AP Human Geo Vocab

Geography

The study of where things are found on Earth’s surface and the reasons for the location

Place

A specific point on Earth, distinguished by a particular characteristic

Region

An area of Earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristic

Scale

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

Global

Scale of analysis that includes the entire world

Regional

Scale of analysis between the entire world and a country, usually continent-based

National

Scale of analysis that includes one country.

Local

Scale of analysis within a country (such as a state, province, or city)

Space

The physical gap or interval between two objects

Connection

Relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space

Map

A two-dimensional or flat-scale model of Earth’s surface, or a portion of it

Reference Map

Maps that help us determine features of the world in which we live

Thematic Map

A map that explains a topic in a geographic context: communicates data about space and distribution

Absolute Distance

Precise distance using official measurements

Absolute Direction

Cardinal directions: North, South, East, West

Relative Distance

Approximation based on a rougher measurement that might be easier to understand

Relative Direction

Up, down, right, left, forward, back

Cartography

The science of map making

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A system that determines the precise position of something on Earth

Remote Sensing

Acquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting Earth or from other long-distance methods

Graphic Information System (GIS)

Captures, stores, queries, and displays geographic data

Map Scale

Refers the relationship of a feature’s size on a map to its actual size on Earth

Ratio Map Scale

Shows the numerical ratio between distances on the map and Earth’s surface

Written Map Scale

Describes the relationship between map and Earth distances in words

Graphic Map Scale

Scale that usually consists of a bar line marked to show distance on Earth’s surface

Projection

Transferring locations on Earth’s surface to a flat map

Lattitude

Numbering system used to indicate the location of a parallel

Longitude

Numbering system to indicate the location of a meridian

Parallel

A circle drawn around the globe that is parallel to the equator and makes right angles with meridians

Meridian

An arc drawn between the north and south poles

Prime Meridian

Runs through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England (0 degrees longitude)

Greenwich Mean Time / Universal Time

The master reference time zone for all points on Earth

International Date Line

180 degrees longitude (opposite side from prime meridian)

Location

The position that something occupies on Earth’s surface

Absolute Location

Fixed point on Earth

Relative Location

Location in relation to another location

Toponym

The name given to a place on Earth

Formal/Uniform Region

An area within which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics

Functional/Nodal Region

An area organized around a node or focal point

Vernacular/Perceptual Region

An area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity

Culture

The body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that together constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people

Spacial Association

Occurs within a region if the distribution of one feature is related to the distribution of another feature

Globalization

A force or process that involves the entire world and results in making something worldwide in scope

Transnational Corporation

Conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where they are based

Distribution

The arrangement of a feature in space

Density

The frequency with which something occurs in space

Concentration

The extent of a feature’s spread over space

Pattern

Geometric arrangement of objects in space

Land Ordinance of 1785

Set up a standardized system where settlers could purchase title to farmland in the undeveloped west

Network

A chain of communication that connects people

Distance Decay

Contact diminishes with increasing distance and eventually disappears

Space-Time Compression

The reduction in the time it takes for something to reach another place

Resource

A substance in the environment that is useful to people, economically and technologically easy to access, and socially acceptable to use

Sustainability

The use of Earth’s resources in ways that ensure their availability in the future

Renewable Resource

Produced in nature more rapidly than it is consumed by humans

Nonrenewable Resource

Produced in nature more slowly than it is consumed by humans

Conservation

The sustainable use and management of Earth's natural resources to meet human needs such as food, medicine, and recreation

Preservation

The maintenance of resources in their present condition, with as little human impact as possible

Climate

Long-term average weather condition as a particular location

Ecosystem

A group of living organisms and the abiotic spheres that they interact with

Ecology

The scientific study of ecosystems

Cultural Ecology

The geographic study of human-environmental relationships

Environmental Determination

The physical environment causes social development

Possibilism

The physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment

Eratosthenes—Greek Scholar

Who came up with “geography”

Shape, Distance, Relative Size, Direction

It is impossible to make a 3D sphere into a 2D plane so projection map can be distorted by…

Environmental, Society, Economy

What are the 3 pillars of sustainability?

Overpopulation

When the number of people exceeds the capacity of the environment to support life at a decent standard of living

Arithmetic Density

Number of people per land area

Physiological Density

Number of people per arable land area

Agricultural Density

Number of farmers per arable land area

Natural Increase Rate (NIR)

The percentage by which a population grows in a year

Life Expectancy

The average number of years an individual can be expected to live

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

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

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

The total number of deaths in a year for every 1,000 people alive in society

Demography

The scientific study of population characteristics

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

Used to measure the number of births in a society

Carrying Capacity

The maximum number of people that an area’s resources can sustain indefinitely without significant depleting or degrading those resources

Population-Doubling Time

The projected amount of time that it will take for a given population to double

Demographic Transition

A process of change in a society’s population

Industrial Revelation

Involved major improvements in manufacturing goods and delivering them to market

Medical Revolution

Medical technology invented in Europe and North America diffused to developing countries

Zero Population Growth (ZPG)

When the CBR declines to the point where it equals the CDR, and the NIR approaches 0

Sex Ratio

The number of males per 100 females in the population

Maternal Mortality Rate

The annual number of female deaths for 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management

Population Pyramid

A bar graph that displays the percentage of a place's population for each age and gender

Dependency Ratio

The number of people who are too young or too old to work compared to the number of people in their productive years

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)

The annual number of deaths of infants under 1 year of age compared with total live births

Pronatalist Policies

Policies that are designed for the purpose of increasing the birth/fertility rate of an area

Antinalist Policies

Policies that are designed for the purpose of lowering fertility rates and reducing the number of births

Epidemiology

The branch of medical science concerned with the incidence, distribution, and control of diseases that are prevalent among a population at a particular time and are produced by some special causes not generally present in the affected place

Pandemic

Disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects a very high proportion of the population

Migration

A permanent move to a new location

Mobility

A general term covering all types of movements from one place to another

Emigration

Migration from a location

Immigration

Migration to a location

Net Migration

The difference in the number of immigrants and the number of emigrants

International Migration

A permanent move from one country to another

Voluntary Migration

The migrant has chosen to move