AP Human Geography Vocab

Density

The measurement of how concentrated a phenomenon in a specific area is.

Distribution

The way a phenomenon is spread out or arranged over a specific geographic area.

Arithmetic Density

The total number of people divided by the total amount of land in an area.

Physiological Density

The number of people divided by the amount of sustainable land.

Agricultural Density

The number of farmers divided by unit area of arable land.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum number that an environment can sustain.

Demography

The scientific study of human populations and changed over time.

Overpopulation

The carrying capacity of an area is exceeded and can no longer sustain the species.

Population Pyramid

A type of graph that shows the number or percentage of people in different age groups, divided by sex (male and female), in a population

Age Cohorts

Groups of people who are the same age or within the same age range

Baby Boom

A period of significantly increased birth rates

Baby Bust

Period when birth rates drop significantly and stay lower than usual for a while, it often follows a baby boom

Echo

Refers to a second rise in birth rates that happens when the children of a previous baby boom generation start having kids of their own

Potential Workforce

Refers to the part of the population that is able and likely to work, usually based on age

Dependency Ratio

the ratio of the population that is not in the labor force (under 15 and over 64) to the working-age population (15-64)

Mortality

The relative frequency of deaths in a population

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)

The number of deaths of infants under the age of one per 1,000 live births in a given year

Child Mortality Rate

The probability of a child dying between birth and their fifth birthday, expressed per 1,000 live births

Life Expectancy

The average number of years an individual is expected to live, based on the mortality rates of a population

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

The total number of deaths in a year for every 1,000 people in a population, calculated by dividing the total number of deaths by the total population and multiplying by 1,000

Fertility

The ability of a population to reproduce

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

The average number of children a woman would have in her lifetime if she experienced the current age-specific fertility rates throughout her reproductive years

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

The total number of live births in a year for every 1,000 people in a population

Natural Increase Rate (NIR/RNI)

The percentage growth of a population in a year, calculated by subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate

Emigration

The act of a person leaving their country of origin to settle in another country driven by pushed factors

Immigration

The movement of people into a new country or region to settle permanently, often influenced by pull factors

Population Doubling Time

The number of years it takes for a population to double in size, assuming a constant rate of natural increase

Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

A theoretical framework that explains how a country's population changes as it develops from an pre-industrial to an industrial society

Demographic Balancing Equation

A formula used in AP Human Geography to calculate population change over a specific period

Demographic Momentum

The tendency for a population to continue growing even after fertility rates have declined to or below replacement level, due to a large number of young people entering their reproductive years

Epidemiological Transition Model (ETM)

A theory in human geography that describes the historical changes in disease patterns and causes of death as populations transition from developing to developed status

Malthusian Theory

The idea that population growth will inevitably outpace the growth of food supply, leading to inevitable crises like famine and disease

Boserup Theory

Population growth drives agricultural innovation, forcing societies to adopt more intensive farming methods to increase food production, rather than being limited by food supply

Neo-Malthusian Theory

A modern adaptation of Thomas Malthus's ideas that states the current global population can outstrip the planet's resources, leading to social and environmental crises like famine, resource depletion, and pollution

Pronatalist Policy

A government strategy designed to encourage a higher birth rate and population growth, often to counteract an aging population or declining workforce

Anti-Natalist Policy

A government strategy aimed at discouraging childbirth and slowing population growth

Ravenstein’s Laws of Migration

A series of principles formulated in the 19th century that describe common patterns of human migration, including that most moves are short-distance, often between rural and urban areas, and are motivated by economic factors

Gravity Model

A theory that states that the interaction between two places is directly related to their population sizes and inversely related to the distance between them.

Counter Migration

A migration movement in the opposite direction of an earlier one, or a return movement back to a place of origin

Aging Population

An aging population is a demographic trend where a country's population has a higher percentage of elderly people (65+)due to factors like declining birth rates and increased life expectancy.

Migration

A form of relocation diffusion that involves a permanent move to a new location

Net Migration

The difference between the level of immigration and the level of emigration

Push Factors

Negative conditions or circumstances that drive people to leave their home country or region

Pull Factor

Positive conditions or attributes in a destination that attract people to migrate there

Intervening Obstacles

An environmental or cultural feature of the landscape that hinders migration.

Intervening Oppurtunities

A positive factor that causes a migrant to settle in a location different from their original destination

Voluntary Migration

Permanent movement undertaken by choice

Involuntary/ Forced Migration

Permanent movement, compelled by cultural or environmental factors

International Migration

Permanent movement from one country to another

Internal Migration

Interregional Migration

Permanent movement from one region of a country to another

Intraregional Migration

Permanent movement within one region of a country

Refugee

Someone who is forced to migrate from his or her home country and cannot return for fear of persecution because of his or her race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group, or political opinion.

Asylum Seekers

Internal Displaced Person (IDP)

Someone who has been forced to migrate for similar political reasons as a refugee but has not migrated across an international border.

Transhumance/ Pastoral Nomadism/ Nomadic Herding

Transnational Migration

Chain Migration

Step Migration

Rural to Urban Migration

Guest Workers

A term once used for a worker who migrated to the developed countries of Northern and Western Europe in search of a higher-paying job.

Remittance

Transfer of money by worker to people in the country from which they emigrated.

Brain Drain

Zelinsky Migration Transition Model

Xenophobia

Ethic Enclaves

Reference Map

Thematic Map

Choropleth Map

Dot Density Map

Isoline Map

Gradutated Symbol Map

Cartogram Map

Absolute Location

Absolute Distance

Absolute Direction

Relative Location

Relative Direction

Relative Distance

Cartographic Scale

Geographic Scale

Scale of Analysis

Clustering

Dispersal

Elevation

Map Projection

Distortion

Census

Remote Sensing

Satellite Imagery

Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Field Observations

Landscape Analysis

Photographic Interpretation

Media Reports

Travel Narratives

Quantitative Data

Qualitative Data

Space