AP Human Geography Unit 2: Population and Migration Patterns and Processes

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering AP Human Geography Unit 2: population distribution, density, composition, demographic models, Malthusian theory, population policies, and migration patterns.

What is the difference between population distribution and population density?

Population distribution refers to the pattern of human settlement and how people are spread across the Earth, while population density measures the average population per square mile or kilometer in a specific area.

In what latitude range do most people on Earth live?

In the midlatitudes, between $30^\circ$ and $60^\circ$ north and south of the equator.

How is arithmetic population density calculated?

By dividing a region's total population by its total area.

What spatial population distribution pattern is shown in this diagram?

Even distribution, which is common in areas where households live on large plots of land, such as agricultural regions and suburbs.

What spatial population distribution pattern is shown in this diagram?

Clustered (or nucleated) distribution, which occurs when people settle near a central feature like a church or concentrate for defensive purposes.

What spatial population distribution pattern is shown in this diagram?

Linear distribution, which commonly occurs when communities settle along a river, road, or transit line.

How is physiological population density calculated, and what does it measure?

It is calculated by dividing total population by the amount of arable land. It measures the pressure population places on land suitable for growing crops to determine carrying capacity.

What is carrying capacity?

The maximum population density an environment can support without experiencing significant environmental deterioration.

How is agricultural population density calculated, and what does a low agricultural density indicate?

It is calculated by dividing the number of farmers by the area of arable land. A low agricultural density indicates that farmers use advanced technology and resources to produce crops efficiently with fewer workers.

What is social stratification in human geography?

The hierarchical division of people into groups based on factors such as economic status, power, and ethnicity, often reflected in distinct urban residential neighborhoods.

What is redistricting?

The redrawing of electoral district boundaries every ten years based on census data to ensure districts have equal population sizes.

What does the term infrastructure refer to?

The essential facilities and structures supporting daily activity in a community, including sewer systems, water treatment, electrical grids, roads, and bridges.

What is a population pyramid?

An age-sex composition graph that displays the distribution of a population by age groups (cohorts) and gender.

In demographic pyramids, what is a birth deficit?

A temporary slowdown or drop in births, commonly observed during times of war or severe economic crisis.

What is the difference between a baby boom and an echo in demographic history?

A baby boom is a sudden spike in birth rates over several years, while an echo is a subsequent bulge created when baby boomers reach childbearing age and have children of their own.

Who constitutes the potential workforce versus the dependent population?

The potential workforce includes people ages 15 to 64 expected to be labor force participants. The dependent population includes individuals under age 15 and over age 64.

How is the dependency ratio calculated?

By dividing the number of dependents (population under age 15 plus population over age 64) by the potential workforce (population ages 15 to 64).

What is the demographic balancing equation?

$$\text{Future population} = \text{Current population} + (\text{births} - \text{deaths}) + (\text{immigrants} - \text{emigrants})$$

What is the difference between Crude Birth Rate (CBR) and Total Fertility Rate (TFR)?

CBR measures live births per year per 1,000 people in the total population. TFR measures the average number of children a woman will have during her childbearing years (ages 15 to 49).

How is the Rate of Natural Increase (RNI) calculated?

$\text{RNI} = \frac{\text{CBR} - \text{CDR}}{10}\%$ where CBR is crude birth rate and CDR is crude death rate.

What is the Rule of 70 used for in demography?

To estimate population doubling time in years by dividing 70 by the annual population growth rate percentage.

What key demographic trend defines Stage 2 of the Demographic Transition Model (DTM)?

Rapid population growth driven by high birth rates and rapidly declining death rates due to improvements in nutrition, sanitation, and medicine.

What is demographic momentum?

The continued population growth for 20 to 40 years after fertility rates decline, occurring because large cohorts of children age into adulthood and childbearing years.

What defines Stage 4 of the Demographic Transition Model (DTM)?

Low birth rates and low death rates yielding very low to zero population growth, characterized by a stationary, box-shaped population pyramid.

What are the key stages of Abdel Omran's Epidemiological Transition Model?

Stage 1: Pestilence and Famine; Stage 2: Receding Pandemics; Stage 3: Degenerative and Human-Created Diseases; Stage 4: Delayed Degenerative Diseases; Stage 5: Reemergence of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases.

What was the core assertion of Malthusian theory regarding food and population growth?

Food production grows arithmetically ($1, 2, 3, 4\dots$) while human population grows exponentially ($1, 2, 4, 8\dots$), leading to overpopulation and starvation.

How did Ester Boserup counter Malthusian theory?

She argued that population growth stimulates agricultural innovation, technology, and increased food production rather than causing inevitable starvation.

Who are Neo-Malthusians?

Modern scholars who argue that population growth threatens nonrenewable resources, water, air, and food supplies, leading to environmental and economic crises.

What is the distinction between antinatalist and pronatalist population policies?

Antinatalist policies aim to lower birth rates (e.g., China's One-Child Policy), whereas pronatalist policies encourage higher birth rates (e.g., parental leave and subsidies in France or Japan).

How does female educational attainment impact total fertility rate (TFR)?

Higher levels of education for women lead to delayed marriage and family formation, increased economic opportunities, and significantly lower TFRs.

What are the main causes and consequences of an aging population?

Causes include higher life expectancy and lower birth rates. Consequences include increased government spending on elderly healthcare and pensions, changing political voting blocs, and labor shortages.

What is the difference between push factors and pull factors in migration?

Push factors are negative circumstances compelling people to leave their origin; pull factors are attractive conditions drawing migrants to a destination.

What does Wilbur Zelinsky's migration transition model predict?

Overcrowding in Stage 2 and Stage 3 countries acts as a push factor, encouraging migration toward Stage 4 and Stage 5 countries offering economic opportunities.

What is an intervening obstacle in migration theory?

A physical, political, economic, or social barrier that hinders or prevents a migrant from reaching their intended destination.

What is distance decay in relation to migration?

The principle that most migrants travel short distances, and the volume of migration decreases as distance between origin and destination increases.

What is step migration?

A process where a migrant reaches their final long-distance destination through a series of shorter moves or incremental stages.

What is counter migration?

A movement of people in the opposite direction of an established migration stream.

What is the difference between internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees?

Both flee due to danger or persecution, but IDPs remain within their home country's borders, whereas refugees cross international borders.

What is political asylum?

Protection and legal status granted by a host government to an international migrant who fears persecution or harm in their country of origin.

What is chain migration?

A pattern where immigrants follow family members, friends, or community members to settle in the same city or neighborhood in a host country.

What is transhumance?

The seasonal migration of livestock herders moving animals between mountain pastures in summer and lower valleys in winter.

What are remittances and how do they impact sending countries?

Remittances are money sent by emigrants back to family in their home country, which help reduce poverty and boost local economies.

What is brain drain?

The loss of highly educated, skilled, or professional workers who emigrate from developing nations to wealthier countries.

What is an ethnic enclave?

A neighborhood with a high concentration of a specific ethnic group or culture (e.g., Chinatown or Little Italy) within a host city.