AP Human Geography Exam Review

absolute location

The actual space a place occupies on Earth's surface

acculturation

The change that occurs within a culture when it adopts a practice from another culture

agglomeration effects

The cost advantages (external economies) for an individual company gained by locating near similar industries or companies

agribusiness

Commercial agriculture in which large corporations own and operate various steps in the production process with an emphasis on profit

agricultural density

The number of people living in rural areas per unit of agricultural land

antecedent boundary

A boundary placed before the cultural landscape was developed

artifact

Tangible pieces of material culture

assimilation

The process in which immigrants become totally integrated into the host culture

bid-rent curve

The concept that the concentric circles in Burgess's concentric zone model are based on the amount people are willing to pay for land in each zone

built environment

The material culture of an environment

carrying capacity

The number of people an area can support on a sustained basis

central business district (CBD)

The business area found at the center of every older central city and urban area

central place theory

A theory developed by Walter Christaller that states that cities exist for economic reasons and that people gather in cities to share goods and ideas

centrifugal force

A strong, divisive force, such as religious differences or a weak communication systems, at work in a country

centripetal force

A strong, unifying force, such as a charismatic leader or nationalism, at work in a country

chain migration

The part of a migrant flow (usually relatives and friends) that follows former migrants to an area

compact state

A state that is basically round in shape, such as Poland or Bhutan)

colonialism

A system in which a country declares control over a territory or people outside its own boundaries, usually for economic purposes

commodity chain

A chain of activities from the manufacturing to the distribution of a product

concentric zone model

The model of urban land use developed by Burgess which demonstrates the invasion and succession processes that occur as the city grows and expands outward

consequent boundary

A type of subsequent boundary that is drawn to accommodate existing linguistic, cultural, or religious boundaries

creole

A simplified mixture of two or more languages that is adopted in areas of cultural diversity

crude birth rate (CBR)

The number of babies born per 1000 people per year

crude death rate (CDR)

The number of deaths per 1000 people per year

cultural diffusion

The process in which culture is spread from one region to another

cultural landscape

The unique landscape made up of all parts of a culture-both material and nonmaterial

culture

The cluster of traits that make a group of people special and unique

culture region

A portion of the Earth's surface occupied by populations sharing recognizable and distinctive cultural characteristics

culture hearth

A place where innovations and new ideas originate and spread outward (diffuse) to other regions

culture trait

A single feature of a culture, such as religion or language

decolonization

The process by which former colonies gain their independence from the mother country

deindustrialization

The reduction in industrial activity that occurs when decreased profits and declining business cause a reduction in industrial employment

demographic transition model

A model that shows the link between population growth and economic development using four or five stages of economic development

demography

The study of the characteristics of a human population

density

The number of an item within a unit of area

dependency ratio

The ratio of people under age 15 and those 65 and older to those age 15 to 65

dependency theory

A theory of economic development based on the periphery's dependence on the core

desertification

The transformation of agricultural lands into deserts because of overgrazing and soil erosion

developed countries (MDCs)

Countries such as the United States, Germany, and Australia who have the highest levels of economic development

devolution

The breakdown of central authority in a country

distance decay

The principle that says migrants try to minimize the friction of distance by moving to locations closer to them rather than father away

distribution

The array of items on the Earth's surface. All spatial distributions have density, dispersion, and some type of pattern

doubling time

The length of time it takes for a country's population to double in size if the growth rate stays the same

dialect

A speech variants of a language, which reflects the local region in which it is spoken

ecumene

The part of the Earth that is fit for humans to live

edge city

A new urban complex that consists of a large node of office buildings and commercial operations with more workers than residents

environmental determinism

The theory that human behavior is controlled by the physical environment

ethnic enclave

A residential community where the residents either voluntarily live, or are forced to live, in a segregated (separated) fashion due to race, religion, or ethnicity

ethnic religion

A religion that is part of a particular ethnic or political group (Judaism, for example)

ethnocentrism

The belief that one's own ethnic group is superior to all others

exclusive economic zone (EEZ)

An expanse of water up to 200 natural nautical miles off a country's coast that is designated for that country's natural resource exploration and exploitation

federal state

A type of government that gives local political units such as states or provinces within a country a measure of power

First Agricultural Revolution

The domestication of plants and animals and the resulting start of a sedentary society (also called the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution)

folk culture

A homogenous group of people with a strong family structure who follow a simple, traditional lifestyle of self-sufficiency and independence from the society's cultural mainstream

