AP Human Geography All Vocab

Wallerstein's World Systems Theory

attempts to explain the relationship between the core and periphery countries, shows how core benefits from periphery and semi-periphery, the semi-periphery can benefit from the periphery while still benefiting the core.

Reference Map

Maps that show basic information about places. Ex: political, physical

Physical Map

Shows natural landscape features like topography (Elevation) by colors & shading

Political Map

Shows borders between governments

Thematic Maps

Show the distribution of characteristics like human activities Ex: Snowfall, Population, Stores

Clustering Data

Grouped/bunched together

Dispersed Data

Appears to be distributed over a wide area

Cartogram Map

Size of countries are distorted in size to show data differences

Choropleth Map

Map that uses shading or coloring to show data

Dot Density Map

Dots represent density of data in area

Isoline Map

Connects areas with equal data by lines/shapes

Proportional Symbol Map

Symbols vary in size to show amount of data

Map Projections

Either distorted in shape, size, distance, and direction

Mercator Projection

Shape and direction fairly accurate, distortion towards poles, used in navigation at sea

Robinson Map

Everything is distorted in small amounts (in schools)

Goode Projection

Looks like a M, continent sizes are accurate, directions and distance aren't accurate

Gall-Peters Projection

Shape of countries especially near the equator are distorted, area is accurate but not shape

Geospatial Data

all information including physical features and human activities

Geographic Information System (GIS)

a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth's surface (data layers)

Latitude

Distance north or south of the equator

Longitude

Distance east or west of the Prime Meridian

Relative Location

where something is in relation to something else, where a place is compared to other places

Absolute Location

The exact position of a place on the earth's surface using Geographical Coordinate System

Absolute Distance

Exactly how far away something is

Relative Distance

Includes travel distance affected by road conditions, traffic, time of day

Geographic Positioning System (GPS)

Uses global network of satellites to emit radio signals to triangulate location

Remote sensing

Refers to the process of taking pictures of the Earth's surface from satellites to provide a greater understanding of the Earth's geography over large distances (aerial photography with satellites)

Spatial Information

Comes from written accounts, field observations, media reports, travel narratives, policy documents, personal interviews, landscape analysis, photographic interpretation (organizations and individuals)

Place

the specific human and physical characteristics of a location

Toponym

a place name

Census Data

An official count of a population (US is every 10 years)

Space

The extent of an area and can be in a relative and absolute sense

Distance Decay

Geographic term which describes the effect of distance on cultural or spatial interactions , shorter the distance - more likely interaction, interaction decreases as distance increases

Time-Space Compression

the increasing sense of connectivity that seems to be bringing people closer together even though their distances are the same due to improved communication, transportation, technology, reduced time for diffuse

Sustainability

the goal of the human race reaching equilibrium with the environment; meeting the needs of the present without while also leaving resources for future generations

Natural Resources

A physical material constituting part of Earth that people need and value

Environmental Determinism

how the physical environment caused/determined social development

Environmental Possibilism

the physical environment may limits some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their physical environment

Scale

The relationship of the size of a map to amount of area it represents on Earth (describes how "zoomed in" you are while studying a geographic trait (Global (Globalization), Regional, National, State + county, and Local) small scale=zoomed in, large scale=zoomed out

Scale of Analysis

how zoomed in or out you are when looking at geographic data (local, national, regional, global)

Region

places in the same area that share characteristics, traits, and features in common making it different from others

Formal Region

a uniform region that is based quantitative data (that can be documented or measured like language, religion, nationality, political parties, culture, physical boundaries) - all government areas are this because they share a government EX: States, Wheat Belt

Functional Region

a region based around a node or focal point - terrestrial radio broadcasts are an example of this (Radio Station Broadcast area, NYC subway)

Vernacular (Perceptual Region)

an area that shares a common qualitative characteristic, it's only a region because people believe it's a region (Ex: Midwest)

Landscape Analysis

the task of defining and describing landscapes

Cultural Ecology

the study of how humans adapt to the environment (5 too's)

Human Environment Interaction

the connection and exchange between humans and the natural world (focus on how humans influence the physical world, sustainability, pollution, environmental issues)

Scale of Inquiry

Which scale of analysis answers the question

Diffusion

movement of people, ideas, customs, and information between places

Spatial Diffusion

The spread of something over time or space. Refers to array of items on the Earth's surface

Expansion Diffusion

The spread of an idea through a population in a way that the number of those influenced becomes continuously larger

Hierarchical Diffusion

An idea spreads by passing first among the most connected individuals, then spreading to other individuals

Reverse Hierarchical Diffusion

Diffusion up a hierarchy, such as from a little city to a big one.

