AP Human Unit 2

Vocab Test Study Material

Population Distribution

The spatial pattern of where people live across Earth's surface.

Population Density

The average number of people living within a specific unit of area (e.g., per square mile).

Arithmetic Density

The total number of people divided by the total land area.

Physiological Density

The total number of people divided by the total amount of arable land.

Arable Land

Land that is fertile and suitable for growing crops.

Agricultural Density

The total number of farmers divided by the total amount of arable land.

Infrastructure

The basic physical and organizational structures (e.g., roads, electricity, schools, hospitals) needed for a society to function.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population size that an environment's available resources can sustainably support without damage.

Population Pyramid

A bar graph showing a population's distribution by age groups and sex.

Baby Boom

A sudden, large increase in birth rates, typically following major historic crises like WWII.

Baby Bust

A sudden, noticeable drop in birth rates following a period of high fertility.

Baby Echo

A secondary surge in births caused by a previous boom generation reaching childbearing age.

Dependent Population

The portion of the population that is too young (under 15) or too old (over 65) to work.

Dependency Ratio

The ratio of the dependent population (under 15 and over 65) to the working-age population (ages 15–64).

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

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

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

The average number of children a woman will have during her childbearing years.

Life Expectancy

The average number of years a newborn infant can expect to live based on current mortality rates.

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)

The total number of deaths among infants under one year old per 1,000 live births annually.

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

The total number of deaths per year for every 1,000 people in a population.

Rate of Natural Increase (RNI)

The percentage growth of a population in a year, calculated as $\frac{\text{CBR} - \text{CDR}}{10}$ (excludes migration).

Doubling Time

The number of years needed for a population to double in size, assuming a constant growth rate.

Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

A model showing how a country's birth and death rates shift from high to low over time as it economically develops.

DTM Stage 1 (Low Growth)

High CBR and high CDR cancel each other out, leading to virtually no long-term population growth. (Ancient)

DTM Stage 2 (High Growth)

Rapidly declining CDR combined with a high CBR triggers explosive population growth. (LDC)

DTM Stage 3 (Moderate Growth)

Rapidly declining CBR and steadily declining CDR slow down the overall growth rate. (NIC)

DTM Stage 4 (Low Growth)

Low CBR and low CDR equalize, leading to Zero Population Growth (ZPG). (MDC)

DTM Stage 5 (Declining)

A very low CBR falls below a stable CDR, causing the total population to shrink. (Aging Population)

Demographic Momentum

The tendency for a population to continue growing even after fertility rates drop because of a large youthful cohort reaching childbearing age.

Epidemiological Transition Model (ETM)

A model tracing the distinctive causes of death and disease at each stage of the Demographic Transition Model.

ETM Stage 1 (Pestilence and Famine)

Widespread infectious diseases, epidemics, attacks by animals, and food shortages cause high mortality.

ETM Stage 2 (Receding Pandemics)

Improved sanitation, nutrition, and medicine reduce the spread of infectious diseases.

ETM Stage 3 (Degenerative & Human-Created Diseases)

A shift toward chronic diseases associated with aging, such as heart disease and cancer.

ETM Stage 4 (Delayed Degenerative Diseases)

Medical advancements extend life expectancy by delaying the onset of chronic diseases.

ETM Stage 5 (Reemergence of Infectious Diseases)

The return of infectious diseases due to evolution/resistance, poverty, and global travel connectivity.

Malthusian Theory

The theory stating that population grows exponentially while food production grows arithmetically, eventually leading to mass starvation.

Overpopulation

A condition where the number of people in an area exceeds the environment's capacity to support life sustainably.

Neo-Malthusianism

A contemporary viewpoint applying Malthus's warnings of exponential growth to broader resources, such as water, energy, and clean air.

Anti-Natalist Policies

Government programs designed to decrease the birth rate (e.g., China's former One-Child Policy).

Pro-Natalist Policies

Government programs designed to increase the birth rate by offering tax breaks, childcare subsidies, or extended parental leave.

Migration

A permanent or long-term move to a completely new location.

Push Factor

A negative condition or perception that drives people to leave their current location.

Pull Factor

A positive condition or perception that attracts people to move to a new location.

Immigration

Permanent movement into a specific country or location.

Emigration

Permanent movement out of a specific country or location.

Migration Transition Model

Wilbur Zelinsky's theory matching the types of human movement with a country's current DTM stage.

Intervening Obstacles

Negative environmental or political features that hinder or stop a migration journey.

Intervening Opportunities

Positive environmental or cultural features that cause migrants to settle before reaching their original destination.

Step Migration

Movement that occurs in a series of shorter, less dramatic stages rather than one single long journey.

Rural-to-Urban Migration

Permanent movement from countryside villages and farms to large urban centers and cities.

Counter Migration

The phenomenon where every major migration flow produces a smaller, opposite return flow.

Forced Migration

Permanent movement compelled by cultural, political, or environmental factors beyond an individual's control.

Internally Displaced Person (IDP)

Someone forced to flee their home who remains within their country's borders.

Refugee

Someone forced to cross international borders to escape war, persecution, or violence.

Asylum

Legal protection granted by a nation to a political refugee arriving at its borders.

Voluntary Migration

Permanent movement undertaken by choice, usually for economic advancement or a better quality of life.

Internal Migration

Permanent movement within the boundaries of a single nation-state.

Transnational Migration

Permanent movement from one nation-state across international borders to a different country.

Chain Migration

A process where individuals follow family members or people from their hometown to a new location.

Guest Workers

Foreign laborers allowed into a country temporarily to fill specific labor shortages.

Transhumance

A seasonal, cyclical movement of livestock and herders between high-altitude mountain pastures and low-altitude valleys.

Xenophobia

An intense, irrational fear or hatred of people from other countries or cultures.

Remittances

Money earned by migrants that they send back to their families in their home countries.

Brain Drain

The large-scale departure of highly skilled, educated, and talented individuals from developing nations to developed nations.

Ethnic Enclaves

Distinct neighborhoods or clusters within a city where a specific immigrant group maintains its cultural traits and businesses (e.g., Chinatown).