AP Human Geography Flashcards: Population Dynamics
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.
What is the Rate of Natural Increase (RNI)?
The Rate of Natural Increase is a metric geographers use to measure and explain population growth and decline, based on birth and death rates.
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What is the Rate of Natural Increase (RNI)?
The Rate of Natural Increase is a metric geographers use to measure and explain population growth and decline, based on birth and death rates.
What is population-doubling time?
Population-doubling time is a measure used by geographers to explain how long it would take for a population to double at its current rate of natural increase.
An economic recession leads to fewer people having children. What demographic factor is being impacted by this economic factor?
The fertility rate is being impacted, as economic factors are influencing decisions related to childbirth and family size.
Beyond births and deaths, what other factor must be accounted for to understand a population's growth or decline?
Migration, the movement of people into or out of an area, must be accounted for in addition to fertility and mortality to fully understand population change.
What two key metrics do geographers use to explain population growth and decline?
Geographers use the rate of natural increase and population-doubling time to explain contemporary and historical trends in population growth and decline.
How do factors influencing population trends differ between historical and contemporary periods?
The specific social, cultural, political, and economic factors that influence fertility, mortality, and migration vary between historical and contemporary periods.
Improved sanitation and healthcare access become widespread in a country. Which demographic factor would be most directly affected?
The mortality rate would be most directly affected, as social and economic improvements like healthcare typically lead to a decline in deaths.
A country's government passes a law restricting immigration. Which of the three main demographic factors is this political action directly influencing?
This political action is directly influencing migration, which is one of the key demographic factors that determines population change.
What types of broad factors influence fertility, mortality, and migration rates?
Social, cultural, political, and economic factors are the broad categories of influence on a population's fertility, mortality, and migration rates.
What are the three core demographic factors that determine a population's growth and decline?
The three core demographic factors that determine a population's growth and decline are fertility, mortality, and migration.