Hildebrant, Human Geography for the AP Course, 2e, Unit 2

Anthropocene

The period in which human activities have had the dominant influence on the environment

demography

The statistical study of population and its change

population distribution

The pattern in which humans are spread out on Earth’s surface

Eurasia

A massive piece of land on Earth that consists of Europe, with less than 10 percent of the human population, and Asia, which accounts for just under 60 percent of humanity

ecumene

The portion of Earth’s surface with permanent human settlement

population clusters

Heavily populated areas that illustrate the unevenness in global population distribution; geographers have identified four __________ ________ on Earth: South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe

metacity

A city with more than 20 million residents

megacity

A city with more than 10 million residents

developed (or industrialized) country

A country with an advanced economy and a high standard of living

developing (or industrializing) country

A country that is of relatively low income or economically poorer than developed countries

Snow Belt

States located in the northern and midwestern parts of the United States

Sunbelt

States in coastal areas and the South and Southwest of the United States

mean center of population

The balancing point given the distribution of population

population density

The average number of people per unit of land area

arithmetic (crude) density

The average number of people per unit of land area (usually per square mile or kilometer)

physiological density

The average number of people per unit area (a square mile or kilometer) of arable land

arable land

Land suitable for cultivation

agricultural density

The number of farmers per unit of arable land

carrying capacity

The number of people a particular environment or Earth as a whole can support on a sustainable basis

human well-being

The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy

population composition

The makeup of the population by age and sex as well as by ethnic, racial, income, and educational background

age structure

Refers to the breakdown of a population into different age groups or cohorts

dependency ratio

The number of dependents in a population that every 100 working-age people (ages 15 to 64 years) must support

youth dependency ratio

The number of young dependents in a population (usually people younger than 15 years of age) that every 100 working-age people must support

elderly dependency ratio

The number of elderly dependents in a population (usually people older than 64 years of age) that every 100 working-age people must support

generations

Groups of people who were born around the same time and share some common traits due to the cultural and societal influences they shared as they grew up

Baby Boomers

People born from 1946 to 1964 during the post–World War II uptick in birth rate

Generation X

People born between 1965 and 1980 and who are now in their prime working years

Millennials

People who were born between 1981 and 1996

Generation Z

People born between 1997 and 2012

sex ratio

The ratio of the number of men to number of women in a population

androcentrism

A phenomenon in which a culture demonstrates a marked preference for males

infanticide

The practice of killing infants

population pyramid

A very useful graphic device for depicting the age and sex structure of a population

demographic equation

The method for calculating total population of a country or place based on natural increase and migration over a period of time (usually a year)

crude birth rate (CBR)

The average number of births per 1000 people; the traditional way of measuring birth rates

low birth rate

A crude birth rate between 10 and 20 births per 1000 people

transitional birth rate

A crude birth rate between 20 and 30 births per 1000 people

high birth rate

A crude birth rate of more than 30 per 1000 people

total fertility rate (TFR)

The average number of children born per woman during her reproductive lifetime, considered to be from 15 to 49 years of age

replacement level fertility

The average number of children needed to replace both parents and stabilize population over time

gender roles

Behaviors and attitudes associated with a particular gender based on cultural norms

crude death rate (CDR) or mortality rate

The number of deaths per year per 1000 people

infant mortality rate (IMR)

A measure of how many infants die within the first year of their life per 1000 live births

child mortality

Deaths of children under five years of age

rate of natural increase (RNI)

The difference between the number of births and deaths in a given year, when expressed as a percentage of total population

zero population growth

When a country has the same number of births and deaths in a given year, its rate of natural increase (RNI) is zero

doubling time

The number of years it takes for a population to double in size

rule of 70

A tool for calculating the doubling time of a population by dividing 70 by a country’s rate of natural increase (RNI)

demographic transition model (DTM)

How crude birth rate (CBR) and crude death rate (CDR) as well as the resulting rate of natural increase (RNI) change over time as countries go through industrialization and urbanization

demographic dividend

An economic benefit countries get when the share of their working-age population rises relative to children and elderly people

epidemiology

A branch of medicine that studies the distribution, determinants, and control of diseases and other health conditions, such as tobacco use and sedentary lifestyle

epidemiological transition theory

Seeks to explain how changes in health services and living standards affect patterns of disease

degenerative disease

A disease that causes deterioration over time, such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke

Malthusian

A term derived from the name Thomas Robert Malthus, an English economist and cleric, to mean either “of or relating to Malthus’s theory” or “a follower of Malthus”

Malthusian Trap

Population growth outpaces food production, leading to natural resource depletion, starvation, poverty, violence, and population decline

overpopulation

Occurs when the human population exceeds the food supply

neo-Malthusians

People who today subscribe to the Malthusian view of population

cornucopians or anti-Malthusians

People who reject the Malthusian view of population and resources

Boserup effect

Increase in food production resulting from the use of new farming methods

antinatalist policies

Policies designed to curtail population growth by reducing fertility rates

pronatalist policies

Policies designed to boost fertility rates and ultimately population growth

women's status

The degree of equality between men and women with respect to access to and control over both physical and social resources in the family, community, or society at large

women's empowerment

The increased autonomy of women to make choices and shape their lives

aging population

A population of a country or place that ages as the number or proportion of its elderly people increases

median age

The age that divides a population into two halves so that one half is younger than this age and the other half older

life expectancy

The number of years a person can expect to live from birth

spatial mobility

All forms of geographical movement, including people’s everyday commuting and travels

social (upward) mobility

Mobility that implies a change in social hierarchy

migration

The long-term or permanent relocation of individuals, families, or entire communities from one place to another

migrant (or mover)

A person who migrates or moves

non-migrant (or stayer)

A person who does not move

origin

A person’s location before migration

destination

The place where a migrant is going

out-migration (emigration)

The act of a migrant leaving their place (country) of origin

emigrant (or out-migrant)

A person who leaves their country (or place) of origin

immigration or in-migration

The act of a migrant arriving at their destination country

immigrant or in-migrant

A person who arrives at their destination country

migration stream

The flow of all migrants from an origin to a destination

counterstream

The flow of all migrants in the direction opposite a particular migration stream, from its destination back to the origin

net migration

The difference between the number of in-migrants and out-migrants

net migration rate (NMR)

A gauge of the impact of migration on population change, determined by dividing a country’s net migration by its total population, then multiplying by 1000

migration age profile

The relatively stable relationship between the odds of migration and age across different countries

brain drain

A phenomenon where a country or a place loses young, more educated, and skilled people through migration

brain gain

A phenomenon where a country or a place gains young, more educated, and skilled people through migration

push-pull theory of migration

Theory asserting that two contrasting sets of factors are at work in migration decisions

push factors

Factors that cause people to be dissatisfied with their present locales and want to move somewhere else

pull factors

The attributes of other places that make them appealing to potential migrants

intervening obstacle

A complication that potential migrants will need to overcome to reach their destination

social network

People’s friends and relatives

intervening opportunity

A nearby attractive locale where migrants may decide to settle instead of going to the intended destination farther away

voluntary migration

Migration that is done willingly

international migration

When moves are made across national borders

guest worker

A person with temporary permission to work in another country

transnational migration

When migrants move back and forth between their home countries and those to which they have migrated

internal or interregional migration

When people move within the borders of a country

Great Migration

The twentieth-century movement of 6 million African Americans from the rural southern states to the cities of the midwestern and northeastern states

rural-to-urban migration

When people move from the countryside to cities

residential mobility

Moves that occur within a metropolitan area

step (or stepwise) migration

Migration carried out in a series of stages, usually from nearby to bigger and more distant places