Vocab 5 APHG

Arithmetic population density

The total number of people divided by the total land area.

Physiological population density

The number of people per unit area of arable land.

Agricultural population density

The number of farmers per unit area of arable land.

Vectored disease

A disease transmitted through a vector, such as an insect.

Non-vectored disease

A disease that is not transmitted through a vector; typically spread through direct contact.

AIDS

A chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Malaria

A life-threatening disease caused by parasites transmitted to people through the bites of infected female mosquitoes.

Brain drain

The emigration of highly trained or qualified people from a particular country.

Forced migrant

A person who is compelled to leave their home due to conflict, persecution, or natural disaster.

Refugee

A person who flees their country due to persecution or war.

Asylum

Protection granted to individuals in a foreign country because of persecution in their home country.

Ravenstein’s laws of migration

A set of principles that describe patterns of human migration.

Intervening obstacles

Factors that hinder migration, such as physical barriers or laws.

Intervening opportunities

Positive factors that spur migration to a particular location.

Ethnocentrism (Eurocentrism)

The belief that one's own culture is superior to others, often judging other cultures by the standards of one's own.

Cultural relativity

The practice of assessing a culture by its own standards rather than viewing it through the lens of another culture.

Animism

The belief that objects, places, and creatures possess a spiritual essence.

Cultural taboo

A social or religious custom prohibiting a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place, or thing.

Language family

A group of languages with a common ancestor.

Language

A system of communication used by a particular community or country.

Dialect

A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary.

Isogloss

A geographic boundary within which a particular linguistic feature occurs.

Mutual intelligibility

The ability of speakers of different but related languages to understand each other.

Desertification

The process by which fertile land becomes desert as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

Sahel

A semi-arid region in Africa that lies between the Sahara Desert to the north and the wetter savannas to the south.

Shifting cultivation

An agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily and then abandoned.

Pastoral nomadism

A form of subsistence agriculture where people depend on domesticated livestock.

Plantation agriculture

A type of commercial farming that specializes in the production of one or two crops for sale.

Commodity dependence

An economic condition where a country relies heavily on the export of one or two commodities.

Commodity chain

The series of steps involved in the production and distribution of a commodity.

Fair trade

A trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency, and respect, aimed at achieving greater equity in international trade.

African city model

A model that describes urban structures and socio-economic dynamics in African cities.

Island of development

A place within a region that is purposely developed to attract foreign investment.

Residential segregation

The separation of different racial or ethnic groups into different neighborhoods.

Redlining

A discriminatory practice of denying services to residents of certain areas based on the racial composition.

Blockbusting

A practice in which real estate agents induce panic selling by homeowners, leading to neighborhood changes.

Formal economy

The part of the economy that is monitored and regulated by the government.

Informal economy

The part of the economy that is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government.

Sustainability

The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level without depleting resources.

Gini coefficient

A measure of income inequality within a population, ranging from 0 (perfect equality) to 1 (perfect inequality).

Rostow model

A model that outlines the stages of economic growth a country goes through as it develops.

World systems theory

A social theory that emphasizes the world system, rather than nation-states, as the primary unit of social analysis.

Dependency theory

A theory that suggests that resources flow from periphery countries to core countries, causing dependency.

Core

The central countries in a world economy, typically the most economically developed.

Periphery

Countries that are less developed and often exploited for their resources by core countries.

Semi-periphery

Countries that are in between core and periphery; they are developing but not as advanced as core countries.

Structural adjustment program

Economic policies imposed on less developed countries by international financial institutions as a condition for receiving loans.

Globalization

The process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence.

Berlin Conference

A meeting in 1884-1885 where European powers divided Africa among themselves without consideration of indigenous cultures.

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization or military force.

Territorial morphology

The study of the shape, size, and configuration of countries or regions.

Compact state

A state whose territory is relatively uniform in shape.

Prorupted state

A state that has a large extension of territory protruding from its main body.

Elongated state

A state whose territory is long and narrow.

Fragmented state

A state that is composed of several disconnected pieces of territory.

Perforated state

A state that completely surrounds another state.

Enclave

A territory or part of a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of another state.

Exclave

A part of a country that is separated from the main part and surrounded by foreign territory.

Landlocked state

A state that does not have any coastline or direct access to the ocean.

Failed state

A state with weak institutions and a lack of effective governance.

African Union

A continental union consisting of 55 African countries, founded in 2001.

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

A regional group of 15 West African countries established to promote economic integration.

Self-determination

The right of people to determine their own political status.

Neocolonialism

The use of economic, political, and cultural pressures to control or influence other countries.

Apartheid

A policy of segregation and discrimination on grounds of race that was enforced in South Africa.