Unit 2 Population and Migration Essential Terms

Flashcards covering essential terms and concepts for AP Human Geography Unit 2: Population and Migration.

What is the geographic definition of climate?

The long-term pattern of atmospheric conditions—such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, and wind—in a specific region over decades or centuries, distinct from short-term daily weather.

What is a landform?

A natural physical feature on the Earth's surface.

What are water bodies in geography?

Significant natural accumulations of water—such as oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers—that appear as physical features on reference maps and serve as geographic anchors for human activity.

What is the definition of culture?

The shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors transmitted by a society.

How is economics defined in geographic terms?

The study of how people provide for themselves, how goods and services move across space, and the geographic patterns of global economic inequality.

How is history defined in geographic context?

The chronological process and changing context that explains why modern human, cultural, economic, and political patterns look the way they do today.

What is the focus of political geography?

The study of how political power, territory, borders, and identity are organized and expressed across space.

What does distribution refer to in geography?

The arrangement of a feature, such as people, cities, or resources, spread out across a specific geographic space.

How is arithmetic density calculated?

The total population of a region divided by its total land area.

How is physiological density calculated?

The total population of a region divided by its arable (farmable) land area.

How is agricultural density calculated?

The number of farmers per unit of arable (farmable) land.

What is carrying capacity?

The maximum number of people an area can support over a long time without damaging the environment or running out of essential resources.

What is a population pyramid?

A special type of double-sided bar graph that shows a country or region's population breakdown by age and sex.

What is a market in geography?

The geographic zone or catchment area from which a business, service, or city draws its customers.

What is demographics?

The scientific study of human populations, focusing on their size, composition, structure, and distribution across space.

How is fertility defined?

The actual reproductive output or number of live births produced in a population.

How is mortality defined?

The incidence or frequency of death within a population, typically measured as the crude death rate (CDR).

What is migration?

A permanent or long-term relocation of an individual or group from one place to another.

How is the Rate of Natural Increase calculated?

The percentage by which a population grows or shrinks in a year, calculated by subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate, without counting migration.

What is population-doubling time?

The number of years it takes for a population to double in size if its current growth rate remains constant.

What is the Demographic Transition Model?

A five-stage framework used to explain how a country's population changes from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates as it industrializes and develops economically.

What is the Epidemiological Transition model created by Abdel Omran?

A framework created by Abdel Omran that explains how the primary causes of death in a country shift from infectious diseases to chronic illnesses as the society develops economically.

What is Malthusian Theory?

The theory stating that population grows exponentially while food supply grows linearly, leading to inevitable resource scarcity and a population crash.

What are pronatalist policies?

Government programs and incentives designed to encourage citizens to have more children and raise the total fertility rate.