AP Human Geography Unit 4 Review

Getting Started

• Review all major concepts of Unit 4 for AP Human Geography.
• Utilize the study guide and ultimate review packet for comprehensive materials, including videos, quizzes, guides, and practice exams.

Key Concepts: State and Nation

• State: Geographic area with a permanent population, defined borders, sovereign government, recognized by other states.
  • Sovereignty: Control over domestic & international affairs.
• Nation: Group of people with shared culture, history, homeland, desire to govern themselves.
  • Self-determination: Right/desire to self-govern.

Political Entities

Nation-State

• Self-governing with a relatively uniform population (e.g. Japan, Iceland).

Multinational State

• Multiple nations within borders (e.g. Canada with English & French cultures).

Multi-State Nation

• Nation across multiple states (e.g. Kurds, Basques).

Stateless Nation

• Nation with a history of self-determination but no recognized state.

Autonomous Region

• Region with certain independence from the state (e.g. Native American reservations).

Semi-Autonomous Region

• Region with moderate self-governance (e.g. Hong Kong).

Historical Influences

Colonialism and Imperialism

• Colonialism: Acquiring territories for control.
• Imperialism: Exerting control without settlement.
• Impact: Political boundaries, cultural diffusion often uneven, infrastructure designed for European benefit.

Decolonization

• Process of gaining independence from colonizers.
• Often led to dependency on former colonial powers.

Devolution

• Transfer of power from central to regional governments (e.g. UK’s Scottish Parliament).

Political Power and Territoriality

• Territoriality: Establish and defend specific geographic areas.
• Neocolonialism: Indirect control over less developed countries by more developed countries.
• Shatterbelt Regions: Areas of political/cultural pressure between conflicting powers (e.g. Eastern Europe during Cold War).
• Choke Points: Strategic areas with political power (e.g. Panama Canal).

Political Boundaries

Types of Boundaries

• Geometric: Straight lines based on latitude/longitude (e.g. US-Canada border).
• Antecedent: Pre-human settlement boundaries.
• Relic: No longer official but impacts culture.
• Superimposed: Imposed by external power.
• Subsequent/Consequent: Develop with cultural landscape.

Disputes and Laws

• Boundary Disputes: Definitional, locational, operational, allocational.
• UNCLOS: Defines territorial waters, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone.

Governance and Representation

Forms of Governance

• Unitary States: Centralized power (e.g. small, homogeneous countries).
• Federal States: Power shared between national and regional governments.

Redistricting and Gerrymandering

• Redistricting: Redrawing boundaries to reflect population changes.
• Gerrymandering: Redistricting to favor a party.

Devolutionary Factors

• Physical geography, cultural divisions, political instability, economic/social factors.
• Can lead to challenges to state sovereignty.

Technological and Global Influences

• Impact of social media, internet on state sovereignty.
• Supranational Organizations: Groups like the UN, NATO, EU can affect national sovereignty.

Centrifugal and Centripetal Forces

• Centrifugal: Forces that divide (e.g. economic disparity, cultural differences).
• Centripetal: Forces that unite (e.g. shared identity, strong governance).

Conclusion

• Comprehensive understanding of political geography, governance forms, and the effects of history and technology on states.