AP Human Geography Unit 2: Population & Migration

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to population distribution, composition, dynamics, migration, and demographic models as discussed in AP Human Geography Unit 2.

Ecumene

The portion of Earth's surface occupied by permanent human settlement.

Arithmetic Population Density

A method for calculating population density that measures the total number of people per unit of total land area.

Physiological Population Density

A method for calculating population density that measures the number of people per unit of arable (farmable) land.

Agricultural Population Density

A method for calculating population density that measures the number of farmers per unit of arable (farmable) land.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population size of a biological species that can be sustained indefinitely by its given environment, affected by population distribution and density's impact on environment and natural resources.

Population Pyramid

A graphical illustration that shows the distribution of various age groups and sex ratios in a population, used to assess population growth/decline and predict market for goods and services.

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

The average number of children a woman will have throughout her childbearing years, a key demographic factor in population growth and decline.

Mortality Rate

A measure of the number of deaths in a particular population, often expressed as the crude death rate.

Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

A model used to explain population change over time, showing a nation's population shifting from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates.

Epidemiological Transition

A phase of development witnessed by a sudden and marked increase in population growth rates brought about by medical innovation in disease or sickness therapy and treatment, explaining causes of changing death rates.

Malthusian Theory

A theory proposing that population growth will outpace food production due to exponential population increase versus linear food supply growth, used to analyze population change and its constituents.

Neomalthusian

Adherents to Malthusian theory who also advocate for population control programs to ensure resources for current and future populations.

Boserup's Theory

A theory positing that population growth drives agricultural innovation and intensification, stimulating rather than hindering food production.

Replacement Fertility (2.1)

The total fertility rate (TFR) required to replace the population from one generation to the next, often cited as 2.1 children per woman in developed countries.

Zero Population Growth (ZPG)

A state in which the crude birth rate equals the crude death rate, and immigration equals emigration, resulting in no net population increase.

Doubling Time

The number of years needed to double a population, assuming a constant rate of natural increase, used to explain population growth and decline.

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

The total number of live births per 1,000 population in a year.

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

The total number of deaths per 1,000 population in a year.

Natural Increase Rate (NIR)

The percentage by which a population grows in a year, calculated by subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate, used to explain population growth and decline.

Pro-natalist Policy

A type of population policy that promotes or encourages population growth by incentivizing births or larger families.

Anti-Natalist Policy

A type of population policy that discourages population growth, often through disincentives or restrictions on family size.

Emigration

The act of leaving one's own country to settle permanently in another; moving abroad.

Immigration

The action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country.

Ravenstein's 'Laws of Migration'

A set of generalizations about migration patterns, including principles such as most migration being short-distance and occurring in steps, and the importance of economic factors, influencing patterns of fertility, mortality, and migration.

'Graying'/Aging Population

A demographic trend characterized by an increasing proportion of older individuals in a population, determined by birth rates, death rates, and life expectancy.

Dependency Ratio

The number of people who are too old or too young to work compared to the number of people in their productive years, a consequence of an aging population.

Forced Migration

Migration in which individuals are compelled to move; includes slavery and events that produce refugees, internally displaced persons, and asylum seekers.

Refugees

People who are forced to migrate from their home country and cannot return for fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group, or political opinion, often resulting from forced migration.

Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)

People who have been forced to flee their homes but remain within their country's borders, often due to conflict, violence, or natural disasters, and are a result of forced migration.

Transhumance

A type of voluntary migration involving the seasonal movement of livestock, and the people who tend them, between mountain and lowland pastures.

Voluntary Migration

Migration that is based on one's free will and initiative, driven by perceived opportunities elsewhere, including transnational, transhumance, internal, chain, step, guest worker, and rural-to-urban types.

Transnational Migration

A type of voluntary migration where migrants maintain significant ties to their country of origin through regular contact, exchange of goods, and social networks.

Internal Migration

A type of voluntary migration occurring within the borders of a single country.

Chain Migration

A type of voluntary migration where individuals follow the migratory path of friends or family members to a new place.

Step Migration

A type of voluntary migration where a series of shorter, less extreme relocations are made, typically from rural areas to small towns, then to larger towns or cities.

Guest Worker

A type of voluntary migration where a person with temporary permission to work in another country, often to perform low-wage labor.

Rural-to-Urban Migration

A type of voluntary migration involving the movement of people from rural areas into urban areas, often for economic opportunities.

Migration Stream

A well-defined route or channel of migrants moving from one origin to a specific destination.

Migration Corridor

A geographical passage through which members of a specific species (or human migrants) repeatedly migrate.

Effects of Migration

The political, economic, and cultural impacts experienced by both the origin and destination regions due to the movement of people.

Diaspora

A scattered population whose origin lies in a separate geographic locale, often due to forced or voluntary migration, maintaining cultural ties to their homeland.

Brain Drain

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

Brain Gain

The immigration of highly trained or intelligent people into a particular country.

Brain Waste

The underutilization of immigrants' skills and education in their destination country.

Remittances

Money sent by migrants to family and friends in their country of origin, representing a significant economic effect of migration.

Visa Programs

Government initiatives that regulate and allow foreign nationals to enter and stay in a country for specific purposes, such as work, study, or tourism.

Undocumented Immigrant

A foreign-born person who does not possess a valid visa or other immigration documents, or who has overstayed their authorized period of stay.

Naturalization

The process by which a foreign citizen becomes a citizen of a new country, typically after fulfilling legal requirements like residency and language proficiency.