AP Human Geography A Spatial Perspective

Absolute direction

the cardinal directions north, south, east, and west

absolute distance

distance that can be measured using a standard unit of length

Ex: 5 miles

absolute location

the exact location of an object, usually expressed in coordinates of longitude and latitude

Ex: the coordinates of New York City are 40.7128° N, 74.0060° W

acculturation

the process by which people within one culture adopt some of the traits of another while still retaining their own distinct culture

adherent

a person who is loyal to a belief, religion, or organization

administer

to manage the way borders are maintained and how goods and people cross them

African city model

a model of urban development depicting a city with three central business districts, growing outward in a series of concentric rings

agglomeration

the tendency of enterprises in the same industry to cluster in the same area

Agribusiness

the large scale system that includes the production, processing, and distribution of agricultural products and equipment

agricultural biodiversity

the variety and variability of plants, animals, and microorganisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture

Agricultural Density

the total number of farmers per unit of arable land

agricultural hearth

an area where different groups began to domesticate plants and animals

Ex: the first agricultural hearths appeared in the Middle East, Mesoamerica, and East Asia

agricultural landscape

a landscape resulting from interactions between farming activities and a locations natural environment

agriculture

the purposeful cultivation of plants and raising of animals to produce goods for survival

agroecosystem

an ecosystem modified for agricultural use

antecedent boundary

a border established before an area becomes heavily settled

Ex: These are often based on landforms, such as mountains. The Andes Mountains are an antecedent boundary that form the eastern boundary of Chile, separating it from neighboring Argentina and Bolivia.

anti-natalist

describing attitudes or policies that discourage child-bearing

Ex: China's "One Child Policy"

aquifer

layers of sand, gravel and rocks that contain and can release a usable amount of water

arable land

land that can be used to grow crops

arithmetic density (crude density)

the total number of people per unit area of land

artifact

a visible object or technology that a culture creates

Ex: buildings, roads, bridges, food, clothes

assimilation

a category of acculturation in which the interaction of two cultures results in one culture adopting almost all of the customs, traditions, language and other cultural traits of the other

asylum

the right to protection in a country

autonomous

having the authority to govern territories independently of the national government; for example, by having a separate currency

bid-rent theory

a theory that describes the relationships between land value, commercial location, and transportation(primarily in urban areas) using a bid-rent gradient, or slope; used to describe how land costs are determined

biodiversity

the variety of living organisms living in a location

Biotechnology

the science of altering living organisms, often through genetic manipulation, to create new products for specific purposes, such as crops that resist certain pests

Blockbusting

a practice be real estate agents who would stir up concern that black families would soon move into a neighborhood; the agents would convince white property owners to sell their houses below market prices

boomburg

a suburb that has grown rapidly into a large and sprawling city with more that a 100,000 residents

brain drain

the loss of trained or educated people to the lure of work in another-often richer country

break-of-bulk point

location where it is more economical to break raw materials into smaller units before shipping them further

Brownfields

abandoned and polluted industrial site in a central city or suburb

buddhism

the oldest universalizing religion, which arose from a hearth in northeastern India sometime between the mid sixth and mid fourth centuries B.C.E. and is based on the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama, called the Buddha

bulk-gaining industry

industry in which the finished goods cost more to transport than the raw materials

bulk-reducing industry

industry in which the raw materials cost more to transport than the finished goods

carrying capacity

the maximum population size an environment can sustain

cartographer

a person who creates maps

cash crop

a crop produced mainly too be sold and usually exported to larger markets

census

an official count of the number of people in a defined area, such as a state

Central Business District(CBD)

the central location where the majority of consumer services are located within a city or town because the accessibility of the location attracts these services

central place theory

a theory used to describe the spatial relationship between cities and their surrounding communities

centrifugal force

a force that divides a group of people

centripetal force

a force that unites a group of people

chain migration

a type of migration in which people move to a location because others from their community have previously migrated there

choke point

a narrow strategic passageway to another place through which it is difficult to pass

Ex: The Suez Canal

Christianity

a universalizing religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ that began in what is now West Bank and Israel around the beginning of the common era and has spread to all continents

circular migration

migration pattern in which migrant workers move back and forth between their country of origin and the destination country where they work temporary jobs

circulation

temporary, repetitive movements that recur on a regular basis

climate

the long term patterns of weather in a particular area

climate region

an area that has similar climate patterns generally based on its latitude and its location on a coast or continental interior

