APHUG Unit 6: Urban Settlements

These flashcards cover key terminology and concepts from the AP Human Geography Unit on Urban Settlements.

Urbanization

The process by which cities grow as more people move into them for jobs, services, or opportunities.

Urban Areas

Places with a high density of people, buildings, businesses, and transportation close together.

Metropolitan Areas

A large city along with smaller towns and suburbs around it that are connected by jobs.

Site

The exact physical location of a place, including factors like landforms and soil quality.

Situation

How a place is located in relation to other places and why the location is useful.

Rural-to-Urban Migration

The movement of people from the countryside into cities to find work, education, and better services.

Urban Sprawl

The rapid outward development from a city center.

Edge Cities

New business areas that grow on the edges of large cities, featuring offices and shopping centers.

Economic Functions of Cities

Cities provide jobs, services, trade, and places for businesses to thrive.

Globalization

The increasing interconnectedness of people, businesses, and cities around the world.

Gravity Model

A model used to explain the relationship between cities of different sizes, indicating larger cities attract more interaction.

Central Place Theory

A theory describing a central place as a settlement that provides goods and services to its surrounding area.

Threshold

The minimum number of people needed to support a certain good or service.

Range

The distance a person is willing to travel for a good or service.

World Cities

Cities that have a major global influence in the economy, culture, politics, and communication.

Mega Cities

Urban areas with over 10 million people.

Meta Cities

Even larger urban regions that exceed 20 million people.