AP Human Geography Exam Prep Flashcards

Flashcards to help you study for the AP Human Geography exam.

What is the purpose of Reference Maps?

Navigation, finding places, understanding geographic locations.

What are the key features of Reference maps?

Show boundaries, physical features (like rivers and mountains), roads, cities, and sometimes elevation.

Give examples of reference maps?

Political Map, Physical Map, Topographic Map

What is the purpose of thematic maps?

To show patterns, distributions, or relationships of a specific variable.

What are the key features of thematic maps?

Often use color, symbols, or patterns to represent data.

Give examples of thematic maps

Choropleth Map, Dot Distribution Map, Graduated Symbol Map, Isoline Map, Cartogram

What defines Absolute Location?

Precise positioning using coordinates or an address.

What defines Relative Location?

Describing a place in relation to other places.

What does 'Place' refer to in geography?

The unique physical and human characteristics that give a location its identity.

What does 'Space' represent in geography?

The physical gap between objects on Earth's surface.

What does 'Scale' refer to in geography?

The relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole.

What are the characteristics of 'Large Scale' in geography?

Shows a small area in detail (like a neighborhood map)

What are the characteristics of 'Small Scale' in geography

Shows a large area with less detail (like a world map)

What does 'Pattern' describe in geography?

The arrangement of physical or human features in space.

Define 'Site' in geographic terms.

The physical characteristics of a place

Define 'Situation' in geographic terms.

The location of a place relative to other places

What geographic perspective looks at how things are distributed and why?

Spatial Analysis

What is Environmental Relationships in geographic perspective?

How humans interact with their environment

What is Regional Analysis in geographic perspective?

Examining how areas with similar characteristics function.

What does Arithmetic Density measure?

Total population divided by total land area.

What does Physiological Density measure?

Population divided by arable land.

What does Agricultural Density measure?

Number of farmers per unit of arable land

What does Crude Birth Rate (CBR) indicate?

Number of births per 1,000 people per year

What does Crude Death Rate (CDR) indicate?

Number of deaths per 1,000 people per year

What does Natural Increase Rate (NIR) indicate?

CBR minus CDR, represented as a percentage.

What does Total Fertility Rate (TFR) indicate?

Average number of children per woman

What does Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) indicate?

Deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live births

What does a wide base on a population pyramid indicate?

High birth rates/younger population

What does a bulge in the middle of a population pyramid indicate?

Baby boom generation

What does an even distribution in a population pyramid indicate?

Stable population

What does a narrow base in a population pyramid indicate?

Aging population

Examples of Push Factors

War (Syria), economic collapse (Venezuela), environmental degradation (Sahel region)

Examples of Pull Factors

Job opportunities (UAE), political freedom (USA), family connections (global pattern)

Examples of Intervening Obstacles

Geographic (deserts, mountains, oceans), political (borders, visa requirements), economic (cost of moving)

What is Chain Migration?

When migrants follow others from their home community.

What is Step Migration?

Moving gradually from smaller to larger settlements.

Refugees definition

Refugees are forced to leave their home country due to fear of persecution, violence, or death, and seek asylum in another country for safety.

What are remittances?

Money sent home by migrants.

What are Guest Workers?

Temporary migrants who work seasonally in a foreign country. Often have low-skilled jobs, especially in agriculture or construction. They move for economic opportunity, not permanent settlement.

What is Relocation Diffusion?

Culture spreads through physical movement of people who bring their traits with them

What is Expansion Diffusion?

Culture spreads outward from the hearth, and the number of adopters increases

What is Contagious Diffusion?

Rapid, widespread diffusion through direct contact, like a wave

What is Hierarchical Diffusion?

Spreads from powerful or influential places or people to others

What is Stimulus Diffusion?

The underlying idea spreads, but not the exact trait

What is Indigenous Culture?

Traditional practices rooted in a specific place, passed down through generations

What is Popular Culture?

Widespread customs spread by mass media, changing quickly

What is Cultural Landscape?

The visible human imprint on the natural environment

Define 'Language Families'.

Groups of languages with common origins

Method of diffusion of Latin to Romance Languages

Expansion & Hierarchical Spread through the Roman Empire; evolved into Spanish, French, Italian, etc.

