AP Human Geography - AP 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

alliance

An association among countries for the purpose of mutual defense or trade

animism

The belief that spirits (including ancestral) live within objects such as animals, rivers, rocks, trees, and mountains

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

backwash effect

The negative impact to the peripheral region sometimes caused by increased flows of labor and capital into a nearby high-growth region

basic sector

Goods and services produced for individuals outside the urban work area

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

biotechnology

The application of scientific techniques to modify and improve plants, animals, and microorganisms to enhance their value

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

channelized migration

Repetitive pattern of migration not linked to family or ethnicity (senior citizens moving to the Sun Belt)

charter group

The first group of settlers to establish a new and lasting culture and society is 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

confederation

A loose association of states organized for the purpose of retaining cohesion, such as the former republic of the USSR

congregation

An ethnic group's grouping together in a specific part of the city to support each other and minimize conflicts with those in the non-ethnic group

consequent boundary

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

conservation agriculture

A modern method of farming that balances maximum crop yield with sustainable farming methods and protection of the environment

creative destruction

The reinvestment of funds in new, profitable ventures and regions that were once used to fund ventures and regions that are now not as profitable

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

crude density

The number of people per unit of land (also called arithmetic density)

cultural barrier

hindrances to cultural diffusion that occur in a society and keep cultural traits from spreading

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 proposed by Andre Gunder Frank 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 (DCs)

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

developmentalism

The idea that every country and region will eventually make economic progress toward a high level of mass consumption if they only compete to the best of their ability within the world economy

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

domino theory

The theory prevalent during the Cold War Era that once a country became communist, its neighbors were likely to soon become communist also

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

elongated state

A state that is long and narrow, such as Vietnam or Chile

enclave

A piece of territory completely surrounded by another territory of which it is not a part

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 island

A small ethnic settlement centered in the middle of a larger group of the population

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

exclave

An outlier, or piece of a territory, that is completely enclosed within the borders of another country

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

export-processing zones (EPZs)

Small areas of a country with exceptional investment and trading conditions that are created by its government to stimulate and attract foreign investors and business

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)

first effective settlement

The first group (charter group) of settlers who establish a new and lasting culture and society in an area

fixed cost

The cost of land, plant, and machinery that is not variable

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

footloose firms

Firms that produce something that requires minimal transport costs

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

forward capital

A capital city that is located away from the core region for economic or political reasons in a symbolic gesture

fragmented state

A state that has two or more areas of territory separated by another country

functional region

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

gateway city

A city that served as the control center for a former colonial power

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

ghetto

An ethnic enclave where the residents live segregated (separated) by race, religion, or ethnicity in a voluntary or sometimes, forced, manner

ghettoization

The concentration of a certain group of residents in a certain residential area against their will through legal means or social discrimination

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

heartland-rimland theory

Halford Mackinder's theory that the country that dominated the landmass of Eurasia (heartland) would eventually rule the world (rimland)

hierarchial diffusion

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

hinterlands

The surrounding trade area of an urban area

host society

The dominant culture group in an area receiving a minority group

human capital theory of migration

The migration theory that states that educated workers often migrate from poor countries to wealthy countries seeking better-paying jobs