Essential General English Vocabulary to start AP Human Geography

nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)

Usually a charity or organization that is not connected to a government.

candidate

a person, country, or group that is in a competition. This is often a political person running for a political office such as president.

perspective

(n.) a point of view or general standpoint from which different things are viewed, physically or mentally; the appearance to the eye of various objects at a given time, place, or distance

Productivity

the quantity of goods and services produced from each unit of labor input. How much money or items produced.

civic

pertaining to a city or citizen. This might be talking about people and government.

hinterland

a remote and undeveloped area

borough

an official city, town, or section of a city

aerial

Done from or in the air. ex aerial photography

survey

asking people questions and writing down the data

diplomat

a person representing their country. This is a high level job in government.

domain

means 'part of' . For example, "This area is in the domain of country A.

obsolete

out-of-date, no longer in use

appropriate

correct or suitable for a particular time, situation, or purpose. ex. Human must take appropriate action against air pollution.

natural resources

Materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, oil, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used by humans to live or for economic gain

economic

relating to trade, industry, and money

prosperity

wealth (money) or success

spatial

adjective relating to space on earth. ex. The spatial pattern shows rainforests are usually in warmer climates.

characteristic

a general term used to describe something. ex. What are Thailand's characteristics? Answer: warm weather, spicy food,

limitations

weaknesses or problems.

Linear

straight line

perceptual

adj . how we see something. Everyone has a different perception of people and places. opinion

dense

Closely packed together

distort

to change something to make it false

depict

(v.) to portray; to represent or show in the form of a picture

Latitude

The numbering system used to indicate the location of parallels drawn on a globe and measuring distance north and south of the equator. These lines go from left to right and include the equator. The term 'higher latitude' means the colder areas near the north and south pole. The term 'lower latitude' means the warmer areas near the equator.

vernacular

Everyday language of ordinary people

linguistic

relating to language

formal

using rules or customs that have been in use for a long time. Can also mean a more serious or important occasion

Hispanic

Someone who can claim a heritage from a Spanish speaking country other than Spain. This is usually used in the United States to describe people whose family migrated from Mexico or another Spanish speaking country in the Americas.

utility

something useful. Utilities can also be services such as water, electricity, and internet.

exclusively

adv. no one else; nothing else; not shared

ex. I exclusively go on holiday to the beach. I do not go anywhere else.

suit

v convenient, or acceptable

ex. This meal will not suit me because I am allergic to this.

degradation

a decline to a lower condition, quality, or level

ex. The hotel degraded during Covid because there were no customers.

interacting

Communicating or working together.

capitalist economy

an economy with mostly private property and less government businesses.

gradation

process occurring by regular degrees or stages; variation in color. I really like when clothing has many gradations of green.

determine

Find the only possible answer

ex. Determine the correct answer in the question.

metric system

Measuring system based on multiples of ten. This system is commonly used outside of the United States.

residential

used or designed for the place where people live. There are usually mostly houses, and less businesses.

peripheral

on the edge, away from the center. Can sometimes mean not as important.

Ex. Berkeley is on the periphery of Bangkok.

ethnic group

Group of people who share common ancestry, language, religion, customs, or combination of such characteristics.

ex. Thailand has many ethnic groups including Thai, Karen, and Malay.

concentrated

gathered together in a larger amount

advocate

to recommend; to speak in favor of, to support

ex. The teacher advocated for support for the struggling student.

median

the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it

ex. This data shows the median household income, or what the average person earns.

coordinates

Ordered pairs that identify points on a coordinate plane. (x,y) This is often used in geography to identify an exact location such as 0 degrees N, and 0 degrees E.

exemplifies

be a typical example of, or the best example of the statement.

This meal exemplifies a traditional Thai food.

efficiently

quickly and accurately. Something is done using the least amount of time or effort.

