innovations by a migrating population
Cultural hearth - answer-heartland, source area, innovation center; place of origin of a
major culture
Generalized map - answer-"when mapping data, whether human or physical
geographers, cartographers, the geographers who make maps, generalize the
information the present on maps." (de blij, murphey, fouberg, ph 16)
Cultural barriers - answer-prevailing cultural attitude rendering certain innovations, ideas
or practices unacceptable or unadoptable in that particular culture
Rescale - answer-involvement of players at other scales to generate support for a
position or an initiative (e.g., use of the internet to generate interest on a national or
global scale for a local position or initiative)
Contagious diffusion - answer-the distance-controlled spreading of an idea, innovation,
or some other item through a local population by contact from person to person—
analogous to the communication of a contagious illness
Hierarchical diffusion - answer-a form of diffusion in which an idea or innovation spreads
by passing first among the most connected places or peoples. An urban hierarchy is
usually involved, encouraging the leapfrogging of innovations over wide areas, with
geographic distance a less important influence
Global positioning systems (gps) - answer-satellite-based system for determining the
absolute location of places or geographic features
Stimulus diffusion - answer-a form of diffusion in which a cultural adaptation is created
as a result of the introduction of a cultural trait from another place
, Formal region - answer-a type of region marked by a certain degree of homogeneity in
one or more phenomena; also called uniform region or homogeneous region
Relative location - answer-the regional position or situation of a place relative to the
position of other places. Distance, accessibility, and connectivity affect relative location
Activity spaces - answer-the space within which daily activity occurs
Cartography - answer-the art and science of making maps, including data compilation,
layout, and design. Also concerned with the interpretation of mapped patterns
Culture - answer-the sum total of the knowledge, attitudes, and habitual behavior
patterns shared and transmitted by the members of a society. This is anthropologist
ralph linton's definition; hundreds of others exist
Environmental determinism - answer-the view that the natural environment has a
controlling influence over various aspects of human life, including cultural development.
Also referred to as environmentalism
Culture diffusion - answer-the expansion and adoption of a cultural element, from its
place of origin to a wider area
Thematic maps - answer-maps that tell stories, typically showing the degree of some
attribute or the movement of a geographic phenomenon
Independent invention - answer-the term for a trait with many cultural hearths that
developed independent of each other
Geographic information systems (gis) - answer-collection of computer hardware and
software permitting spatial data to be collected, recorded, stored, retrieved, used, and
displayed.
Time-distance decay - answer-the declining degree of acceptance of an idea or
innovation with increasing time and distance from its point of origin or source
Culture complex - answer-a related set of cultural traits, such as prevailing dress codes
and cooking and eating utensils
Isotherms - answer-line on a map connecting points of equal temperature values
Cultural ecology - answer-the multiple interactions and relationships between a culture
and the natural environment
Remote sensing - answer-a method of collecting data or information through the use of
instruments (e.g., satellites) that are physically distant from the area or object of study
TERMS EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
Accessibility - answer-the degree of ease with which it is possible to reach a certain
location from other locations. Accessibility varies from place to place and can be
measured.
Physical geography - answer-one of the two major divisions of systematic geography;
the spatial analysis of the structure, processes, and location of the earth's natural
phenomena such as climate, soil, plants, animals, and topography.
Connectivity - answer-the degree of direct linage between one particular location and
other locations in a transport network.
Sequent occupance - answer-the notion that successive societies leave their cultural
imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape
Spatial distribution - answer-physical location of geographic phenomena across space
Five themes (of geography) - answer-they are location, human-environment, region,
place, and movement
Location theory - answer-a logical attempt to explain the locational pattern of an
economic activity and the manner in which its producing areas are interrelated. The
agricultural location theory contained in the von thunen model is a leading example.
Medical geography - answer-the study of health and disease within a geographic
context and from a geographical perspective. Among other things, medical geography
looks at sources, diffusions routes, and distribution of diseases.
Spatial perspective - answer-observing variations in geographic phenomena across
space
Human geography - answer-one of the major divisions of geography; the spatial
analysis of human population, its cultures, activities, and landscapes
Epidemic - answer-regional outbreak of a disease
Cultural landscape - answer-the visible imprint of human activity and culture on the
landscape. The layers of buildings, forms, and artifacts sequentially imprinted on the
landscape by the activities of various human occupants.
,Landscape - answer-the overall appearance of an area. Most landscapes are comprised
of a combination on natural and human-induced influences.
Perception of place - answer-belief or "understanding" about a place developed through
books, movies, stories or pictures
Sense of place - answer-state of mind derived through the infusion of a place with
meaning and emotion by remembering important events that occurred in that place or
by labeling a place with a certain character.
