AP Human Geography Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for AP Human Geography exam review.

Cartography

The science of mapmaking.

Reference Maps

Maps that show the location of human and physical objects.

Thematic Maps

Maps that show the spatial arrangement of features or data.

Geospatial data

Information pertaining to a specific location on Earth.

Quantitative data

Geospatial data represented by numbers.

Qualitative data

Geospatial data that is not represented by numbers, such as interviews or visual observations.

GPS (global position system)

Geospatial technology used to acquire data related to location on Earth.

GIS (geographic information system)

Geospatial technology used to acquire and display data related to location on Earth.

Remote sensing

Geospatial technology used to acquire data related to location on Earth.

Cultural ecology

The study of human culture and its relationship to the environment.

Environmental determinism

The belief that human behavior is caused by the environment.

Possibilism

The belief that the environment may limit or influence human behavior, but not cause it.

Sense of place

Emotions, such as loyalty and pride, that people attach to specific locations.

Toponyms

Names given to a location that can reflect important people or physical features.

Placelessness

A location absent of any strong emotional ties.

Formal region

A region characterized by one or more common features.

Functional region

A region organized around a central point.

Perceptual/vernacular region

A region based on how humans perceive it to exist.

Globalization

The process by which humans are becoming more connected through modern communication and technology.

Time-space compression

The concept that humans can now travel larger distances over shorter time periods due to technological advancements.

Scale of analysis

The level at which geospatial data is analyzed: global, regional, national, and local.

Ecumene

The portion of Earth occupied by permanent human settlement.

Carrying capacity

The ability of a location to support human life.

Arithmetic density

The number of people in an area.

Physiological density

The number of people per unit of arable land.

Agricultural density

The number of farmers per unit of arable land.

Demography

The statistical study of human populations.

Natural increase rate (NIR)

The rate used to explain population growth, calculated by subtracting deaths from births.

Crude birth and death rate (CBR and CDR)

The number of people who are born or die per 1,000 people.

Infant mortality rate (IMR)

The number of deaths per 1,000 live births.

Sex ratio

The ratio of males to females in a given population.

Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

A five-stage model that explains the causes and consequences of various demographic conditions.

Population pyramid

A tool that shows the age and sex breakdown of a specific population.

Dependency ratio

The ratio of non-workers to workers.

Pro-natalist policies

Policies that encourage more births.

Anti-natalist policies

Policies that discourage births.

Migration

A permanent move to a new location.

Push factors

Factors that cause someone to move or emigrate.

Pull factors

Factors that attract someone to a new location or immigrate.

Intervening obstacle

Something that prevents migration.

Forced migration

Migration that occurs when the migrant is forced to leave, fearing loss of life.

Culture

The collection of beliefs and artifacts that represent values and social institutions.

Material culture

Concrete artifacts that represent values and social institutions.

Non-Material culture

Abstract beliefs and ideals that represent values and social institutions.

Folk Culture

Culture typical of isolated, homogenous communities.

Popular Culture

Culture seen in large, heterogenous societies with access to modern communication and technology.

Cultural Landscape

The imprint humans place on their environment, which is the combination of human activities.

Diffusion

The spread of ideas, behaviors, and information.

Syncretism

When a group combines elements of different cultures to forge a new cultural idea.

Cultural convergence

The tendency for cultures to become more and more similar over time.

Cultural divergence

When cultures become less and less similar over time.

Acculturation

When an ethnic group moves to a new location and adopts both cultures.

Assimilation

Occurs when the migratory group no longer resembles the culture they left and resembles the culture they entered.

Multiculturalism

Created when various cultures co-exist.

Nativism

The belief that foreign cultures should be excluded from the accepted cultural beliefs and expressions of a society.

Dialect

A regional variety of a language.

Isogloss

The boundary between linguistic differences.

Lingua franca

A third language used when speakers of different languages communicate.

Ethnic religion

A religion related to a particular ethnicity.

Universalizing religion

A religion that attempts to appeal to all people, regardless of ethnicity.

Fundamentalism

Strict interpretation of a religion’s holy text.

Conservatism

Belief in the holy text with some human interpretation.

Liberalism

Belief with higher degrees of human interpretation of a holy text.

State

Refers to an independent country.

Sovereignty

Total control over a state's foreign and domestic affairs.

Nation

A group of people who share similar cultural characteristics, such as heritage, traditions, and beliefs.

Self-determination

The belief that ethnicities should have their own state.

Stateless nation

A nation that does not have its own state.

Nation-state

When a nation corresponds to the boundaries of a state.

Multi-state nation

A nation that covers more than one state.

Multi-national state

A state with multiple nations.

Autonomous and semi-autonomous regions

Political units that have some degree of self-rule but not total sovereignty.

Geopolitics

The relationship between geography and international politics.

Relic boundaries

Boundaries that no longer serve to separate space but are still part of the cultural landscape.

Subsequent boundaries

Boundaries that are drawn in response to cultural or economic differences.

Antecedent boundaries

Boundaries used to separate space before significant human settlement.

Physical boundaries

Boundaries that follow physical features of Earth’s surface.

Geometric boundaries

Straight lines drawn by humans that serve as boundaries.

Superimposed boundaries

Boundaries drawn by outside forces and placed on top of pre-existing boundaries.

Territoriality

The connection of human activities to land.

Unitary states

States that place power in the central government.

Federal states

States that divide power between the central and small sub-unit governments.

Gerrymandering

Redrawing legislative boundaries to give an advantage to a political group.

Devolution

Occurs when political powers are transferred from central governments to sub-unit governments.

Irredentism

A desire to unite a common cultural group that is divided by political boundaries.

Sub-nationalism

Feelings of pride and loyalty to a particular sub-national group.

Balkanization

The fragmentation of a state along cultural lines.

Supranationalism

Occurs when three or more countries create an alliance, giving up some local power to the collective.

Centripetal forces

Forces that bring people together and create a sense of unity.

Centrifugal forces

Forces that drive people apart and create division.

Agriculture

The intentional modification of Earth to raise animals or crops.

Commercial agriculture

Farming for profit.

Subsistence agriculture

Farming primarily to feed the farmer's family.

Intensive agriculture

Agriculture involving more cost per space when land is scarce or expensive.

Extensive agriculture

Agriculture using less cost per space when land is plentiful or inexpensive.

Market gardening

The growing of fruits and vegetables.

Mixed crop & livestock farming

An integrated system of growing crops and raising animals.

Plantations

Large farms that specialize in the growing of one crop.

Nomadic herding

The herding of animals in places unable to grow crops.

Transhumance

The seasonal migration of nomadic herders from highlands in summer to lowlands in winter.