AP Human Geography Semester Final

Cartography

the study and practice of making maps of a geographical area

Scale

the numeric representation of the distance on a map to the corresponding distance on the ground

Scale of Analysis

observation of data at the global, national, regional, and local scale. The focus is how the data is organized and presented on the map.

Projection

a method used to represent the curved surface of the earth onto a flat map

Cultural landscape

the visible imprint of human activity on the natural environment

Arithmetic density

average number of people per unit of land area; the higher number of people there are, the more crowded it is

Artifacts

objects that are made or used by humans that hold cultural significance (tools, pottery, weapons)

Folk culture

diffuses and changes slowly, often limited to one group or society, hearth is unknown or unclear

Pop culture

diffuses and changes quickly, often short lived, not limited to one group or society, hearth is identifiable

Ethnocentrism

the normal tendency of all people to see the way their culture operates as the correct way of doing things

Placelessness

happens when a place loses its distinctiveness/uniqueness, it loses its sense of place

Animism

the belief that natural things like plants and animals have a spiritual essence

Sequent Occupance

cultures leave their mark on a place, contributing to a cumulative cultural landscape

Centripetal forces

Something that brings people together and unifies a neighborhood, society and country.

Centrifugal forces

Forces that threaten the cohesion of a neighborhood, society or country.

Colonialism

the practice where a powerful country establishes control over a weaker territory

Diffusion

the process of an idea or phenomenon spreads from one place to another

Cultural Convergence

when cultures become more alike due to increased interaction

Cultural Hearth

a focused geographic area where important innovations are born and from which they are spread

Acculturation

the adoption of one cultural trait by another culture

Assimilation

occurs when an ethnic or immigrant group blends in with the host culture and loses many culturally distinct traits

Cultural syncretism

the blending of beliefs, practices, and traits

Universalizing religions

attempt to be global, appeal to all people (more likely to diffuse) (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism)

Ethnic religions

a religion that appeals primarily to 1 group of people in 1 place

Nation

homogeneous group of people who have a common heritage, language, religion, or political ambition and who are tied to a specific territory

Nation-state

a state whose territory roughly corresponds to the boundaries of a particular group of people

Multi-state nation

a nation, a group of people sharing a common culture and identity, that extends across the borders of multiple states, meaning their homeland is not contained within a single country

Multinational state

state whose boundaries include more than one group of people tied to the land and each other

Autonomous region

area within a state that has a degree of freedom to operate separately from outside authority

Devolution

the breakdown of a larger country into smaller countries (Breakdown of Yugoslavia)

Neocolonialism

the practice of using capitalism, globalization, and cultural imperialism to influence a developing country

Chokepoints

geographic locations where the flow of people and goods can be constricted and choked off in the event of a conflict

Shatterbelts

a region that is politically unstable and internally divided, and is caught up in the competition between global powers

Buffer states

independent states that are weak both politically and economically, act as a barrier between two powerful countries

Satellite states

nominally independent but is rather controlled politically, militarily, and economically by a more powerful state

Unitary state

power is concentrated in one central government, subnational units have little power, policies are applied uniformly throughout the territory

Federal state

a government that disperses power into smaller units

Supranational organizations

international political bodies that nation-states establish in cooperation with their neighbors for mutual political, military, or economic gain

Physiological density

number of people per unit of arable land

Agricultural density

the ratio of the number of agricultural workers to the amount of arable land in a given area

Doubling time

the amount of time it takes for a population to double in size

Age structure

the distribution of different age groups within a population

Dependency ratios

the number of people who are unable to work due to age that each 100 working age people must support

Population pyramids

Models that show the age and gender demographics of a country

Crude Birth Rate

the number of births per 1,000 people

Total Fertility Rate

the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her reproductive years

Replacement Fertility - how is it calculated?

2.1 the average number of children a woman need to have to replace her and her partner in the population

Rate of Natural Increase

the percentage by which a population grows in a year

Net Migration - how is it calculated?

the difference between the number of people immigrating into a region and the number of people emigrating from that region;

=number of immigrants(arriving)-number of emigrants(leaving)

Distance Decay

near things are more related than things that are farther away, things that are closer are more likely to interact with each other

Push factors

Something that encourages people to migrate away from a certain place

Pull factors

positive factors that attract people to new areas from other areas

Pronatalist policies

population policies to help increase population growth by increasing the number of births

Remittances

the funds that migrants send back to their home countries to support family members

Anti-natalist policies

population policies to slow population growth by reducing the number of births

Chlropleth map

a map that shows data using colors

dot distribution map

a map that shows data using dots

Graduated circle map

uses the size of circles to show data to give us a comparison, the bigger the circle the higher the number

mercator projection

has distorted size and shape at the poles

Peter projection

distorted shape of countries near/along the equator

Goode Homolosine projection

splits the earth into divisions, splits the oceans

Polar projection

distorts the bottom of the globe, land masses seem larger at the poles

Robinson projection

distorts a little bit of everything, keeps shape, size, and distance intact

environmental determinism

The belief that the physical environment shapes human behaviors and cultures.

