Mid-Term AP Geo

Environmental Determinism

  • The belief that the physical environment (climate, terrain) strongly shapes human culture and societal development.

Environmental Possibilism

  • The idea that the environment sets limits, but humans have the ability to adapt and innovate to overcome them.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

  • Computer systems that capture, store, analyze, and display spatial or geographic data.

Formal Region

  • An area defined by official boundaries or uniform characteristics (e.g., a country, a state).

Functional Region

  • An area organized around a focal point or node (e.g., a metropolitan area centered on a city).

Perceptual Region

  • A region defined by people’s attitudes, feelings, or perceptions (e.g., “the South” in the U.S.).

Time-Space Compression

  • The process by which technology reduces the time it takes for people, goods, and ideas to travel across space.

Distance Decay

  • The principle that interaction between two places decreases as distance increases.

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

  • The average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime.

Pro-Natalist Policies

  • Government policies designed to encourage higher birth rates.

Anti-Natalist Policies

  • Government policies aimed at reducing birth rates.

Malthusian Theory

  • The idea that population growth will outpace food supply, leading to famine and conflict.

Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

  • A model showing how birth rates, death rates, and population growth change as societies industrialize.

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)

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

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

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

Dependency Ratio

  • The ratio of dependents (young and elderly) to the working-age population.

Push Factor

  • A negative condition that drives people away from their home (e.g., war, famine).

Pull Factor

  • A positive condition that attracts people to a new location (e.g., jobs, safety).

Chain Migration

  • Migration that occurs when migrants follow family or community members to a new location.

Population Pyramid

  • A graph showing the age and sex distribution of a population.

Natural Increase Rate (NIR)

  • The percentage by which a population grows annually, excluding migration.

Refugees

  • People forced to flee their country due to conflict, persecution, or disaster.

Artifacts

  • Physical objects created by a culture (e.g., tools, clothing).

Mentifacts

  • The ideas, beliefs, and values of a culture.

Sociofacts

  • The social structures and institutions of a culture (e.g., family, government).

Centripetal Forces

  • Factors that unify and stabilize a country (e.g., nationalism, shared language).

Centrifugal Forces

  • Factors that divide or destabilize a country (e.g., ethnic conflict, political fragmentation).

Contagious Diffusion

  • The rapid, widespread diffusion of a trait or idea through direct contact.

Hierarchical Diffusion

  • The spread of ideas from larger or more influential nodes (e.g., cities, leaders).

Stimulus Diffusion

  • The spread of an idea that is modified to fit local culture.

Relocation Diffusion

  • The spread of ideas through physical movement of people.

Lingua Franca

  • A common language used for communication between speakers of different native languages.

Ethnic Religion

  • A religion closely tied to a specific ethnic group and location (e.g., Hinduism).

Universalizing Religion

  • A religion that seeks to appeal to all people globally (e.g., Christianity, Islam).

Syncretism

  • The blending of different cultural or religious traditions.

Globalization

  • The increasing interconnectedness of people, economies, and cultures worldwide.

State

  • A politically organized territory with sovereignty and recognized boundaries.

Nation

  • A group of people united by shared culture, language, or history.

Nation-State

  • A state whose population is largely composed of a single nation (e.g., Japan).

Stateless Nation

  • A cultural group without its own independent state (e.g., Kurds, Palestinians).

Imperialism

  • The practice of extending power and control over other territories.

Devolution

  • The transfer of power from a central government to regional or local governments.

Neocolonialism

  • Economic and political control exerted by powerful countries over weaker ones, often post-independence.

Shatterbelts

  • Regions caught between stronger external forces, often experiencing instability and conflict.

Territoriality

  • The connection of people to land, often expressed through boundaries and control.

Federal State

  • A political system where power is shared between central and regional governments (e.g., U.S.).

Unitary State

  • A political system where power is concentrated in a central government (e.g., France).

Gerrymandering

  • Manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor one political party.

Superimposed Boundaries

  • Boundaries imposed by external powers, ignoring existing cultural divisions (e.g., colonial Africa).

Subsequent Boundaries

  • Boundaries drawn after cultural landscapes developed, often reflecting ethnic divisions.

Relic Boundaries

  • Old boundaries that no longer function but still leave a mark on the landscape (e.g., Berlin Wall).

Irredentism

  • A movement to reclaim or annex territory considered lost or historically belonging to a nation.

Chokepoints

  • Narrow strategic passages (e.g., straits, canals) that are critical for trade and military movement.