AP Human Geography Vocabulary

Age structure

The distribution of a population among different age groups.

Aging population

A population with an increasing proportion of elderly people.

Agricultural population density

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

Anti-natalist

An attitude or government policy that encourages lower birth rates and fewer children.

Arithmetic population density

The total population divided by the total land area.

Asylum seeker

A person who has fled their country and applied for protection in another country but has not yet received a decision.

Birth rate

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

Carrying capacity

The maximum population an environment can sustainably support with its available resources.

Chain migration

Migration in which people follow family members or others from their community who migrated earlier.

Contraception

Methods used to prevent pregnancy, which can influence birth rates and population growth.

Cultural factors

Beliefs, customs, traditions, and values that influence population patterns and migration decisions.

Death rate

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

Demographic

A statistical characteristic of a population, such as age, sex, income, or education.

Demographic transition model

A model that explains how birth rates, death rates, and population growth change as a country develops economically.

Economic factors

Financial conditions, employment opportunities, wages, and income that influence population patterns and migration.

Education

The process of learning and gaining knowledge and skills, which can influence fertility, employment, and migration.

Employment

Having paid work or a job; employment opportunities can attract migrants to a location.

Epidemiological transition

The shift in a population’s major causes of death from infectious diseases toward chronic and degenerative diseases as development occurs.

Fertility

The actual reproductive performance of a population, measured by the number of children born.

Fertility rate

The average number of children born per woman during her reproductive years, usually referring to the total fertility rate.

Forced migration

Movement in which people are compelled to leave their homes because of conflict, persecution, disasters, or other threats.

Guest worker

A person who temporarily moves to another country to work, often under a government employment program.

Healthcare

Medical services that prevent and treat illness and can improve life expectancy and reduce death rates.

Immigration

The movement of people into a country to establish residence.

Internal migration

Movement from one location to another within the same country.

Internally displaced person

A person forced to leave their home because of conflict, persecution, or disaster who remains within their own country’s borders.

Intervening obstacle

A barrier that makes migration difficult, such as physical geography, immigration laws, or travel costs.

Intervening opportunity

An opportunity closer to a migrant’s starting point that reduces or eliminates the need to travel to a farther destination.

Life expectancy

The average number of years a person is expected to live based on current mortality conditions.

Malthusian theory

Thomas Malthus’s theory that population grows faster than food production, potentially leading to shortages, famine, and other checks on population growth.

Market

A place or system where goods and services are exchanged; access to markets can influence settlement and economic activity.

Migration

The movement of people from one place to another, usually involving a change in residence.

Mortality

The occurrence or frequency of deaths within a population.

Physiological population density

The total population divided by the amount of arable (farmable) land.

Political factors

Government policies, wars, persecution, and political stability that influence population movement and settlement.

Population composition

The characteristics of a population, including age, sex, ethnicity, education, and other demographic traits.

Population density

The number of people living per unit of land area.

Population distribution

The pattern of where people live across a geographic area.

Population doubling time

The amount of time it takes for a population to double in size at its current growth rate.

Population pyramid

A graph showing the age and sex distribution of a population, usually with males on one side and females on the other.

Pronatalist

An attitude or government policy that encourages higher birth rates and having more children.

Pull factors

Conditions that attract people to a destination, such as jobs, safety, education, and better living conditions.

Push factors

Conditions that encourage people to leave a place, such as unemployment, conflict, persecution, or environmental disasters.

Rate of natural increase

The difference between the crude birth rate and crude death rate, excluding migration; usually expressed as a percentage.

Ravenstein’s laws of migration

Principles describing migration patterns, including that most migrants travel short distances, migration often occurs in stages, and economic opportunities are important motivations.

Refugee

A person who has fled their country because of persecution, conflict, or serious danger and qualifies for protection under the applicable legal definition.

Rural-to-urban migration

The movement of people from rural areas into cities, often for jobs, education, and services.

Sex ratio

The number of males compared with females in a population, commonly expressed as males per 100 females.

Slavery

A system in which people are treated as property and forced to work or live under another person’s control; historically, it has been a cause of forced migration.

Social factors

Family connections, community ties, quality of life, and access to services that influence population patterns and migration.

Step migration

Migration that occurs in stages, such as moving from a village to a small town and then to a large city.

Transhumance

The seasonal movement of livestock and herders between different grazing areas, often between lowlands and highlands.

Transnational

Extending across national borders; in migration, it describes people, activities, or connections that link two or more countries.

Voluntary migration

Migration in which people choose to move, often for employment, education, family, or a better quality of life.