AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

climate

the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area

landforms

a feature on Earth's surface that is part of the terrain

water bodies

any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet

distribution

the natural arrangement and apportionment of the various forms of animals and plants in the different regions and localities of the earth

arithmetic density

the population density measured as the number of people per unit area of land

physiological density

the number of people per unit area of arable land

agricultural density

total number of farmers per unit of arable land

carrying capacity

a species' average population size in a particular habitat

population pyramid

represents the breakdown of the population by gender and age at a given point in time

demographic

relating to the structure of populations

fertility

the number of live births occurring in a population

mortality

the ratio of the number of deaths in the year to the average total population of the year

birth rates

the ratio between the number of live-born births in the year and the average total population of that year

death rates

indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear

life expectancy

the age a person can expect to live based on the statistical average for an area

dependency ratio

relates the number of children (0-14. years old) and older persons (65 years or over) to the working-age population (15-64 years old)

rate of natural increase

the difference between the number of live births and the number of deaths occurring in a year, divided by the mid-year population of that year, multiplied by a factor (usually 1,000)

population-doubling time

the amount of time it takes for the population of a region to double

DTM stage 1

a low population growth rate due to a high birth rate and a high death rate

DTM stage 2

a rapid decrease in a country's death rate while the birth rate remains high

DTM stage 3

death rates are low and birth rates decrease, usually as a result of improved economic conditions, an increase in women's status and education, and access to contraception

DTM stage 4

birth rates and death rates are both low, stabilizing total population growth

DTM stage 5

a country experiences loss to the overall population as the death rate becomes higher than the birth rate

Malthusian theory

The theory that mass starvation is inevitable because food supplies grow at the same rate while population grows exponentially, leading to the population being much higher than the food supply can handle

Esther Boserup

a famous agricultural geographer who's theory is based on the premise that population growth is a positive force in agricultural innovation, that it drives technology forward

pronatalist

an attitude or policy that encourages childbearing

antinatalist

government policies that discourage couples from having children

contraception

birth control by the use of devices or drugs or surgery

Ravenstein's laws of migration

Most migrants move only a short distance

migration

the movement of people from one place in the world to another

push factors

something that encourages an individual to migrate away from a certain place

pull factors

positive factors that attract people to new areas from other areas

intervening opportunities

a feature that causes a migrant to choose a destination other than his original one

intervening obstacles

n environmental or cultural feature that hinders migration

forced migration

a general term that refers to the movements of refugees and internally displaced people as well as people displaced by natural or environmental disasters, chemical or nuclear disasters, famine, or development projects

slavery

people trafficking and work situations where individuals become entrapped

internally displaced persons

someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders

refugees

people who must leave their home area for their own safety or survival

asylum seekers

those who leave the sovereign territory of one country in order to achieve refugee status in another, based upon claims of danger because of race, religion, nationality, or other pertinent identifiers

voluntary migration

occurs when someone chooses to leave home

transnational migration

a process of movement and settlement across international borders in which individuals maintain or build multiple networks of connection to their country of origin while at the same time settling in a new country

transhumance

a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures

internal migration

the movement of people from one defined area to another within a country

chain migration

migration of people to a specific location because relatives or members of the same nationality previously migrated there

step migration

gradual migration, from farm to village to town to big city

guest worker

foreign national who is permitted to live and work temporarily in a host country

rural-to-urban migration

people choose to move from a less populated area to more densely populated areas which often present more work opportunities, better pay, or a better quality of life

reference map

designed for people to refer to for general information about places

thematic map

show spatial aspects of information or of a phenomenon

absolute distance

The distance that can be measured with a standard unit length, such as a mile or kilometer.

absolute direction

A compass direction such as north or south.

relative distance

Where something is located in relation to other things(same as relative location)

relative direction

Directions such as left, right, forward, backward, up, and down based on people's perception of places

clustering

phenomena are arranged in a group or concentrated areas

dispersal

phenomena are spread out over a large area

elevation

the distance of features above sea level

map projection

the process of showing a curved surface (the earth) on a flat surface (a map). In other words, taking a 3-dimensional object and making it 2-dimensional.

absolute location

exact location of a place on the earth described by longitude and latitude

relative location

Where something is located in relation to other things

Political Map

Shows and labels the human-created boundaries and designations, such as countries, states, cities, and capitals.

Physical Map

Shows and labels the natural features, such as mountains, rivers, and deserts.

Thematic maps

show spatial aspects of information or of a phenomenon

Choropleth Map

Uses various colors, shades of one color, or patterns to show the location and distribution of spatial data

Dot Map

Used to show the specific location and distribution of something across the territory of the map

Graduated Symbol Map

Uses symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of something

Isoline Map

Uses lines that connect points of equal value to depict variations in the data across space

Cartogram

Sizes of countries are shown according to some specific statistic

geographic information systems

a computer program that stores geographic data and produces maps to show those data

satellite navigation systems

system of satellites that provide geo-spatial positioning e.g. GPS

remote sensing

The acquisition of data about Earth's surface from a satellite orbiting the planet or other long-distance methods.

field observations

A method where you observe people in 'real' locations and situations, such as workplaces, homes, etc.

media reports

articles published by news papers or magazines

travel narratives

People travelled to distant places and took stock of and account of what they saw there. This was a way of bringing back stories, ideas and traditions of other distant places. Also helped connect europe to the "other". Examples Cadamosto, Bernal Diaz, Montaigne.

policy documents

communicate organizational policies and procedures

personal interviews

a type of survey that involves a person-to-person meeting between the interviewer and respondent

landscape analysis

the task of defining and describing landscapes

photographic interpretation

The act of examining photographic images for the purpose of identifying objects and judging their significance

census data

Geospatial data collected through the quantification of a population

satellite imagery

Images generated at intervals from satellites orbiting the Earth. Can show visible, infrared, shortwave infrared or water vapor images.

space

The physical gap or interval between two objects

place

describes the physical and human characteristics of any location on Earth

flow

refers to the patterns and movement of ideas, people, and other phenomena

distance decay

things, such as cities, near each other are more closely connected or related than things that are far apart

time-space compression

the shrinking "time-distance," or relative distance, between locations because of improved methods of transportation and communication

pattern

the concept of distribution, the way a phenomenon is spread out or arranged over an area

sustainability

an overarching theme of human geography and relates to trying to use resources now in ways that allow their use in the future while minimizing negative impacts on the environment

natural resources

Materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain

land use

study of how land is utilized, modified, and organized by people

environmental determinism

landforms and climate are the most powerful forces shaping human behavior and societal development while ignoring the influence of culture

possibilism

acknowledges limits on the effects of the natural environment and focuses more on the role that human culture plays

global

of, relating to, or involving the entire world; comprehensive

regional

of, relating to, or characteristic of a region

national

of or belonging to the people of a single country

local

relating to or occurring in a particular area, city, or town; located or living nearby

formal region

an area with distinct boundaries

functional region

organized around a focal point and are defined by an activity, usually political, social, or economic, that occurs across the region

perceptual/vernacular region

the informal sense of place that people ascribe to them