AP Human Geography: Unit 2 Key Terms

Age-Sex distribution

A model used in population geography that describes the ages and numbers of males and females within a given population; also called a population pyramid.

Agricultural density

The number of farmers per unit area of farmland.

Arithmetic density

The number of people living in a given unit area.

Baby Boom

A cohort of individuals born in the United States between 1946 and 1964, marked by high rates of marriage and fertility.

Baby Bust

Period in the 1960s and 1970s of decreased fertility rates due to women seeking higher education and career opportunities.

Carrying capacity

The largest number of people that the environment of a particular area can sustainably support.

Chain migration

The migration event where individuals follow the migratory path of friends or family members to a community.

Child mortality rate

Number of deaths per thousand children within the first five years of life.

Cohort

A population group unified by a specific common characteristic, treated as a statistical unit.

Cotton Belt

The historical name for the American South, known for its cotton-dominated agricultural economy.

Crude birth rate

The number of live births per year per thousand people.

Crude death rate

The number of deaths per year per thousand people.

Demographic accounting equation

Equation summarizing population growth or decline during a particular time.

Demographic transition model

A sequence of demographic changes from high birth and death rates to low rates.

Demography

The study of human populations, including their temporal and spatial dynamics.

Dependency ratio

The ratio of dependents (too old or too young) to the working population, usually expressed as n:100.