All Ap Human Geography Vocab

Mastering the AP Human Geography Vocabulary: A Comprehensive Guide

AP Human Geography requires a strong grasp of key vocabulary to succeed. This comprehensive guide covers a wide range of essential terms, grouped thematically for easier understanding and retention. We'll explore concepts related to population, culture, migration, political geography, agriculture, industrialization, urbanization, and more. Mastering this vocabulary is crucial for acing the AP exam and building a solid foundation in human geography.

I. Population and Demography

This section focuses on terms related to population distribution, growth, structure, and change.

Population Density: The number of people per unit area (e.g., people per square kilometer). High population density often indicates urbanization or fertile agricultural land, while low density may suggest harsh environments or sparse resources.
Arithmetic Density: The total number of people divided by the total land area. This provides a general overview of population distribution but doesn't account for variations within the area.
Physiological Density: The number of people per unit of arable land (land suitable for agriculture). This is a more insightful measure of population pressure on resources.
Agricultural Density: The number of farmers per unit of arable land. High agricultural density may suggest a predominantly agrarian economy with limited technology, while low density suggests advanced agricultural techniques.
Carrying Capacity: The maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely, given available resources and technology. This is a dynamic concept that can change based on technological advancements and resource management.
Demographic Transition Model (DTM): A model depicting the historical shift in birth and death rates of a country as it develops from a pre-industrial to an industrialized economy. The model typically has four or five stages, characterized by different population growth patterns.
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.
Natural Increase Rate (NIR): The difference between the crude birth rate and the crude death rate, excluding migration.
Total Fertility Rate (TFR): The average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime. This is a key indicator of population growth potential.
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): The number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live births. High IMR often indicates limited access to healthcare and sanitation.
Life Expectancy: The average number of years a newborn infant can expect to live, based on current mortality rates. This is influenced by factors such as healthcare, nutrition, and sanitation.
Population Pyramid (Age-Sex Pyramid): A graphical representation of the age and sex composition of a population. The shape of the pyramid reveals information about population growth trends and dependency ratios.
Dependency Ratio: The ratio of dependents (people under 15 and over 64) to the working-age population (15-64). A high dependency ratio suggests a potential strain on the working population.
Malthusian Theory: The theory that population grows exponentially while food production grows linearly, leading to inevitable resource scarcity and crises. This theory has been debated extensively, with critics pointing to technological advancements and resource management improvements.
Neo-Malthusian Theory: A contemporary revision of Malthus's theory, emphasizing the impact of resource depletion (not just food) and environmental degradation on population growth.

II. Culture

This section explores the concepts and terms related to cultural geography.

Culture: The shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that characterize a group or society. Culture is dynamic and constantly evolving.
Cultural Landscape: The visible imprint of human activity and culture on the landscape. This includes built environments, agricultural patterns, and other physical modifications.
Cultural Diffusion: The spread of cultural traits, ideas, or practices from one group or place to another. Diffusion can occur through various mechanisms, including contagious diffusion, hierarchical diffusion, stimulus diffusion, and relocation diffusion.
Cultural Hearth: The origin point of a cultural trait or innovation. Many cultural hearths are located in areas with favorable environmental conditions and early centers of civilization.
Acculturation: The process by which a minority group adopts the traits of the dominant culture.
Assimilation: The complete blending of a minority group into the dominant culture, losing its own distinct identity.
Multiculturalism: The coexistence of multiple cultures within a single society, with each culture retaining its distinct characteristics.
Cultural Relativism: The idea that a culture should be understood on its own terms, rather than judged against the standards of another culture.
Ethnocentrism: Judging other cultures based on the standards and values of one's own culture.
Globalization: The increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of countries through trade, communication, and cultural exchange. Globalization has both positive and negative consequences for different cultures.
Cultural Convergence: The tendency for cultures to become more similar over time due to globalization.
Cultural Divergence: The tendency for cultures to become more distinct and different from each other.

III. Migration

This section focuses on the movements of people across space.

Migration: The permanent or semi-permanent relocation of people from one place to another. Migration can be internal (within a country) or international (between countries).
Emigration: Migration from a location.
Immigration: Migration to a location.
Net Migration: The difference between the number of immigrants and the number of emigrants.
Push Factors: Factors that encourage people to leave a location, such as economic hardship, political instability, or environmental disasters.
Pull Factors: Factors that attract people to a location, such as economic opportunities, political freedom, or better living conditions.
Ravenstein's Laws of Migration: A set of generalizations about migration patterns, including the distance decay effect, the intervening opportunity, and the migration stream.
Chain Migration: Migration based on social networks and family ties. People are more likely to migrate to places where they have existing connections.
Step Migration: Migration that occurs in stages, often starting with a short move and then moving further away over time.
Forced Migration: Migration that occurs against the will of the migrants, often due to war, persecution, or natural disasters.
Voluntary Migration: Migration based on individual choices and decisions.
Transnational Migration: Migration across national borders, often maintaining strong ties with both the origin and destination countries.
Internal Migration: Migration within a country's borders.

