Summary Outline
Following is an outline of the major content areas covered by the AP Examination in Human Geography, as well as the approximate percentages of the multiple-choice section that are devoted to each area. The outline is a guide and is not intended as an exclusive list of topics.
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Content Area |
Percentage Goals for Examination (Multiple-choice section) |
I. Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives ..5-10%
A. Geography as a field of inquiry- Geographic questions about space, scale, region etc. How places connect and relate with each other, primarily concerned with movement. Also how people interact with each other.
B. Evolution of key geographical concepts and models associated with notable geographers- People associated with geographic models, for example Hoyt, Von Thunen, and others.
C. Key concepts underlying the geographical perspective: location, space, place, scale, pattern, regionalization, and globalization.
D. Key geographical skills
1. How to use and think about maps and spatial data- Spatial data sets could include graphs, population information, tables, charts and others.
2. How to understand and interpret the implication of associations among phenomena in places- Basically place and region. Phenomena could include oil under the ground because of the major implications for the people living there, giving them advantages.
3. How to recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes
4. How to define regions and evaluate the regionalization process- Regions are how places are linked together.
5. How to characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places- For example, a while back, Australia primarily exported to England because they were a colony of England. However, now, because they are no longer a colony, they primarily export to Asia. The reason SLC grew in the past was because it was the Crossroads of the West. During the Gold Rush, people came through in two ways, through the Oregon Trail and through SLC to buy supplies, providing the much needed growth for it to survive.
E. Sources of geographical ideas and data: the field, census data- Census Beaurou collects much of the census data, and the other you need to collect yourself.
II. Population .13-17%
A. Geographical analysis of population- Where they are, the density of how many live there, and the kinds of people that live there.
1. Density, distribution, and scale- People live in places where they can support themselves. Water and jobs are the most important priorities in choosing where to live.
2. Consequences of various densities and distributions-The depeletion of soil quality. People lose arable land, and if there are too many people in too little land conflicts arise. However, these glomerations can have positive consequences, because the more people the more services.
3. Patterns of composition: age, sex, race, and ethnicity- Population pyramid shows age and gender, race can be used by several different types of graphs.
4. Population and natural hazards: past, present, and future- Along coastlines, along faultlines, which includes almost all of Southern California. The tsunami in Southern Asia is the most recent example. Yamusay is a good example of people always living within a hazard area. Pompeii is a major example of an ancient natural hazard.
B. Population growth and decline over time and space- Once the population hit one billion, it wasnt long before it 5 and 6 million because of population momentum. In the future, it is guessed that more developed countrys population will decline where less developed countries will have much more. However, the more developed countries will not completely decline because of immigration.
1. Historical trends and projections for the future- Malthus say we are growing too fast for food production.
2. Theories of population growth
3. Patterns of fertility, mortality, and health
4. Regional variations of demographics transitions
5. Effects of population policies
C. Population movement
1. Push and pull factors
2. Major voluntary and involuntary migrations at different scales- Gold rushes were a big. Involuntary migrations included England populating some of their colonies. Trail of Tears was also included in that along with movement of prisoners.
3. Migration selectivity- Basically choosing where you want to migrate.
4. Short-term, local movements, and activity space- Everyone at the review session are an example of short-term local movements, because of the everyday travelling between school and home. Pattterns of shopping, patterns of seasonal migration, and your daily commute to work. This is also called circulation.
III. Cultural Patterns and Processes ..13-17%
A. Concepts of culture-
1. Traits and complexes- Clothing styles, food, and sometimes sports. What you wear, how you act, music, food, etc.
2. Diffusion- Pop culture diffusion is more hierarchial, as its not very contagious. It has to go through several individuals first.
3. Acculturation- When you adopt the traits of another culture. For example, Japanese businessman wearing a western suit.
4. Cultural regions and realms- Cultural realms Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, SW Asia, Anglo-America, Middle East.
B. Cultural differences
1. Language
2. Religion- Universalizing religions and ethnic religions. If you see a silouhette of a building shaped in a cross, you are probably in Europe of parts of Latin America. If it is an onion dome then it probably means you are in Russia.
3. Ethnicity- Physical characteristics, and group of identification. It is not race or religion. But there is such a thing as an Ethnic Religion, but it isnt a normal thing.
4. Gender-Gender is part of culture because it has its own little culture, because they behave differently and think differently. Women care about what other women wear and what themselves wear much more than men do.
5. Popular and folk culture- Popular culture universalizes; folk culture generally stays in one place because its important to the culture.
C. Environmental impact of cultural attitudes and practices
D. Cultural landscapes and cultural identity
1. Values and preferences
2. Symbolic landscapes and sense of place
IV. Political Organization of Space 13-17%
A. Territorial dimensions of politics
1. The concept of territoriality- People wanting to control their territory.
2. The nature and meaning of boundaries- There are cultural and physical boundaries. Cultural boundaries are those that act as a metaphorical wall; religion is an example. Physical boundaries include mountains and rivers.
3. Influences of boundaries on identity, interaction, and exchange
B. Evolution of the contemporary political pattern
1. The nation-state concept- A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity that has been transformed into a nationality. First states were city states that evolved.
2. Colonialism and imperialism- Imperialism requires the desire for control; it is the control of territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society. Colonialism is the attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political economic and cultural principles in another territory.
