AP Human Geo Unit 3

Key Terms

Culture

is the shared beliefs and behaviors of a group that shape how people live and interact.

Cultural Landscape

is what humans build or change in the environment, such as farms, buildings, and roads.

Syncretic culture

forms when two cultures blend their traditions into something new.

Diffusion

is the spread of ideas from one place to another.

Non-rhotic

 speech does not pronounce the “r” at the end of words.

The built environment

is all human-made structures around us, like houses and cities.

Relocation diffusion

happens when people move and bring their ideas with them.

Cape Cods

is a simple New England house design with steep roofs and a central chimney.

Georgians

is a formal style with symmetry, columns, and decorative details.

Tudors

houses have steep roofs and half-timber designs inspired by old English architecture.

Painted Ladies

are colorful Victorian houses in San Francisco known for their decoration.

Basilicas

is a large rectangular church with a central aisle and side aisles.

Onion domes

are rounded, colorful domes found in Russian Orthodox churches.

Pagoda

is a tiered tower used for religious purposes in East Asia.

Stupa

is a dome-shaped Buddhist monument holding sacred relics.

Art deco

is a 1930s style that uses geometric shapes and bold patterns.

Frank Lloyd Wright

was an American architect known for using natural light and flowing spaces.

Dialect

is a regional form of a language with unique pronunciation and vocabulary.

Slang

is informal language used casually by certain groups.

Pidgin

is a simple language used for communication between people who speak different languages.

Patois

is a rural or local dialect combining several languages.

Anatolian Theory

says Indo-European languages began in Anatolia and spread with farming.

Kurgan Theory

says Indo-European languages spread from Central Asia through migration and conquest.

Language isolate

has no known connection to other languages.

Haute Cuisine

is high-end French cooking with elaborate dishes.

Fusion Cuisine

mixes cooking styles from different cultures to create new dishes.

Columbian Exchange

was the transfer of plants, animals, and goods between the Americas and Europe.

Halal

refers to foods and practices allowed under Islamic law.

Kosher

describes foods prepared according to Jewish religious rules.

Folk music

is traditional music passed down through generations.

Musical acculturation

is when new music blends with older musical traditions.

Sericulture

is raising silkworms to make silk.

Modesty

means dressing in a way that avoids drawing attention.

Religon

is a belief system about morality, existence, and divine power.

Universal Religion

seeks followers from all backgrounds.

Ethnic Religion

is tied to one group and does not seek converts.

Organized Religion

has structured teachings, leaders, and rules

Fundamentalists

follow strict and literal interpretations of religious texts.

Monotheistic

religions that believe in one god

Polytheistic

religions that believe in multiple gods.

Scriptures

are sacred writings that guide religious beliefs.

Animism

is the belief that natural objects and forces have spiritual power.

voodoo

is an African-based religion blended with Catholic traditions in the Americas.

Hinduism

is an ancient Indian religion that does not seek converts.

Vedic tradition

is the early foundation of Hinduism and led to Buddhism and Jainism.

Abrahamic tradition

includes Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all tracing back to Abraham.

Zoroastrianism

is an ancient monotheistic religion from Persia centered on the god Ahura Mazda.

Vedas

are the oldest sacred texts of the Hindu tradition.

Reincarnation

is the belief that the soul is reborn into new bodies.

Caste system

divides society into hereditary social groups.

Jainism

is a non-violent religion from India that teaches spiritual discipline

Tirthankaras

are spiritual leaders in Jainism

Siddhartha Gautama

or the Buddha, founded Buddhism.

Four Noble Truths

explain suffering, its cause, and how to end it.

Eightfold Path

gives instructions for moral and mindful living.

Nirvana

is freedom from suffering and the cycle of rebirth.

Ashoka

was a Mauryan emperor who supported Buddhism and non-violence.

Abraham

is the founder of Judaism and an ancestor of the Abrahamic faiths.

Hebrew

is the ancient religious language of Judaism.

Aramaic

was a common language of the Middle East during Jesus’ time.

Torah

is Judaism’s sacred text and part of the Christian Old Testament.

Jesus

founded Christianity and his teachings inspired a new religion.

Gospels

describe Jesus’ life and form the New Testament.

St. Paul

spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.

Emperor Constantine

made Christianity legal in the Roman Empire.

Council of Nicea

defined core Christian beliefs.

Dionysius Exiguus

Dionysius created the BC/AD dating system.

1054 schism

divided Christianity into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox.

Protestant Reformation

created new Christian denominations that broke away from the Catholic Church.

Mohammad

Found Islam in the 7th century

Quran

holy book of Islam

Jizya

is a tax non-Muslims paid under Islamic rule.

Golden Age of Islam

A period of major scientific and cultural achievements in the Islamic world.

Parsis

are Zoroastrians who moved to India to escape persecution.

Christendom

refers to all Christian-majority societies.

Secularism

separates religion from government.

Laicité

is France’s strict form of secularism banning religion from state spaces.

Hijabs

are headscarves worn by Muslim women for modesty.

Sant Jordi

A Catalan holiday where people exchange books and roses.

Slava

Serbian Orthodox celebration of a family’s patron saint.

Confessionalism

A political system dividing power based on religious groups.

Shariah

is Islamic law based on the Quran and teachings of Muhammad.

Taliban

is a fundamentalist group governing Afghanistan under strict Shariah.

Ramadan

is a month of fasting and prayer in Isla

Sectarian Violence

violence is conflict between religious groups.

Folklore

is traditional stories passed down in a culture.

Archetypes

are common symbols or characters found in many stories.

Mythology

collection of muths of a culture

Epic of Gilgamesh

is the oldest known story from Mesopotamia.

Homer

was a Greek poet who wrote the Iliad and Odyssey.

Sagas

are long stories about heroic or legendary events.

Beowulf

is an early English epic about a hero fighting monsters.

Ramayana

is an Indian epic about Prince Rama rescuing his wife Sita.

Grimms Brothers

collected and wrote German folktales.

Hans Christian Andersen

wrote famous fairy tales like The Little Mermaid.

Joel Chandler Harris

Harris wrote African American folktales such as Uncle Remus.

Feudalism

was a medieval system where nobles controlled land in exchange for loyalty.

Serfdom

forced peasants to work for landowners in return for protection.