Maps & Projections
This type of map uses shading or coloring to represent data values across regions.
Choropleth
A region with a defined boundary and uniform characteristics.
Formal Region
The physical characteristics of a place, such as climate or terrain.
Site
The type of diffusion where a feature spreads rapidly and widely like a virus.
Contagious Diffusion
The system that uses satellites to determine the absolute location of a place
GPS
These are countries that have high GDP per capita, dominate global trade, and citizens work complex jobs.
More Developed Country (MDC) or Core Country
This projection preserves direction but distorts land size, especially near the poles.
Mercator Projection
A region centered around a focal point or node, like a radio station signal area
Functional Region
A place's location relative to other places.
Situation
The spread of an idea from persons of authority or power
Hierarchical Diffusion
The scanning of Earth’s surface from satellites.
Remote sensing
These are countries that are emerging economies. They are going through the process of industrialization.
Developing or Semi-Periphery Country
This type of thematic map uses dots to show frequency or concentration of a phenomenon.
Dot distribution or Dot density
A region defined by people’s beliefs or feelings.
Perceptual/Vernacular Region
The idea that improvements in technology have reduced the time it takes to diffuse something.
Time space compression (or Space time convergence)
When a trait spreads but is changed to suit the new culture
Stimulus Diffusion
This attaches precise location metadata (such as latitude and longitude coordinates) to media like photos, social media posts, or smartphone check-ins.
geotagging
This theory argues that a society's physical climate and terrain strictly dictate its level of cultural development and economic success.
environmental determinism
This spatial technology is used to stack thematic layersover a single map to analyze spatial relationships and solve complex geographic problems.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
The Midwest of the U.S. is an example of this type of region.
Perceptual/Vernacular Region
The arrangement of a phenomenon across Earth's surface.
Distribution
This type of diffusion occurs through physical movement of people
Relocation Diffusion
This type of data is based on human observations and interviews.
Qualitative Data
This view holds that while the physical environment sets certain limits, human culture and technology give people the ability to adapt, adjust, and choose their economic pathways
possibilism
A map that shows countries resized based on population rather than land area.
Cartogram
This term refers to the visible imprint of human activity on the landscape.
Cultural Landscape
This concept describes the relationship between the distribution of one feature and another.
Spatial Association
A type of diffusion where an idea spreads outward from its hearth, while remaining strong in the origin.
Expansion Diffusion
This geographic tool can analyze spatial patterns such as crime or poverty distribution.
GIS
Bhutan. What region is it part of?
South Asia.