Possibilism

any physical environment offers a number of possible ways for a society to develop

formal region

geographic area with common characteristics and defined borders (cities, towns, countries)

functional (nodal) region

geographic area organized around a center point (radio stations)

Vernacular Region

Geographic area with a perceived cultural identity, often defined by people's opinions (Southwest, Middle East)

What might be the outcome if a country’s physiological density is much higher than arithmetic density?

If a country's physiological density is much higher than arithmetic density, it can lead to food insecurity and pressure on land resources. It means a large population relies on a limited amount of arable land.

What happens during stage 2 of the demographic transition model?

dramatic decline in the death rate, high birth rate, population rapidly increasing, NRI is very rapidly increasing

what happens in stage 3 of the demographic transition model?

Death rate stabilizes at a low rate, birth rate declines due to low infant mortality rates, population is increasing, birth rate is falling, death rate falls more slowly, NRI increase slows down

what happens in stage 1 of the demographic transition model?

high death rate, high fertility/birth rate, stable but small population, low life expectancy, NRI is stable

what happens during stage 4 of the demographic transition model?

birth and death rates remain low, high life expectancy, population growth is slow, NRI is falling

What happens during stage 5 of the demographic transition model?

population declines due to low birth rate, death rate is low, population growth is declining, NRI is negative

Rapid Growth

 wide base, usually occurs in developing countries where birth rates are high, higher number of younger people than older people (population pyramid of Tanzania)

Slow Growth

more narrow base, birth rate is slightly higher than death rate, less children are being born (Population pyramid of China)

Stable growth

birth and death rates a similar, stable population growth (U.S. population pyramid)

declining

top heavy, declining population with less births, older populations (Population pyramid of Spain)

Why might a country employ pronatalist policies?

A country might want to employ pronatalist policies because the birth rate in their country is low. They need more births to replace their population and their working class to support the dependents.

Why might a country want to employ anti-natalist policies

A country might want to employ anti-natalist policies to decrease population growth to conserve resources.

Ravensteins theory of migration

most migrants go a short distance, people who migrate long distances usually go to urban areas, most migrants are adults

Thomas Malthus theory of migration

the type of migration that occurs within a country depends on how developed it is or what type of society it is

Zelinsky’s Model

Neo-malthusians

examples of push factors

persecution due to religion/race, war and political instability, natural disasters, high crime rate, and poverty

examples of pull factors

economic opportunities, nice climate, higher living standards, and better housing

Contagious Diffusion

spreads rapidly from person to person with no barriers to diffusion

Relocation diffusion

occurs when a person migrates from their home and shares their culture with a new location.

Hierarchical Diffusion

 the spread of a cultural trait or idea from a point of power or authority, like a major city or government, down to smaller, less influential areas or people

Expansion diffusion

the spread of a cultural trait or innovation from its origin to new areas, while still remaining strong in its original location

What are the two largest language families?

Indo-European and Sino-Tibetan

Relic Boundary

a boundary that no longer functions as an international border. They often leave behind identifiable features in the cultural landscape. (Hadrian's wall and Berlin Wall)

Subsequent Boundary

a political boundary that developed with the cultural landscape. As group of people settle in new territories, boundaries were set to divide territories among groups. (The border between China and Vietnam)

Antecedent Boundary

a boundary that was identified before an area was settled (the 49th parallel, the line of latitude used to delimit the boundary that separates western United States from Canada)

Geometric Boundary

perfectly straight lines drawn without regard for an area's physical or cultural features (United States-Canada border west of the Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, New York)

Consequent Boundary

drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences (The border between China and Vietnam and the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland)

What is redistricting?

Redistricting occurs when new boundaries for U.S. congressional districts are drawn to reflect the population changes since the previous census. Each district corresponds to one seat in the U.S. house of representatives.