Human Geography

Flashcards for Geography Lecture Review

Population density

The number of people living per square kilometre.

Crude birth rate

The number of live births per 1,000 people per year.

Crude death rate

The number of deaths per 1,000 people per year.

Natural increase

The difference between the birth rate and death rate.

Fertility rate

The average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime.

Infant mortality rate

The number of children who die before their first birthday per 1,000 live births.

Life expectancy

The average number of years a person is expected to live.

Dependency ratio

The proportion of dependents (under 15 and over 64) compared to the working-age population.

Ageing population

A population with a rising average age due to low birth rates and longer life expectancy.

Youthful population

A population with a high proportion of young people due to high birth rates.

Overpopulation

When there are too many people for the resources available.

Underpopulation

When there are not enough people to use the available resources efficiently.

Optimum population

The ideal number of people for the available resources.

Push factor

A negative reason that causes people to leave an area (e.g. war, unemployment).

Pull factor

A positive reason that attracts people to a new area (e.g. jobs, safety).

Economic migrant

A person who moves to find better job opportunities.

Refugee

A person who has been forced to leave their country due to war, persecution, or disaster.

Voluntary migration

When a person chooses to move for personal or economic reasons.

Forced migration

When a person has no choice but to move due to conflict or natural disaster.

Step migration

Migration that occurs in stages, often rural to town to city.

Relay migration

Different people take turns doing temporary migration to support their family/financial support

Impelled migration

Migration due to pressure but not forced, e.g. poverty or cultural tension. People “feel” the need to move.

Rural-urban migration

Movement of people from the countryside to cities.

Urban Growth

Increase in number of people living in urban area.

Urbanisation

Increase in proportion of people living in urban area.

Counter-urbanisation

Movement of people from cities back to rural areas.

Settlement

A place where people live.

Dispersed settlement

Homes spread out across the countryside.

Nucleated settlement

Homes grouped together, often around a feature like a church or road.

Linear settlement

Buildings arranged in a line, usually along a road or river.

Sphere of influence

The area served by a settlement, especially for goods and services.

Low-order goods

Everyday items bought frequently (e.g. bread, milk).

High-order goods

Expensive items bought less frequently (e.g. furniture, electronics).

Threshold population

The minimum number of people needed to support a service.

Range (of a good)

The maximum distance people are willing to travel for a good or service.

Urban sprawl

uncontrolled expansion of cities into surrounding rural land.

Reurbanisation

Movement of people back into city centres after regeneration.

Gentrification

The improvement of an area by middle-class residents, often increasing property prices.

CBD

Central Business District. The commercial and business centre of a city.

Suburb

Residential areas on the outskirts of a city.

Shanty town

Poorly built housing on the edges of cities, often without proper infrastructure.

Land use zoning

Dividing urban land into areas for specific uses (e.g. residential, industrial).

Sustainable city

A city designed with environmental, economic, and social sustainability in mind.

Population pyramid

A graph that shows age and sex distribution of a population.

One-child policy (China)

Government policy to limit population growth by restricting most families to one child.

Pro-natalist policy

A policy that encourages people to have more children.

Anti-natalist policy

A policy that discourages people from having many children.

Brain drain

The emigration of highly skilled workers from a country.

Remittances

Money sent back home by migrants working abroad.

Chain migration

When migrants from the same area follow each other to a new place.

Urban regeneration

city or town area that has become run-down or outdated is improved or redeveloped.

Demographic transition model (DTM)

A model showing how birth and death rates change over time as a country develops.

Population structure

The composition of a population in terms of age and gender.

Carrying capacity

The maximum population size that an environment can sustain.

Net migration

The difference between immigration and emigration.

Constraints

A factor that hinders migration (e.g. visa laws, distance, language).

Asylum seeker

A person who applies for protection in another country due to danger in their home country.

Mega city

A city with a population over 10 million.

World city

A city that is a major centre for finance, trade, and culture on a global scale.

Urban heat island

Urban areas that are significantly warmer than rural areas due to human activity.

Primate city

A city that is significantly larger and more influential than any other in the country.

International Migration

Migration crossing an international border for more than one year.

Internal Migration

moving from one place to another inside a country

Migration Stream

The common route that migrants take to get from a source to a destination

Counter Stream

the reverse of the migration stream, as people return home

Greenbelt

area of open land retained around a city, where development is restricted

Food security

When all people have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food at all times

Food Shortages

When the supply of food is insufficient to meet the population’s needs.

Famine

extreme shortage of food causing widespread hunger, malnutrition, and death.

Green revolution

a period of increased agricultural production due to the use of new technology, high-yield crops, and fertilizers.

Industrialization

the growth of manufacturing and industry in an area, often leading to urbanisation and economic development.