Method of diffusion of Arabic

Expansion & Relocation Spread through Islamic conquests, trade, and religion across North Africa & the Middle East.

Method of diffusion of Spanish & Portuguese

Relocation Spread to Latin America during European colonization in the 15th–17th centuries.

Method of diffusion of English

Relocation, Expansion & Hierarchical Spread globally via British colonization, and later through U.S. cultural dominance (media, business, technology).

Method of diffusion of French

Hierarchical Spread in West Africa and parts of Southeast Asia during the French colonial empire.

Method of diffusion of Mandarin Chinese

Contagious & Hierarchical Spread within China due to internal migration and government promotion of a standard language.

Method of diffusion of Swahili

Contagious & Trade- based Emerged as a lingua franca in East Africa through centuries of Indian Ocean trade between Arabs, Persians, and Africans.

What is Lingua Franca?

A common language used for business or trade between people who speak different native languages.

What is Linguistic Landscapes?

reflect cultural history

What are Toponyms?

Place names that reflect cultural history

What is language Extinction?

Disappearance of languages

What is Creolization?

Creolization is the process by which a new, stable language—called a creole—develops from the blending of two or more languages, usually as a result of colonization, trade, or migration.

Define what a pidgin is?

Begins as a pidgin: a simplified, temporary way for speakers of different languages to communicate.

What is Cultural imperialism?

Cultural imperialism is when one dominant culture (usually Western) spreads so widely that it overwhelms or replaces local cultures—often through media, language, fashion, and values.

What are Universalizing Religions?

Seek to convert all of humanity

What are Ethnic Religions?

Associated with particular ethnic groups or regions

What are Sacred Spaces?

Places with religious significance

Define state.

A sovereign political unit with defined boundaries

Define nation.

A group with shared cultural identity, often seeking self-determination

Define nation-state.

When a nation and state boundaries largely coincide

Define Multinational State

A state containing multiple national groups

Define Stateless Nation

is an ethnic group or nation that does not have its own independent, recognized state

What are Geometric Boundaries?

Straight lines, often following latitude/longitude

What are Physical/Natural Boundaries?

Follow natural features

What are Cultural Boundaries?

Based on cultural differences

What is Antecedent Boundary?

Boundary that existed before human settlement or major population growth

What is Subsequent Boundary?

Boundary established after settlement, shaped by cultural landscapes

What is Superimposed Boundary?

Boundary imposed by outside powers with no regard for existing cultural or ethnic divisions

What is Relict Boundary?

Boundary that no longer functions but has visible effects on the landscape or people

What is Consequent Boundary?

Boundary that coincides with cultural divisions such as religion, language, or ethnicity

What is Devolution?

Transfer of power from central to regional authorities

What is Balkanization?

Fragmentation of a state into smaller, often hostile regions

What is Irredentism?

Claiming territory based on historical or ethnic connections

Define Shatterbelt.

Region of instability between competing powers

Define Buffer State.

Country between competing powers

Define Gerrymandering.

Manipulating district boundaries for political advantage

Define Redistricting/Reapportionment.

Redrawing electoral districts.

What are Unitary States?

Centralized authority

What are Federal States?

Power shared between central and regional governments

What is Neolithic Revolution (First Agricultural Revolution)?

Transition from hunting/gathering to farming

What is Second Agricultural Revolution?

17th-19th century improvements

What is Green Revolution?

Mid-20th century technological innovations

What is Pastoral Nomadism?

Moving livestock to seasonal pastures.

What is Plantation Agriculture?

Large-scale, single-crop production

What is Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming?

Integrating plant and animal production.

Describe Subsistence Farming

primarily for family/local consumption

Describe Commercial Farming

for profit/market sale

Describe Intensive Farming

High inputs (labor, fertilizer, etc.) per land area

Describe Extensive Farming

Low inputs spread over large areas

What is Shifting Cultivation (Slash- and-Burn)?

Temporarily enriches soil with nutrients from ash

Define Terracing

Prevents soil erosion on steep slopes

Define Desertification

Land degradation in dry regions caused by overfarming, overgrazing, and poor land management.