Ap Human geography

absolute location

Position on Earths surface using the coordinate system of longitude and latitude

relative location

A location as described in relation to places around it

Distance decay

As the distance between two places increases, the interaction between those two places decrease

space-time compression

The reduction in the time it takes to diffuse something to a distant place, as a result of improved communications and transportation systems

environmental determinism

A philosophy of geography that stated that human behaviors are a direct result of the surrounding environment.

Possibilism

The theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives.

Perceptual (vernacular) region

defined by feelings and prejudices that may or may not be true

Functional Region

an area centered on a node, focal point, or central hub surrounded by interconnecting linkages

formal region

An area defined by one predominant or universal characteristic throughout its entire area.

regional scale

A level of specific region or geographical area that is larger than a single community or neighborhood but smaller than the entire nation

Chain Migration

Occurs when individuals from within a community follow the path of a previous group or individual within the community and emigrate to a new region

Natural Increase Rate (NIR)

A statistic used to measure the growth of population in a region, exclusive of immigration and emigration

Demographic Transition Model

a tool demographers use to categorize countries' population growth rates and economic structures

Ravenstein's Laws of Migration

Most migrants move only a short distance

asylum seeker

Migrants to another country that are hoping to be more recognized as refugees

intervening obstacle

An environmental or cultural feature of the landscape that hinders migration.

Remittance

Money immigrants send back to family and friends in their home countries, often in cash

Brain Drain

Large-scale emigration by talented people.

dependency ratio

the number of people who are too young or too old to work, compared to the number of people in their productive years

Epidemiologic Transition

The three to five essential shifts in birth rates, death rates, and life expectancy that have occurred over human history due to fundamental changes in the mature of the diseases affection human populations

Acculturation

the adoption of certain cultural and social characteristics of one society by another society

Assimilation

the process through which people lose originally differentiating traits, such as dress, speech, particularities, or mannerisms when they come into contact with another society or culture

Contagious Diffusion

The distance-controlled spreading of an idea, innovation, or some other item through a local population by contact from person to person.

cultural landscape

Culture attributes of an area often used to describe a place

Hierarchical Diffusion

when an idea spreads by passing first among the most connected individuals, then spreading to other individuals

relocation diffusion

occurs when people move from their original location to another and bring their innovations with them

Stimulus Diffusion

when an idea diffuses from its cultural hearth outward, but the original idea is changed by the new adopters.

Syncretism

A mix of cultural traits from a variety of sources

toponymy

Another word for name, but is specific to locations

Universalizing Religion

offer belief systems that are attractive to the universal population

Supernational Organization

Represent their members on the world stage and act in the political interests of the member countries

Unitary State

a state where laws are administered uniformly by one central government

centrifugal force

a force that divides people and countries

centripetal force

An attitude that tends to unify people and enhance support for a state

choke point

geographic locations where the flow of people and goods can be constricted and choked off in the event of a conflict

Devolution

The transfer of power from a central government to a lower level of government

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional district boundaries itself is not

Sovereignty

The political authority of a state to govern itself

state

A politically bound area controlled by an established government that has authority over its internal affairs and foreign policy

stateless nation

A nation of people without a state that it considers home

agricultural hearths

the "birthplace" of a crop, or where a crop is known to have originated before its spread throughout the world

Columbian Exchange

massive exchange of agricultural goods, livestock, disease, culture, and people between the Old World (Africa, Asia, Europe) the New World (The Americas)

Commercial Agriculture

A form of agriculture undertaken in order to generate products for sale off of the farm in order to make a profit.

Desertification

The process by which previously fertile lands became arid and unusable for farming

extensive agriculture

System of crop cultivation using small amounts of labor and capital in relation to area of land being farmed.

Green Revolution

A period of increased agricultural productivity that occurred in the mid-20th century, primarily in developing countries (DC)

intensive agriculture

Small land, hard labour

Neolithic Revolution

Marks the transition of human society from wandering hunter-gatherer societies into settled agriculture communities

Von Thunen Model

An excellent illustration of the balance between land cost and transportation costs

shifting cultivation (slash and burn)

The practice of farming by clearing land for farming by slashing vegetation and burning debris

Bid rent theory

States that land/real estate/rental costs are higher in and around a cities central business district due to demand

Gentrfication

The process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people, into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents

Brownfields

A tract of land that has been developed for industrial purposes, polluted, and then abandoned

Infastructure

Includes the physical systems, facilities, and services that support the daily lives of people and buisnesses in an urban area

mixed land use

combines residential, commercial, cultural, or institutional functions into a building, block, or neighborhood

Christaller's Central Place Theory

based on his idea that settlements only existed to function as "central places" to provide services for the surrounding area.

world city

Often the most important cities in the world in terms of economic and cultural impacts

Globalization

The homogenizing impact on local culture and economics caused by increased interaction between geographically distinct regions

rank-size rule

there should be a larger number of small cities than bigger cities

primate city

a city that functions as by far the largest city in the country it inhabits

Industrialization

The process by which economic activities on the earth´s surface evolved from producing basic, primary goods to using factories for mass-producing goods for consumption

post industrial society

countries where most people are no longer employed in industry

Rostows Stages

traditional society Stage 1, preconditions for take-off Stage 2, take-off Stage 3, drive to maturity Stage 4, high mass consumption Stage 5

Site factors

A place's physical features related to the costs of business production, such as land, labor, and capital.

value added productivity

The gross value of the product minus the costs of raw materials and energy.

Special Economic Zone

an area in a country that is subject to different economic regulations than other regions within the same country

friction of distance

movement incurs some form of cost, in the form of physical effort, energy, time, and/or the expenditure of other resources, and that these costs are proportional to the distance traveled

Agglomeration

A large, densely and contiguously populated area consisting of a city and its suburbs

Dependency Theory

Holds that LDCs are highly dependent on foreign factories and technologies from MDCs to provide employment and infrastructure

location theory

Theory concerned with the geographic location of ec0nomic activity