Contagious Diffusion

The transmission of a phenomenon through close contact with nearby places, like diseases.

Relocation Diffusion

A form of diffusion where the ideas being diffused are transmitted by their carriers as they migrate to new areas

Stimulus Diffusion

A cultural adaptation is created as a result of the introduction of a cultural trait from another place.

Diffusion Barriers

Time-distance decay, cultural barriers, physical barriers

Absolute Direction

Based on the cardinal points of North, South, East, and West

Ecumene

Where people settled on the earth

Physical Factors

People avoid areas too dry, too wet, too cold, too high

Cultural Factors

Populations will be concentrated in areas that have access to Education, health care, and entertainment opportunities

Historical Factors

certain areas where life could be sustain and lived (Areas where human flourished and survived)

Arthemetic density

the total number of objects in an area, just a calculation

Physiological Density

the number of people supported by a unit area of arable land, shows overpopulation

Agriculture Density

The ratio of the number of farmers to the amount of arable land, reflects how developed a country is

What do areas with larger populations and greater population densities have?

Greater political, economic, and social power

Political Power

Greater control over laws, larger influence

Economic Power

concentration of jobs, areas make more revenue

Social Power

Greater access to health care, better educational opportunities, greater cultural diversity

Carrying Capacity

the maximum population size of the species that the environment can sustain

Overpopulation

when there are not enough resources in an area to support a population

Age/Sex ratio

Comparison of the numbers of males and females of different ages

Population Pyramid

a graph of the population of an area by age and sex - when a population is growing it takes a pyramid shape

Rapid Growth Population Pyramid

Large Base, triangle Ex: Kenya

Slow Growth Population Pyramid

cylinder/bottle shaped Ex: United States

Decreasing Population Pyramid

Narrower on the bottom Italy, Japan

Demography

the study of population

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

The number of live births per one thousand people in the population

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

The number of deaths per one thousand people in the population

Doubling time

The time period it takes for a population to double in size (70/RNI = doubling time)

Fertility

the number of live births occurring in a population

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)

the number of children who don't survive their first year of life per 1000 live births in a country

Mortality

the number of deaths occurring in a population

Rate of Natural Increase (RNI or NIR)

A positive RNI means a population is growing and a negative RNI means a population is shrinking (birth rate - death rate)/10

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

the average number of children a woman is predicted to have in her child bearing years (affected by: social, cultural, governments, economic factors)

Demographic Transition Model

A model of how the size of a population changes as a country develops socially and economically

Epidemiological Model

Explains how society has developed and the change in how/why people are dying as we have progressed

Stage 1: Pestilence and Famine (High CDR)

Infectious diseases are a principal causes of human deaths

Stage 2: Receding Pandemics

A pandemic is an epidemic that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects a very high proportion of the population - whole country or world wide

--improved sanitation, medicine and better nutrition

Stage 3: Degenerative and Human Created Diseases

Characterized by a decrease in infectious diseases (polio, measles) but increase in Chronic disorders associated with aging. Two especially important chronic disorders are heart disease and cancer

Stage 4: Delayed Degenerative

The major degenerative causes of death - cardiovascular diseases and cancers, but with extended life expectancy. Medicine helps make cancer spread more slowly or stop

Malthus Theory

While population increases geometrically, food supply increases arithmetically (population will increase more quickly than food supply)

Neo-Mathusian Theory

Earth's resources can only support a finite population --Pressure on scare natural resources leads to famine and war -- Advocate for contraceptive and family planning in order to keep population low and protect resources and prevent famine and war

Antinatalist policies

when a country provides incentives for people to have fewer children (sometimes including punishments) EX: China

Pronatalist Policies

when a country provides incentives for people to have more children EX: Japan

Immigration Policies

States can set up policies that make it easier or harder for people to immigrate to their territory (quotas and accepting or refusing refugees into the country)

Contraception

methods of preventing pregnancy

Ravenstein's Laws of Migration

1. Most migration is over a short distance. 2. Migration occurs in steps. 3. Long-range migrants usually move to urban areas. 4. Each migration produces a movement in the opposite direction. 5. Rural dwellers are more migratory than urban dwellers. 6. Within their own country females are more migratory than males, but males are more migratory over long distances. 7. Most migrants are adults. 8. Large towns grow more by migration than by natural increase. 9. Migration increases with economic development. 2. Migration is mostly due to economic causes.

Dependency Ratio

the ratio of the number of people not in the work force (dependents) and those who are in the work force (producers) - useful for understanding the pressure on the producers

Life Expectancy

the average number of years a person born in a country might expect to live