AP Human Geography Unit 2: Population and Migration

Vocabulary study cards covering population distribution, density measures, demographic models, and demographic indicators from the Unit 2 AP Human Geography study guide.

Arithmetic Density

The total number of people per unit area of land (same as population density), calculated as $\frac{\text{population (people)}}{\text{land (square feet)}}$. It measures how crowded a place is.

Agricultural Density

The total number of farmers per unit of arable land, calculated as $\frac{\text{population of farmers (farmers)}}{\text{arable land (square feet)}}$.

Physiological Density

The total number of people per unit of arable land, calculated as $\frac{\text{population (people)}}{\text{arable land (square feet)}}$.

Carrying Capacity

The largest number of people that the environment of a particular area can sustainably support, given the quantity of food, habitat, water, and other life-giving infrastructure, without significant environmental deterioration.

Baby Boom

A birth spike associated with the end of a war and economic abundance, such as in the United States after World War II from 1946 to 1965.

Baby Bust

A period following the end of a baby boom during which births are lower for a number of years.

Echo Boom

An increase in births that occurs because of a previous baby boom (when baby boomers have babies themselves).

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

The average number of children a woman will have throughout her childbearing years, serving as the more accurate measurement of how women are viewed in a society.

Overpopulation

A condition occurring when a region has more people than it can support, partially dependent on its population distribution and density.

Dependency Ratio

A value that compares the working age cohorts of a country's population with those that are non-working, specifically the number of people under age 15 and over age 64 compared to the number of people active in the labor force.

Life Expectancy

The average number of years an individual can be expected to live, given current social, economic, and medical conditions (at birth, the average number of years a newborn infant can expect to live).

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

The total number of live births in a year for every 1,000 people alive in a society.

Pronatalist Policies

Government programs designed to increase the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) through incentives such as paid time off for parents, free child care, and family discounts, instituted by countries like France, Sweden, Denmark, and Japan.

Antinatalist Policies

Government programs instituted by countries concerned about overpopulation to decrease the Total Fertility Rate (TFR), notably exemplified by China's former "One Child Policy."

Population Distribution

The pattern of human settlement—the spread of people across the earth—highlighting areas that are crowded, sparsely settled, or empty.

Malthusian Theory

The theory that food production grows arithmetically (steadily) while population increases exponentially (multiplying quickly), resulting in widespread starvation.

Emigrants

People who move out of a country.

Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

A model showing five typical stages of population change of indeterminate length that countries pass through as they modernize.

Infant Mortality Rate

The number of children who die before their first birthday.

DTM Stage 1 (High Stationary)

A stage of the Demographic Transition Model characterized by high birth rates, high death rates, and a stable or slow natural increase rate, historically represented by nomadic times.

Stage 1 CBR Influences

Reasons for high CBR in Stage 1 of the DTM: many children needed for survival, high child mortality, social encouragement, and no family planning.

Stage 1 CDR Influences

Reasons for high CDR in Stage 1 of the DTM: disease, famine, poor hygiene, and very little medical knowledge.

DTM Stage 2 Example

Democratic Republic of the Congo, categorized as Early expanding.

DTM Stage 3 Example

Turkey, categorized as Late expanding.

DTM Stage 4 Examples

USA and France, categorized as Low Stationary.

DTM Stage 5 Examples

Japan and Denmark, categorized as Declining.

Sub-Saharan Africa Age Structure

The geographic region with the highest global percentage of persons under age 15 (40 percent and above).