I work efficiently on my homework by avoiding distractions such as music and TV.

emissions

the production and discharge of something, especially gas or radiation.

ex. Germany is trying to reduce coal emissions to protect the environment.

navigation

the science of planning and following a route. This is important for ships and airplanes to avoid getting lost or hitting other vehicles.

estimating

Finding a number that is close enough to the right answer. You are not trying to get the exact right answer. What you want is something that is close enough. Also, involves the concept of predicting, or making an educated guess

approximately

Almost, but not exactly; more or less

ex There are approximately 500 students at Berkeley.

geographic feature

physical features of place like continents, bodies of water, plains, plateaus, mountains, and valleys. These show the shape of the earth.

capacity

the maximum amount that something can contain.

The room's capacity is 20 people. No more can fit safely.

exceeding

far beyond what is usual in magnitude or degree.

The truck is exceeding its weight limit and will tip over when it turns.

crops

plants grown for food

rural

relating to farm areas and life in the country

urban

in, relating to, or characteristic of a city or town.

inadequate

not enough

The child ate inadequate amounts of food and is starving.

abundance

a very large quantity of something

The farmer had an abundance of crops. He made lost of money when he sold them.

critical

very important

There is a critical need for more teachers.

facilities

places designed or built to serve a special function; infrastructure

The rural hospital needs more facilities such as rooms and medical equipment.

exponentially

Extremely rapid increase. This adverbs comes from the math term where a number is multiplied by itself.

mortality

death

enable

to make something possible

ex. My friend enabled me to cheat by allowing me to copy their homework.

unintended

accidental. not planned

ex.Mark crossed the road and caused an unintended car accident.

adequate

enough, sufficient

I had an adequate amount of water today.

sustain

To support for an extended period of time

indicate

to show or point out

The guide indicated the sign that had a map of the park.

reveal

to show

The data reveals a surprise.

contribute

To give along with others who are giving

We contribute to paying taxes which is similar to other citizens.

proportion

An equation stating that two ratios are equal

There is an unequal proportion of old people to young people; they are not equal. They are disproportional.

skew

Lines that do not intersect and are not coplanar in math. In English this means something is not balanced or not equal.

The data shows a skewed amount of males to females in class with 10 males and only 3 females.

convert

to change from one form to another

I converted my mother to a vegetarian.

outskirts

The parts far from the center

unify

to join together into one group

Germany unified in the 1990s.

labor

to worker, or workers

predominantly

much greater in number or influence

The zoo predominantly has furry animals instead of reptiles.

retirement

the action or fact of leaving one's job and ceasing to work. This is usually done around 65 years old.

assumption

a belief accepted as true

If you see someone with dirty clothes, what do you assume about them?

adaptation

a change in a way of life to suit new conditions

Humans adapt to the cold by wearing warmer clothes.

flee

to run away

The refugee fled the violence.

variation

A change or slight difference in condition, amount, or level.

China has a great variation in landscape from mountains, valleys, and flat lands.

wage

An amount of money paid to an employee to work.

preserve

To save; to keep from harm; to protect

The park preserves wildlife and protects habitat.

prevailing wind

Global winds that blow constantly from the same direction. Prevailing winds also determine if an area has rain or is arid.

booming

doing very well or growing a lot

herd

a group of animals

literacy

the ability to read and write

sanitation

maintaining a clean condition in order to promote hygiene and prevent disease. This often is amount cleaning water to drink and removing trash.

cardinal direction

one of the four compass points: north, south, east, west

yield

noun, the amount produced usually used with farming

My yields this year were less than last year.

famine

a severe shortage of food (as through crop failure) resulting in violent hunger and starvation and death

drought

a long period without rain. This often causes food shortages.

cultivate

prepare and use (land) for crops or gardening.

policy

A plan of action.

ex.The government created a new policy to reduce car accidents.

enact

to make legal or official

ex. The government enacted a new law to increase education.

phenomenon

A fact or event which can be observed and/or documented.

Covid was a phenomenon that can be analyzed with data.

decade

a period of ten years

century

a period of 100 years

projected

estimated, a guess or prediction