Mid-Term AP Geo

What is Environmental Determinism?

The belief that the physical environment strongly shapes human culture and societal development.

What does Environmental Possibilism suggest?

The environment sets limits, but humans can adapt and innovate to overcome them.

What are Geographic Information Systems (GIS)?

Computer systems that capture, store, analyze, and display spatial or geographic data.

What defines a Formal Region?

An area defined by official boundaries or uniform characteristics.

What is a Functional Region?

An area organized around a focal point or node.

How is a Perceptual Region defined?

A region defined by people’s attitudes, feelings, or perceptions.

What is Time-Space Compression?

The process by which technology reduces the time for people, goods, and ideas to travel across space.

What does Distance Decay refer to?

The principle that interaction between two places decreases as distance increases.

What is the Total Fertility Rate (TFR)?

The average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime.

What are Pro-Natalist Policies?

Government policies designed to encourage higher birth rates.

What is the purpose of Anti-Natalist Policies?

To reduce birth rates.

What does Malthusian Theory state?

Population growth will outpace food supply, leading to famine and conflict.

What is the Demographic Transition Model (DTM)?

A model showing how birth rates, death rates, and population growth change as societies industrialize.

What does Crude Birth Rate (CBR) measure?

The number of live births per 1,000 people in a population per year.

What does Crude Death Rate (CDR) indicate?

The number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population per year.

What is the Dependency Ratio?

The ratio of dependents (young and elderly) to the working-age population.

What is a Push Factor?

A negative condition that drives people away from their home.

What is a Pull Factor?

A positive condition that attracts people to a new location.

What is Chain Migration?

Migration that occurs when migrants follow family or community members to a new location.

What does a Population Pyramid display?

A graph showing the age and sex distribution of a population.

What is the Natural Increase Rate (NIR)?

The percentage by which a population grows annually, excluding migration.

Who are Refugees?

People forced to flee their country due to conflict, persecution, or disaster.

What are Artifacts?

Physical objects created by a culture.

What are Mentifacts?

The ideas, beliefs, and values of a culture.

What do Sociofacts refer to?

The social structures and institutions of a culture.

What are Centripetal Forces?

Factors that unify and stabilize a country.

What are Centrifugal Forces?

Factors that divide or destabilize a country.

What is Contagious Diffusion?

The rapid, widespread diffusion of a trait or idea through direct contact.

What does Hierarchical Diffusion involve?

The spread of ideas from larger or more influential nodes.

What is Stimulus Diffusion?

The spread of an idea that is modified to fit local culture.

What is Relocation Diffusion?

The spread of ideas through physical movement of people.

What is a Lingua Franca?

A common language used for communication between speakers of different native languages.

What is an Ethnic Religion?

A religion closely tied to a specific ethnic group and location.

What is a Universalizing Religion?

A religion that seeks to appeal to all people globally.

What is Syncretism?

The blending of different cultural or religious traditions.

What does Globalization refer to?

The increasing interconnectedness of people, economies, and cultures worldwide.

What is a State?

A politically organized territory with sovereignty and recognized boundaries.

What defines a Nation?

A group of people united by shared culture, language, or history.

What is a Nation-State?

A state whose population is largely composed of a single nation.

What is a Stateless Nation?

A cultural group without its own independent state.

What is Imperialism?

The practice of extending power and control over other territories.

What does Devolution mean?

The transfer of power from a central government to regional or local governments.

What is Neocolonialism?

Economic and political control exerted by powerful countries over weaker ones.

What are Shatterbelts?

Regions caught between stronger external forces, often experiencing instability and conflict.

What is Territoriality?

The connection of people to land, often expressed through boundaries and control.

What is a Federal State?

A political system where power is shared between central and regional governments.

What is a Unitary State?

A political system where power is concentrated in a central government.

What does Gerrymandering refer to?

Manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor one political party.

What are Superimposed Boundaries?

Boundaries imposed by external powers, ignoring existing cultural divisions.

What are Subsequent Boundaries?

Boundaries drawn after cultural landscapes developed, reflecting ethnic divisions.

What are Relic Boundaries?

Old boundaries that no longer function but still leave a mark on the landscape.

What is Irredentism?

A movement to reclaim or annex territory considered lost to a nation.

What are Chokepoints?

Narrow strategic passages that are critical for trade and military movement.