Pattern - answer-the design of a spatial distribution (e.g. Scattered or concentrated)
Spatial - answer-pertaining to space on the earth's surface; sometimes used as a
synonym for geographic
Fieldwork - answer-the study of geographic phenomena by visiting places and
observing how people interact with and thereby change those places
Place - answer-the fourth theme of geography; uniqueness of a location
Pandemic - answer-an outbreak of a disease that spreads worldwide. (see also -
endemic)
Globalization - answer-the expansion of economic, political, and cultural processes to
the point that they become global in scale and impact. The processes of globalization
transcend state boundaries and have outcomes that vary across places and scales.
Location - answer-the first theme of geography as defined by the geography educational
national implementation project; the geographical situation of people and things.
Distance - answer-measurement of the physical space between two places
Spatial interaction - answer-see complementarity (a condition that exists when two
regions, through an exchange of raw materials and/or finished products, can specifically
satisfy each others demands) and intervening opportunity (the presence of a nearer
opportunity that greatly diminishes the attractiveness of sites farther away)
Human-environment - answer-the second theme of geography; reciprocal relationship
between humans and environment.
Region - answer-the third theme of geography; an area on the earth's surface marked
by a degree of formal, functional, or perceptual homogeneity of some phenomenon
Movement - answer-the fifth theme of geography; the mobility of people, goods, and
ideas across the surface of the planet.
,Reference maps - answer-maps that show the absolute location of places and
geographic features determined by a frame of reference, typically latitude and longitude
Absolute locations - answer-the position or place of a certain item on the surface of the
earth as expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds of latitude, 0° to 90° north or
south of the equator, and longitude, 0° to 180° east or west of the prime meridian
passing through greenwich, england (a suburb of london)
Possibilism - answer-geographic viewpoint—a response to determinism—that holds that
human decision making, not the environment, is the crucial factor in cultural
development. Nonetheless, possibilists view the environment as providing a set of
broad constraints that limits the possibilities of human choice
Relocation diffusion - answer-sequential diffusion process in which the items being
diffused are transmitted by their carrier agents as they evacuate the old areas and
relocate to new ones. The most common form of relocation diffusion involves the
spreading of innovations by a migrating population
Cultural hearth - answer-heartland, source area, innovation center; place of origin of a
major culture
Generalized map - answer-"when mapping data, whether human or physical
geographers, cartographers, the geographers who make maps, generalize the
information the present on maps." (de blij, murphey, fouberg, ph 16)
Cultural barriers - answer-prevailing cultural attitude rendering certain innovations, ideas
or practices unacceptable or unadoptable in that particular culture
Rescale - answer-involvement of players at other scales to generate support for a
position or an initiative (e.g., use of the internet to generate interest on a national or
global scale for a local position or initiative)
Contagious diffusion - answer-the distance-controlled spreading of an idea, innovation,
or some other item through a local population by contact from person to person—
analogous to the communication of a contagious illness
Hierarchical diffusion - answer-a form of diffusion in which an idea or innovation spreads
by passing first among the most connected places or peoples. An urban hierarchy is
usually involved, encouraging the leapfrogging of innovations over wide areas, with
geographic distance a less important influence
Global positioning systems (gps) - answer-satellite-based system for determining the
absolute location of places or geographic features
Stimulus diffusion - answer-a form of diffusion in which a cultural adaptation is created
as a result of the introduction of a cultural trait from another place
, Formal region - answer-a type of region marked by a certain degree of homogeneity in
one or more phenomena; also called uniform region or homogeneous region
Relative location - answer-the regional position or situation of a place relative to the
position of other places. Distance, accessibility, and connectivity affect relative location
Activity spaces - answer-the space within which daily activity occurs
Cartography - answer-the art and science of making maps, including data compilation,
layout, and design. Also concerned with the interpretation of mapped patterns
Culture - answer-the sum total of the knowledge, attitudes, and habitual behavior
patterns shared and transmitted by the members of a society. This is anthropologist
ralph linton's definition; hundreds of others exist
Environmental determinism - answer-the view that the natural environment has a
controlling influence over various aspects of human life, including cultural development.
Also referred to as environmentalism
Culture diffusion - answer-the expansion and adoption of a cultural element, from its
place of origin to a wider area
Thematic maps - answer-maps that tell stories, typically showing the degree of some
attribute or the movement of a geographic phenomenon
Independent invention - answer-the term for a trait with many cultural hearths that
developed independent of each other
Geographic information systems (gis) - answer-collection of computer hardware and
software permitting spatial data to be collected, recorded, stored, retrieved, used, and
displayed.
Time-distance decay - answer-the declining degree of acceptance of an idea or
innovation with increasing time and distance from its point of origin or source
Culture complex - answer-a related set of cultural traits, such as prevailing dress codes
and cooking and eating utensils
Isotherms - answer-line on a map connecting points of equal temperature values
Cultural ecology - answer-the multiple interactions and relationships between a culture
and the natural environment
Remote sensing - answer-a method of collecting data or information through the use of
instruments (e.g., satellites) that are physically distant from the area or object of study