3. Internal political boundaries and arrangements- Counties are a good example of internal political boundaries.
C. Challenges to inherited political-territorial arrangements
1. Changing nature of sovereignty-There are a lot of issues of sovereignty. The U.N. infringes upon soveriegnty. People are giving up their national sovereignty for certain organizations, such as the U.N. Very limited amount, but there nonetheless.
2. Fragmentation, unification, alliance- Fragmentation can be described with one word: Balkanization. This is when a state splits apart because of ethnic fragmention. Example: former Yugoslavia. There have been wars because of religion. Ethnonational claims of territory. The E.U. is an example of unification. Alliances are arrangements made so that countries can cooperate with each other.
3. Spatial relationships between political patterns and patterns of ethnicity, economy, and environment-People in the same ethnicity are generally in the same type of state.
V. Agricultural and Rural Land Use . .13-17%
A. Development and diffusion of agriculture
1. Neolithic Agricultural Revolution- Neolithic means old.
2. Second Agricultural Revolution- Disputed as when it ended. It wasnt anything revolutionary. Mostly about the efficiency of new techniques.
B. Major agricultural production regions-
1. Agricultural systems associated with major bio-climatic zones
2. Variations within major zones and effects of markets-
3. Linkages and flows among regions of food production and consumption- Regions can decide where food comes from, depending on seasonal changes.
C. Rural land use and settlement patterns- Clustered settlements; dispersed.
1. Models of land use and localization of economic activities- Von Thunens model is an example of this.
2. Settlement patterns associated with major agriculture types
D. Modern commercial agriculture: the Third Agricultural Revolution- This is where you have the entire process consolidated; basically, companies now own everything needed to process food.
1. Green Revolution and the beginning of the biotechnologic revolution
2. Characteristics of the third revolution: blending of primary, secondary, and tertiary activities, intensification of mechanization, and development of biotechnology
3. Spatial organization of industrial agriculture
4. Diffusion of industrial agriculture
5. Future food supplies and environmental impacts of agriculturehopes and fears
VI. Industrialization and Economic Development .13-17%
A. Key concepts in industrialization and development
B. Growth and diffusion of industrialization
1. The changing roles of energy and technology- Energy keeps getting more and more needed because technology continues to advance.
2. Industrial Revolution
3. Evolution of economic cores and peripheries- Theres always been a global trade system. There was no infrastructure connecting parts of what are now places in Africa and Asia. Australia and New Zealand were replaced by European populations and developed more of the European infrastructure (became part of the core).Japan became part of the core and started industrializing in the second half of the 20th century. China has the potential to be part of the core.
4. Geographic critiques of models of economic localization (i.e., land rent, comparative costs of transportation), industrial location, economic development, and world systems- comparative costs of transportation (bulk-reducing v. bulk-gaining).
C. Contemporary patterns and impacts of industrialization and development
1. Spatial organization of the world economy- Anglo-America, Western Europe, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia are all MDCs and make most of the money in the world.
2. Variations in levels of development- Different areas have different levels of development.
3. Deindustrialization- Steel production in the U.S. is slowing because they cant compete with foreign manufacturing.
4. Pollution, health, and quality of life- China has so many people and so theyre adding to a lot of raise in gas prices. The population of people living with asthma has gone up a lot.
5. Industrialization, environmental change, and sustainability- Development of industry = industrialization. Industry causes changes in the environment (global warming). Sustainability- levels of industry that can be sustained.
6. Local development initiatives: government policies- Tax breaks to encourage people to start their own businesses.
VII. Cities and Urban Land Use .13-17%
A. Definitions of urbanism- Urbanism- anywhere with urban development.
B. Origin and evolution of cities
1. Historical patterns of urbanization- Came about because of the agricultural revolution.
2. Rural-urban migration and urban growth- (in U.S, urban to suburban). Farmers moving into cities.
3. Global cities and megacities- Global cities are like LA, Sao Paulo, and Mexico City, but mega cities are just very large. A megalopolis is a large urban system made by conurbation.
4. Models of urban systems- Cocentric Zone, Sector Model, Mulitple Nuclei Model, Peripheral Model, Urban Realms, Latin American, Southeast Asian, Western European.
C. Functional character of contemporary cities
1. Changing employment mix- Example: secondary to tertiary.
2. Changing demographic and social structures- Involving white flight, filtering, red-lining, urban renewal.
D. Built environment and social space
1. Comparative models of internal city structure- urban models (see above).
2. Transportation and infrastructure- In Europe a lot of subsidation of public transport is taking place. In the U.S., more and more mass transit is being built.
3. Political organization of urban areas- Often, the city and county goverments become the same thing because the governments merge.
4. Urban planning and design- Planning and zoning committees determine where businesses and residential areas are placed.
5. Patterns of race, ethnicity, gender and class- Ethnic minorities generally live in inner cities (less money) but there are exceptions.
6. Uneven development, ghettoization, and gentrification- Ghettoization is very stereotypical and usually includes an area with mostly one race or ethnicity.
7. Impacts of suburbanizations and edge cities- Edge cities are part of the peripheral model because they have housing, services, and employment. Also, since there are new places people want to shop, older stores are closing.