AP Human Geography Exam

Market

A place or system where buyers and sellers interact to exchange goods and services.

State

A politically organized body of people occupying a defined territory.

Culture

The ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society.

Migration

The movement of people from one place to another with intentions of settling temporarily or permanently.

Birth rates

The number of live births per thousand of the population per year.

Death rates

The number of deaths per thousand of the population per year.

Fertility rate

The average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime.

Census data

Data collected through a systematic survey of a population.

Centripetal force

An element that unifies people within a state.

European Union

A political and economic union of member states located primarily in Europe.

Industrialization

The development of industries in a country or region on a wide scale.

Periphery

Regions that are less developed compared to the core economies and dependent on them.

Demographic transition model

A model that describes the transition from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates as a country develops.

Indigenous

People or things originating or occurring naturally in a particular place.

Malthusian theory

The theory that population growth will outpace resource growth leading to famine and conflict.

Core

The center of economic, political, and cultural power in a given region.

Nation-State

A political unit characterized by a defined territory and a permanent population governed by a sovereign authority.

Suburbanization

The process of population movement from within towns and cities to the rural-urban fringe.

Map Projection

A method by which the three-dimensional surface of the Earth is portrayed on a two-dimensional surface.

Territoriality

The emotional attachment and defense of a territory.

Centrifugal force

An element that divides people within a state.

Commercial agriculture

Agriculture undertaken primarily for sale and profit.

Cultural Landscape

The visible imprint of human activity on the landscape.

Domestication

The process of adapting wild plants and animals for human use.

Primate city

The largest city in a country, which is disproportionately larger than other cities.

Contagious Diffusion

The spread of a cultural element from one individual to another through direct contact.

Federal State

A political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions under a central government.

Rural-to-urban migration

The movement of people from the countryside to the city.

Squatter settlement

An informal, usually illegal, settlement that develops on land that is not owned by the residents.

Sustainability

The ability to maintain certain processes or states indefinitely.

Urbanization

The increasing migration of people from rural to urban areas.

Commodity chain

The process of producing, processing, and distributing goods.

Ethnicity

Shared cultural practices, perspectives, and distinctions that set apart one group of people from another.

Green revolution

A period marked by significant advancements in agricultural practices and technology.

Megacities

Cities with a population of over 10 million people.

Population pyramid

A graphical illustration that shows the distribution of various age groups in a population.

Rate of natural increase

The difference between the number of live births and the number of deaths during a specific period.

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of a cultural trait via the migration of people.

Subsistence agriculture

Farming that provides enough food for the farmer and their family but not for sale.

Demographic

Related to the structure of populations.

Gross national income per capita

The total income earned by a nation's residents, divided by its population.

Life expectancy

The average period that a person may expect to live.

Mechanized farming

Agriculture that is characterized by the use of machinery.

Mortality rate

The rate of death in a specified population.

Autonomous region

A region with a degree of autonomy or self-governance.

Devolution

The transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to state and local governments.

Hierarchical Diffusion

The spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority to other persons or places.

Industrial revolution

A period of widespread industrialization that took place during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Infrastructure

The basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society.

Language Family

A group of languages that have a common origin.

Second Agricultural revolution

A period of agricultural development between the 18th century and early 20th century.

Ecotourism

Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment.

Gentrification

The process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste.

Growth pole

An urban center that attracts a significant number of businesses and people.

Human development index

A composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and income indicators.

Sovereignty

The authority of a state to govern itself.

United Nations

An intergovernmental organization aimed at fostering international cooperation.

Von Thünen’s model

A model that explains agricultural land use in concentric circles around a market center.

Gender inequality index

An index for measurement of gender disparity in a country.

Irrigation

The artificial application of water to land for agricultural purposes.

Linguistic

Relating to language or linguistics.

Market gardening

The growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers for sale at local markets.

Ranching

The practice of raising livestock on large tracts of land.

Colonialism

The policy of acquiring full or partial political control over another country.

Edge city

A significant urban center situated at the outer fringes of metropolitan areas.

Ethnic religion

A religion identified with a particular ethnic group.

Exclusive Economic Zone

A sea zone prescribed by the United Nations that extends 200 nautical miles from the baseline.

Infant mortality rate

The number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live births.

Site

The physical characteristics of a location.

Stimulus Diffusion

The spread of an underlying principle, even though a specific characteristic is rejected.

Territorial Sea

The waters adjacent to a state's coastline, where the state has sovereignty.

World city

A city that has significant influence on global affairs.

Antinatalist

A viewpoint that assigns a negative value to birth.

Cultural Hearth

A location where a significant culture or civilization began and developed.

Globalization

The process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence.

Guest worker

A foreign laborer who is allowed to work temporarily in a country.

Independence Movement

A movement aimed at achieving independence for a particular region or people.

Outsourcing

Obtaining goods or services from an outside supplier.

Plantation agriculture

A form of commercial farming that specializes in the production of one or two crops.

Primary

The first sector of the economy involving the extraction of natural resources.

Pull factors

Factors that attract people to move to a new location.

Semi-periphery

The economic zone in between the core and periphery.

Supranationalism

The idea of transcending national boundaries or interests.

Tariff

A tax imposed on imported goods.

Acculturation

The process of cultural change and adaptation that occurs when a primary culture comes into contact with another culture.

Assimilation

The process by which individuals or groups adopt the culture of another group.

Nation

A large group of people with common cultural characteristics.

Physical Features (map)

Natural landscape features such as mountains, rivers, and lakes portrayed on a map.

Refugees

People who are forced to flee their home country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

Tertiary

The third sector of the economy focused on services rather than goods.

Unitary State

A state governed as a single entity.

Antecedent Boundary

A boundary that was created before the present-day cultural landscape developed.

Clustered settlement pattern

A pattern of settlement in which homes are built closely together.

Comparative advantage

The ability of an entity to produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than others.

Dependency ratio

The ratio of dependents (people younger than 15 or older than 64) to the working-age population.

Dispersed settlement pattern

A pattern of settlement in which homes are spread out over a wide area.

Empowerment measures

Strategies designed to facilitate the participation of marginalized groups in decision-making.

Environmental Determinism

The theory that the physical environment predisposes human social development.

Epidemiological model

A model used to understand the distribution and determinants of health and disease conditions.

Extensive agriculture

Agricultural practices characterized by low inputs of labor per unit of land.