IV. Political Geography

This section explores the spatial organization of political power.

State: An independent political unit with a defined territory, a permanent population, a government, and sovereignty.
Nation: A group of people with a shared culture, history, and sense of identity.
Nation-State: A state whose territory corresponds to the boundaries of a nation. This is an ideal type, rarely perfectly achieved in reality.
Stateless Nation: A nation that does not have its own state.
Multinational State: A state that contains multiple nations within its borders.
Multistate Nation: A nation that extends across multiple states.
Sovereignty: The supreme authority of a state within its own territory.
Centrifugal Forces: Forces that tend to divide a state, such as ethnic tensions, political instability, or economic inequality.
Centripetal Forces: Forces that tend to unite a state, such as a shared national identity, strong central government, or economic prosperity.
Geopolitics: The study of the relationship between geography and politics, particularly the influence of geography on international relations.
Boundary: A line separating two political entities. Boundaries can be physical (e.g., mountains, rivers) or cultural (e.g., language, religion).
Gerrymandering: The manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor a particular political party or group.
Supranational Organization: An international organization composed of multiple states, such as the United Nations or the European Union.

V. Agriculture

This section focuses on the geographical distribution and practices of agriculture.

Agriculture: The cultivation of crops and livestock for food, fiber, and other products.
First Agricultural Revolution (Neolithic Revolution): The transition from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to settled agricultural societies.
Second Agricultural Revolution: A period of improvements in agricultural techniques and practices that began in the 18th century and contributed to population growth and urbanization.
Third Agricultural Revolution (Green Revolution): A period of increased agricultural productivity in the mid-20th century, characterized by the development and adoption of high-yielding crop varieties and improved agricultural technologies.
Subsistence Agriculture: Agriculture primarily for the consumption of the farmer and their family.
Commercial Agriculture: Agriculture primarily for sale in markets.
Intensive Agriculture: Agriculture that involves high inputs of labor and capital per unit of land.
Extensive Agriculture: Agriculture that involves low inputs of labor and capital per unit of land.
Agribusiness: The large-scale, industrial production of agricultural products.
Von Thünen Model: A model that describes the spatial arrangement of agricultural activities around a market center, based on transportation costs and land rent.

VI. Industrialization and Economic Geography

This section covers the processes and patterns of industrial development and economic activity.

Industrial Revolution: A period of rapid technological advancements and industrial growth that began in the 18th century in Great Britain.
Location Theory: Theories that explain the spatial distribution of economic activities, such as industries and businesses.
Weber's Model of Industrial Location: A model that emphasizes the role of transportation costs, labor costs, and agglomeration economies in determining industrial location.
Agglomeration: The clustering of businesses and industries in a particular location to benefit from shared resources and infrastructure.
Deindustrialization: The decline of manufacturing industries in a region or country.
Globalization of the Economy: The increasing integration of national economies through trade, investment, and technology.
Outsourcing: The transfer of business processes or functions to external providers, often in lower-cost locations.
Free Trade Agreements: Agreements between countries to reduce or eliminate tariffs and other trade barriers.
Development: The process of improving the economic, social, and environmental well-being of a region or country.
Rostow's Stages of Economic Growth: A model that describes the stages of economic development that countries typically pass through.
World-Systems Theory: A theory that explains global inequality and dependency relationships between core, periphery, and semi-periphery countries.

VII. Urbanization

This section deals with the growth and characteristics of cities.

Urbanization: The increasing concentration of population in urban areas.
City: A densely populated area with a defined administrative boundary.
Urban Area: A continuous area of urban development, including the city and its suburbs.
Suburb: A residential area located outside the central city.
Megacity: A city with a population of over 10 million people.
Megalopolis: A chain of adjacent metropolitan areas forming a continuous urban complex.
Central Business District (CBD): The commercial and business center of a city.
Urban Sprawl: The outward expansion of urban areas into surrounding rural areas.
Concentric Zone Model: A model of urban structure that depicts cities as a series of concentric rings, with the CBD at the center.
Sector Model: A model of urban structure that depicts cities as a series of sectors radiating from the CBD.
Multiple Nuclei Model: A model of urban structure that depicts cities as having multiple centers of activity.
Central Place Theory: A theory that explains the spatial distribution of market towns and cities based on their size and functions.

VIII. Environmental Geography

This section covers the interactions between humans and the environment.

Environmental Determinism: The belief that the environment determines human culture and behavior.
Possibilism: The belief that the environment provides opportunities for human action, but humans have the capacity to adapt and modify the environment.
Sustainability: The ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Climate Change: Long-term changes in global temperatures and weather patterns.
Resource Depletion: The exhaustion of natural resources due to overuse.
Pollution: The contamination of the environment with harmful substances.

Conclusion

This comprehensive vocabulary guide provides a strong foundation for success in AP Human Geography. Remember that understanding the context and application of each term is crucial. Regular review and practice using maps, case studies, and other resources will solidify your knowledge and improve your ability to analyze geographic patterns and processes. Good luck with your studies!