Clustered Settlements/nucleated settlements

a rural settlement pattern in which residents live in close proximity to one another, with farmland and pasture land surrounding the settlement

collectivist cultures

a culture in which people are expected to conform to collective responsibility within the family, and to be obedient to and respectful of elder family members

colonialism

the practice of claiming and dominating overseas territories

Colombian Exchange

the exchange of goods and ideas between the Americas, Europe, and Africa that began after Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492

commercial agriculture

an agricultural practice that focuses on producing crops and raising animals for the market for others to purchase

commodity chain

a network of people, information, processes, and resources that work together to produce, handle, and distribute a commodity or product

commodity dependence

an aspect of dependency theory that occurs when more than 60% of a country's exports and economic health are tied to one or two resources

comparative advantage

the relative cost advantage a country or organization has to produce certain goods or services for trade

complementary

the mutual trade relationship that exists between two places based on the supply of raw materials and the demand for finished products or services

Concentric Zone Model

a model of urban development depicting a city growing outward from a central business district in a series of concentric rings

concurrent

sharing authority

consequent boundary

a type of subsequent boundary that takes into account the differences that exist within a cultural landscape, separating groups that have different languages, religions, ethnicities, or other traits

Contagious Diffusion

the process by which an idea or cultural traits spreads rapidly among people of all social classes and levels of power

core

classification of a country or region that has wealth, higher education levels, more advanced technologies, many resources, strong militaries, and powerful allies

cottage industry

pre-industrial form of manufacture in which member of families spread out through rural areas worked in their homes to make goods

creolization

the blending of two or more languages that may not include the features of either original language

crop rotation

the varying of crops from year to year to allow or the restoration of valuable nutrients and the continuing productivity of the soil

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

the number of births in a given year per 1,000 people in a given population

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

the number of deaths in a given year per 1,000 people in a given population

cultural appropriation

the act of adopting elements of another culture

cultural convergence

the process by which cultured become more similar through interaction

cultural divergence

the process by which cultures become less similar due to conflicting beliefs or other barriers

cultural hearth

an area where cultural traits develop and from which cultural traits diffuse

cultural landscape

a natural landscape that has been modified by humans, reflecting their cultural beliefs and values

cultural norm

a shared standard or pattern that guides the behavior of a group of people

cultural relativism

the evaluation or cultural practice

cultural trait

a shared object or cultural practice

culture

the beliefs, values, practices, behaviors, and technologies shared by a society and passes down from generation to generation

Dept-for-nature swap

agreement between a bank and a peripheral country in which the bank forgives a portion of the country's debt in exchange for local investment in conservation measures

de facto segregation

segregation that results from residential settlement patters rather than from prejudicial laws

define

the explicitly state in legally binding documentation such as a treaty where boundaries are located, using reference points such as natural features or line of latitiude and longitude

deforestation

loss of forested land

Deindustrialization

process by which a country or area reduces industrial activity particularly in heavy industry manufacturing

delimit

to draw boundaries on a map in accordance with a legal agreement

demarcate

to place physical objects such as stones, pillars, walls, or fences to indicate where a boundary exists

demographics

data about the structures and characteristics of human populations

Demographic Transition Model

a model that represents shifts in the growth of the worlds populations, based on population trends related to birth rate and death rate

Denomination

a separate church organization that unites a number of local congregations

density

the number of things-people, animals, or objects- in a specific area

dependency ratio

the number of people in a dependent age group(under age 15 or age 65 and older) divided by the number of people in the working-age group(age 15 to 64) multiplied by 100

dependency theory

the theory that describes the development challenges and limitations faced by poorer countries and the political and economic relationships poorer countries have with richer countries

desertification

a form of land degradation that occurs when soil deteriorates to a desert-like condition

devolution

the process that occurs when the central power in a state is broken up among regional authorities within its borders

dialect

a variation of a standard language specific to a general area, with differences in pronunciation, degree of rapidity in speech, work choice, and spelling

diffusion

the process by which a cultural trait spreads from one place to another over time

Disamenity Zones

a high-poverty urban area in a disadvantaged location containing steep slopes, flood-prone ground, rail lines, landfills or industry

dispersed

spread out

dispersed settlement

a rural settlement patter in which houses and building are isolated from one another, and all the homes in a settlement are distributed over a relatively large area

Distance Decay

a principle stating that the farther away one thing is from another, the less interaction the two things will have

distribute

to arrange within a given space