AP Human Geo Final

Cultural Hearth

A place where a culture originated and from which it spread to other cultures

Hierarchical diffusion

A type of cultural diffusion that occurs when ideas or innovations spread from influential people or places to less influential ones.

Diffusion

The spreading of something more widely

Contagious diffusion

The process by which cultural ideas or values spread rapidly from one person to another

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of cultural ideas and practices from one place to another. When people move from one place to another

Stimulus diffusion

Process where ideas or innovations spread from one culture to another and are adapted to the new culture’s location + values.

Folk culture

Cultural practices and products of small, isolated groups of people who live in rural areas.

Popular culture

A set of beliefs, values, actions, objects, or goods and practices that are popular at any given time and space in society.

Language family

A set of languages that originated from a common ancestor language.

Dialect

A particular from of language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group.

Indo-European language family

A group of languages that originated from a single, unrecorded language from 5,000 years ago.

Isogloss

A line on a dialect map marking the boundary between linguistic features

Official language

A language that’s legally designated by a government to be used in official government functions and communication.

Lingua franca

A language that’s adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different

Time-space convergence

The process by which the time it takes to travel between locations decreases due to technological and social advancement.

Folk religion

Believes that souls or spirits exist not only in humans but in animals, rocks, and other elements of the physical world.

Ethnic religion

Doesn’t seek converts and is associated with a particular ethnic group or tribe

Universalizing religion

A religion that actively seeks new members because they believe their message has universal importance and truth

Protestantism

The faith, practice, and church order of the Protestant churches

Roman Catholicism

The faith, practice, and church order of the Roman Catholic Church.

Denomination

A recognized autonomous branch of the Christian Church

Syncretism

The blending of cultural elements from different societies, creating a new cultural practice of belief system

Animism

A belief system where natural objects like plants, animals, rocks, and even rivers are believed to possess spirits or souls, essentially giving life and spiritual essence to the non-human world.

Ethnicity

Identity with a group of people with a common ancestry and cultural tradition

Race

Identity with a group of people with a perceive shared physical trait. (e.g. skin)

Nationality

Identity with a group of people who share legal attachment to a particular country

Ethnoburb

Suburban area with a cluster of a particular ethnic population

Segregation

Separation of people based on racial, ethnic, or other differences

Apartheid

The physical separation of different races into separate geographic areas

Ethnic enclave

A geographical area where a particular ethnic group is spatially clustered and socially economically distinct from the majority group.

Ethnic cleansing

The expulsion of a group from a certain area.

Genocide

The intentional destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, in whole or in part.

Culture

The shared practices, beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and material characteristics of a group of people.

Culture trait

A single, identifiable element or characteristic that’s part of a specific culture, such as a custom, belief, practice, or material item, which contributes to the overall identity of a cultural group.

Cultural relativism

The principle that an individual human’s beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individuals own culture.

Cultural landscape

The visible imprint of a culture on a geographic area.

Placemaking

A collaborative process by which we can shape our public realm in order to enhance a community’s sense of identity.

Globalization

The increasing connection of economic, cultural, and political characteristics across the world

Ethnocentrism

The tendency to judge other cultures based on the standards and beliefs of one’s own culture.

Absorbing barrier

Barriers that completely block the movement of diffusion

Permeable barrier

Barriers that weaken movement but still allow some diffusion

Balkanization

The process of a country or region breaking up into smaller, often hostile units.

Custom

The frequent repetition of an act, to the extent that it becomes characteristic of the group of people performing the act.

Christianity

a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as embodied in the New Testament, emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.

Islam

a monotheistic Abrahamic faith founded by the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century CE, characterized by the belief in one God (Allah) and the teachings of the Quran.

Buddhism

the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth.

Sikhism

the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in northern India in the 16th century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam

Hinduism

The main religion of India which includes the worship of many gods and the belief that after you die you return to life in a different form

Judaism

the world's oldest monotheistic religion. To be clear a monotheistic religion is a religion based on the belief that there is only one God.

Toponym

a name given to a place or geographic feature, often reflecting the culture, history, or characteristics of that location

Assimilation

the process through which individuals or groups from one culture adopt the customs, values, and behaviors of another culture, often leading to a loss of their original cultural identity.

Colonialism

the process by which one nation exercises near complete control over another country which they have settled and taken over

Trade

the exchange of goods and services between entities, which can include individuals, businesses, or countries

Indigenous community

groups of people who have historical ties to a particular territory and maintain distinct cultural practices, languages, and traditions that are different from those of the dominant society.

The Holocaust

(1933–1945) was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million European Jews by the Nazi German regime and its allies and collaborators