Midterm Vocab Definitions - AP HUGE

Dependency Ratio

A demographic metric comparing productive working citizens to non-productive individuals, including those under 16 and over 65.

High Dependency Ratio

Indicates a greater burden on the working population, potentially straining economic resources and social services.

Scale

The relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and the larger context of Earth itself, often depicted on maps.

Cartography

The scientific discipline of creating maps, using techniques to visualize spatial data and geographic information.

Formal Region

An area where inhabitants share distinct characteristics that are uniform across the region.

Functional Region

A region organized around a central node or focal point, characterized by connections and interactions.

Vernacular Region

An area perceived as part of cultural identity, often based on local folklore, traditions, and historical experiences.

GPS

Global Positioning System, a satellite-based navigation system that determines precise locations on Earth.

Remote Sensing

Gathering information about an area without direct contact, typically through satellite or aerial imaging.

Toponym

The name by which a particular geographical place is known, providing cultural and historical significance.

Spatial Analysis

Examining geographic patterns to identify relationships or phenomena within a specific area.

Ecumene

The portion of the Earth's surface occupied by permanent human settlement.

Colonialism

Dominance of one power over a subordinate people and their territory, causing significant social changes.

Taboo

Practices or behaviors forbidden by custom or religious beliefs, reflecting society's values.

Animists

Individuals who believe that natural objects and animals possess souls or spiritual essence.

Physiological Density

A demographic measure calculating the number of people per unit of arable land.

Agricultural Density

The ratio of farmers to arable land available in a region.

Arithmetic Density

Divides the total number of people in a given area by the total land area.

Total Fertility Rate

An estimate of the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her childbearing years.

Malthus' Theory

Population growth will outpace food production, leading to potential famine and resource scarcity.

Epidemiologic Transition

Shifts in health threats and disease patterns occurring as societies progress through demographic stages.

Suburbanization

The movement of populations from urban centers to rural-urban fringes, creating suburban communities.

Counter Urbanization

A trend where individuals relocate from urban to rural settings, influenced by lifestyle preferences.

Lingua Franca

A language used among speakers of different native languages for communication, especially in trade.

Kurgan Theory

Poses that Indo-European languages spread through nomadic horse-riding tribes from Central Asia.

Renfrew Theory

Proposes that Indo-European languages originate from early agricultural practices in the Fertile Crescent.

Isogloss

A geographic boundary delineating where a particular linguistic feature occurs.

Literary Tradition

Cultural practice of preserving and transmitting written language, distinct from oral traditions.

Creolized Language

Emerges from blending a colonizer's language with indigenous languages, creating a new linguistic system.

Custom

A long-established practice followed by a specific cultural group, reflecting their values and beliefs.

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

Calculates the total number of live births within a year per 1,000 individuals in a population.

Natural Increase Rate (NIR)

Measures the percentage growth of a population, calculated by subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate.

DTM Stage One

Characterized by high birth and death rates, resulting in little to no long-term natural increase.

DTM Stage Two

Represents an agricultural society with high birth rates and declining death rates due to improved food security.

DTM Stage Three

An industrialized society experiencing declining birth rates while death rates continue to fall.

DTM Stage Four

Describes tertiary societies where birth and death rates are nearly equal, resulting in minimal population growth.

DTM Possible Stage Five

Indicates societies with low birth rates and very low death rates, leading to a decline in natural increase.

Core Countries

Most advanced industrial nations that command the majority of global profits and trade relationships.

Periphery Countries

Least developed nations, often manipulated by core nations for resources and labor.

Cosmogony

Narratives concerning the creation and origin of the universe that shape cultural identity.

Stimulus Diffusion

Cultural spread where an underlying principle is accepted, but specific practices may be rejected.

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of ideas or practices as people move from one location to another.

Hierarchical Diffusion

Spread of a feature from key individuals or authoritative nodes to others.

Contagious Diffusion

Rapid and widespread dissemination of a feature across a population.

Berry's Acculturation Model

Framework for understanding immigrant responses to cultural integration: assimilation, integration, marginalization, separation.

Primary Sector

Economic sector involving direct extraction of materials from the Earth, primarily agriculture.

Secondary Sector

Focuses on manufacturing useful products through processing and transforming raw materials.

Tertiary Sector

Encompasses services rather than goods, often involving lower-level services.

Quaternary Sector

Includes jobs focusing on business services like trade, insurance, and banking.

Quinary Sector

Service industries requiring high levels of specialized knowledge or technical skill.

Brain Drain

Emigration of highly trained or intelligent people from a particular country.

Guest Workers

Legal immigrants possessing work visas, typically for short-term employment.

Irredentism

Policy aimed at reclaiming perceived lost territory of a group living in a neighboring country.

Devolution

Process whereby regions within a state gain political strength and autonomy at the expense of the central government.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Total market value of all final goods and services produced annually within an economy.

Gross National Income (GNI)

The value of the output of goods and services produced in a country, accounting for money entering and leaving.

Time-Space Compression

Processes of globalization that accelerate time and diminish the significance of geographic distance.

Possibilism

View that people, rather than environments, are the dynamic forces behind cultural development.

Human Development Index (HDI)

Indicator assessing development by combining income, literacy, education, and life expectancy.

Gender Inequality Index (GII)

Measures the extent of gender inequality in terms of reproductive health, empowerment, and labor market participation.

Centripetal Forces

Attitudes that unify people and enhance support for a state.

Centrifugal Forces

Economic or cultural factors that divide people and countries.