ap human geography concepts

choropleth map

thematic map that uses colors or shading to represent quantifiable data

dot map

thematic map that uses dots representing value in its approximate location

graduated symbol map

thematic map that uses symbols proportional in size to the actual value of the data

isoline map

thematic maps that connects areas of equal value with lines

absolute location

describes the location of a place in terms of characteristics that never change

relative location

the location of a place in relation to other places

site

the physical characteristics of a place

situation

the location of a place in relation to its surroundings

clustered

agglomeration, grouped, nucleated, clumped, concentrated

dispersed

distributed, scattered, spread out

uniform

evenly spaced

random

no disconcernable pattern

latitude

the numbering system used to indicate the location of parallels drawn on the globe from west to east

longitude

the numbering system used to indicate the location of meridians drawn on the globe from north to south

map projection

takes the spherical shapes of the earth and displays it on a flat surface

distortions

shape, size, direction, distance, location

smaller scale

map with more land area and less detail

larger scale

map with less land area and more detail

conformal projections

preserve shapes of land features at the expense of distorting their true size

equal-area projections

distort oceans to preserve size of the landmasses

mercator projection

preserves shapes but distorts size

galls-peter projection

preserves size but distorts shape

robinson projection

preserves size and shapes of continents but distorts polar areas

goodes projection

interrupted projection which removes much of the oceans to preserve size and shape of land masses

geographic information systems (GIS)

a computer system that collects, stores, analyzes, and displays geographic data in layers

remote sensing

information gathered from satellites orbiting the earth

distance decay

the farther away one place is from another, the less interaction they will have with each other

time-space compression

the reduction of time it takes for something to get from one place to another

flow

how different places interact

globalization

the process where something goes worldwide

sustainability

actions that provide immediate benefits while also preserving resources for future use

land use

changing the earth's surface for a specific purpose

environmental determinism

outdated and simplistic concept that claims physical environment determines cultural attributes of human societies

possibilism

newer concept that claims physical environment does still shape our way of life to a certain extent, but humans have technologies to overcome physical limitations

scales of anaylsis

local: community/neighborhood
national: country/nation
regional: parts of a country or parts of the world
global: world

region

an area distinguished by a unique combination of trends or features

formal region

regions where there is a unifying physical or human characteristic

functional/nodal region

regions organized around a center of activity

perceptual/vernacular region

regions defined differently by each person's own perceptions

ecumene

the portion of earth's surface occupied by permanent human settlement

carrying capacity

the maximum number of people who can be sustained by the geography of an area

density

the number of people in a space

arithmetic density

the number of people per square mile or per square kilometer

physiological density

the number of people per unit of arable land

agricultural density

the number of farmers per unit of arable land

distribution

the spatial spread of people in a space

concentration

the extent of a feature's spread over space

age structure

the proportion of the total population in each age group

sex ratios

the number of males per 100 females in a population

population pyramids/age-sex structures

a bar graph representing the distribution of population by age and sex

crude birth rate (CBR)

the total number of live births in an area for every 1,000 people alive

total fertiliy rate (TFR)

the average number of children a woman will have in her childbearing years

crude death rate (CDR)

the total number of deaths in one year per 1,000 people

infant mortality rate (IMR)

how many babies under one year of age die in each year compared to live births

natural increase rate (NRI)

the percentage growth of a population in a year (CBR-CDR)

population doubling time

the number of years needed to double a population

demographic transition model (DTM)

stage 1: low growth
stage 2: high growth
stage 3: moderate growth
stage 4: low growth
stage 5: negative growth

endemic

disease that stays local

epidemic

disease that spreads through a region

pandemic

disease that spreads through regions

epidemiological transition model

stage 1: pestilence and famine
stage 2: receding pandemics
stage 3: degenerative diseases
stage 4: delayed degenerative and lifestyle diseases
stage 5: reemergence of infectious disease

thomas malthus

german economist who first raised alarm that population growth would outpace food production

neo-malthusians

people who still ascribe to mathus' ideas

natal

relates to the time and place of one's birth

pro-natalist policies

seek to promote births

anti-natalist policies

seek to restrict births

ravenstein's laws of migration 1

gender patterns: women are more likely to move internally within a country and most international migrants are young males

ravenstein's laws of migration 2

youth and migration: most migrants are young adults seeking employment

ravenstein's laws of migration 3

short distances: people typically only move as far as they must

ravenstein's laws of migration 4

steps: when migrants travel far distances they typically do so in steps

ravenstein's laws of migration 5

countermigration: each migration flow in one direction will produce a counter flow in the opposite direction

ravenstein's laws of migration 6

rural to urban: the most prominent migration pattern historically and globally today

ravenstein's laws of migration 7

urban areas: cities are places of opportunity and migrants that move long distances will typically go to large urban areas

gravity model

hypothesis that more people will be attracted to large cities even if they are far away

dependacy ratio

the number of people who are under 15 or over 65

census designated place

unincorporated area outside a county's jurisdiction

push factors

negative situations, events, or conditions in a place where a person currently lives that causes them to want to leave

pull factors

positive situations, events, or conditions in a place that draw people to a new destination

intervening obstacle

negative circumstances or features that hinder migration

intervening opportunity

positive circumstances or features that hinder migration

immigrants

people entering a country or other political subdivision

emigrants

people leaving a country or other political subdivision

refugee

a person who is forced to migrate to a different country because of a negative situation

asylum seekers

refugees who seek protection from another country

internally displaced persons (IDP)

a person who is forced to migrate because of a negative situation but does not cross international borders

quotas

limits on the number of immigrants admitted from certain countries

transnational migration

when migrants leave their country of origin and enter another country

transhumance

migration where livestock are led to highland areas in summer months and lowland areas in winter months

internal migration

permanent move within a country

interregional migration

migration from one region to another

intraregional

movement within a region

chain migration

migration where there is some type of relationship with a previous migrant

step migration

where there is a series of starts and stops during the migration journey

guest workers

temporary migrants who often have legal permission to migrate for work or education

brain drain

large scale emigration by talented people

forced migration

migrations where people have no choice but to leave

voluntary migration

migrations due to attractive conditions in the receiving country

culture

the shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors transmitted by a society

cultural hearth

a place where an idea, innovation, or civilization was born

material culture

made up of things people make and often give value to