Fordism

The process (named after Henry Ford, its founder) of using assembly-line techniques and scientific management in manufacturing

formal region

A region with a high level of consistency in a certain culture of physical attribute

functional region

A region with a node, or center hub surrounded by interconnecting linkages. Usually connections relate to trade, communication, transportation, etc.

gentrification

The process of renovating an older, run-down neighborhood near the center city by middle-class and high-income families

geographic information system (GIS)

The marriage of mapping software with a database for the purpose of overlaying various data layers on a basic, locational map grid

gerrymandering

The process of redrawing territorial district boundaries to favor a certain political party

globalization

The increasing interconnection of all regions in the world through politics, communication, transportation, marketing, manufacturing, and social and cultural processes

GMO (genetically modified organisms)

An organism that is created when scientists take one or more specific genes from one organism and introduce them into another organism thus creating a new version

gravity model

A law of spatial interaction that states that larger places attract people, ideas, and goods more strongly that smaller places

Green Revolution

The development and transfer from the developed world to the developing world, of higher-yield and fast-growing crops through new and improved technology, pesticides, and fertilizers, for the purpose of alleviating world hunger

gross domestic product (GDP)

The approximate value of all final goods and services produced in a country per year

gross national product (GNP)

The gross domestic product (GDP) plus the value of income from abroad such as earnings from a US company based abroad

growth pole

An urban center deliberately placed by a country's government to stimulate economic growth in the hinterland

hierarchial diffusion

The adoption of an official language by the ruler or administration, a language diffused downward into the society

imperialism

The use of military threat, cultural domination, and economic sanctions to gain control of a country and its resources

Industrial Revolution

The movement from homebased cottage industries to factory industries with several workers under one roof that the use of machines facilitates in England in the late 1700s

intensive subsistence agriculture

A form of agriculture heavily depends on heavy inputs of fertilized and human labor on a small piece of land for substantial crop yield

internally displaced person

A person who is forced out of the home region due to war, political or social unrest, environmental problems, etc., but who does not cross any international boundary

intervening opportunity

The idea that migrants will choose a location closer rather than farther if all other factors are roughly the same

irredentism

The destabilizing situation that arises when an ethnic group supports and seeks to unite with its ethnic population in another country

language family

A group of languages that are related and derived from a single, earlier language

least-cost theory

A theory, developed by Alfred Weber, that states that three main expenses-labor, transportation, and agglomeration-must be minimized when locating an industry

less-developed countries (LDCs)

Countries located on the edge of the world core that are seeking improved conditions for their residents through economic growth

lingua franca

A language that is not part of the culture of the country but is one that is informally agreed upon as the language of business and trade

long-lots system of land survey

A land survey method used by French and Spanish charter groups in North America in which long lots of land extended outward from river frontage

maquiladora

A foreign-owned assembly company located in the United States-Mexico border region in order to take advantage of cheaper labor, favorable tax breaks, and lax environmental regulations

material culture

The artifacts (tangible things) of a culture such as tools, weapons, and furniture

mediterranean agriculture

A form of specialized agriculture in which crops grown in a Mediterranean climate of warm year-round temperatures and sunny summers (grapes, olives, figs, dates, citrus fruits, etc.) are grown

megacity

A metropolitan area with a total population of over 10 million people according to the United Nations

megalopolis

A group of supercities that have merged together into one large urban area

mentifact

Nonmaterial parts of a culture such as language, religion, artistic pursuits, folk stories, myths, etc.

mental map

A map in one's mind

metes-and-bounds land survey system

A land survey system used in North America where natural boundaries such as rivers, trees, and large rocks were used to mark land boundaries

migration

The movement of humans from one place to another

monoculture

The production of a single crop for commercial markets (corn, wheat, rice, etc.)

monotheism

A religion that worships one God

multiple-nuclei model

A model of urban land use developed by Harris and Ullman based on separated and specialized multiple nuclei

nation

A unified group of people with a common culture

nationalism

A strong love of, and loyalty to, one's country

nation-state

A state in which over 90 percent of the population is comprised of a specific culture or group of people

neo-colonialism

The periphery's continued exploitation by, and dependency on, the core in modern times even though they are no longer colonies

New Urbanism

An urban design movement that emphasizes the pedestrian-friendly return to earlier close-knit neighborhoods and a sense of community

nonmaterial culture

Mentifacts (language, religion, artistic purposes, folk stories, myths, etc.) and sociofacts (educational and political institutions, religious organizations, family structure, etc.) that comprise a culture

organic farming

The process of producing good naturally without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and other inputs

outsourcing

The production of goods and parts abroad for sale in one's own country

pastoralism

A form of subsistence agriculture in which animals are herded in a seasonal migratory pattern