key vocab (ap human geo)
Unit 1: Geography: Its Nature and Perspective
Geography: The study of the earth’s surface and the processes that shape it.
Location: The position of something on the earth’s surface (absolute vs. relative).
Place: A specific point on Earth distinguished by its particular characteristics.
Space: The physical gap or interval between two objects.
Pattern: The geometric arrangement of objects in space.
Scale: The relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole.
Unit 2: Population and Migration
Carrying Capacity: The largest population size an environment can sustain.
Demographic Transition Model: A model that describes population change over time, divided into four stages.
Migration: The movement of people from one place to another.
Urbanization: The process of cities growing and populations moving to urban areas.
Push and Pull Factors: Conditions that drive people away from an area (push) or attract them to another (pull).
Unit 3: Cultural Patterns and Processes
Culture: The body of customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits that together constitute a group’s distinct tradition.
Ethnicity: Identity with a group of people who share a cultural tradition.
Language Family: A collection of languages related through a common ancestor.
Religion: A system of beliefs and practices that attempts to order life in terms of culturally perceived ultimate priorities.
Diffusion: The spread of an idea, innovation, or cultural practice.
Acculturation: The adoption of cultural traits from another group.
Syncretism: The blending of two or more cultural influences to form a new culture.
Unit 4: Political Organization of Space
State: An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government.
Nation: A group of people who share common cultural characteristics.
Sovereignty: The authority of a state to govern itself without interference.
Territoriality: A country’s or community’s sense of ownership over a specific geographic area.
Gerrymandering: The manipulation of electoral district boundaries for political advantage.
Unit 5: Agriculture and Rural Land Use
Agricultural Revolution: The transformation of agriculture through the use of new technology.
Green Revolution: A set of research and technology transfer initiatives that increased food production worldwide.
Subsistence Agriculture: Farming primarily for personal consumption, not for profit.
Commercial Agriculture: Agriculture primarily for sale in the market.
Von Thünen Model: A model that explains agricultural land use in relation to distance from a market.
Unit 6: Cities and Urban Land Use
Urbanization: The process of cities growing and people moving to urban areas.
Central Business District (CBD): The commercial and business center of a city.
Concentric Zone Model: A model of urban land use that divides the city into concentric rings.
Sector Model: A model that explains urban land use based on transportation routes.
Multiple Nuclei Model: A model of urban land use that recognizes multiple centers of activity.
Unit 7: Industrialization and Economic Development
Industrialization: The development of industries for the machine production of goods.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): The total value of goods and services produced by a country in a year.
Human Development Index (HDI): A composite index used to measure and rank countries’ levels of human development based on life expectancy, education, and income.
World Systems Theory: A theory that explains economic disparities in terms of core, semi-periphery, and periphery nations.
Brandt Line: A division between the developed North and developing South.
Unit 8: Environment and Sustainability
Sustainability: The use of resources in ways that do not deplete them for future generations.
Greenhouse Effect: The warming of Earth’s surface caused by the trapping of heat by gases like carbon dioxide.
Ecological Footprint: A measure of how much land and resources a population needs to support its lifestyle.
Renewable Resources: Resources that can be regenerated naturally, like solar energy or wind.
Nonrenewable Resources: Resources that do not regenerate on a human time scale, like coal or oil.
sequent occupancy ( the impact that past culture and societies had on geographic area (leaving a mark) )
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land use patterns
how land is modified by humans for a specific purpose
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centripetal force (pull people together)
centrifugal force (push people apart)
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homogenized = same
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relocation (people moving physically)
expansion (
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lingua franca (a common language share by people who share different languages)
creolization (diff cultures come together)
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cultura convergence
the process which different cultures become more similar over time
cultural divergence
the process of different cultures becoming more distinct from each other over time
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universalizing religions
a religion that seeks to appeal to all people
ethnic religions
a religion is centered around a specific or ethnic group
effects of diffusion
assimilation
when a individual or group of people adopt the cultural norms and practice of a dominant group in society
acculturation
when a culture adopts certain cultural traits of another culture (original culture is not lost)
syncretism
when two or more cultures evolve or change over time a similar manner (do not merge)
multiculturalism
when society has a larger diversity of cultures that co- exist within a society
Suburb = where people live.(residential area)
Edge city = where people work/shop, outside the main city.
Gentrification - • It happens in older, poor inner-city neighborhoods.
• Wealthier people move in and start renovating houses, opening cafes, etc.
• This makes the area look nicer… BUT it also:
• Raises rent and property values
• Pushes out longtime residents who can’t afford to stay
• Often causes cultural displacement