AP Human Geography Unit 1 Review

Key Concepts

• Human Geography: The study of where and why human activities are located where they are.
• Physical Geography: The study of physical features of the earth and their relation to human activities.

Geographic Concepts

• Location: A specific place on the Earth's surface.

  • Absolute Location: Exact location using latitude and longitude.
  • Relative Location: Location in relation to other places.

• Place: A point on Earth distinguished by a particular characteristic.

• Region: An area defined by one or more distinctive characteristics.

  • Formal Region: An area where everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics.
  • Functional Region: An area organized around a node or focal point.
  • Vernacular Region: An area that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity.

• Scale: The relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole.

• Space: The physical gap or interval between two objects.

• Connections: Relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space.

Methods

• Cartography: The science of making maps.
• GIS (Geographic Information System): A computer system that stores, organizes, analyzes, and displays geographic data.
• Remote Sensing: The acquisition of data about Earth's surface from a satellite orbiting the planet or from other long-distance methods.

Key Themes

• Culture: The body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that together constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people.
• Diffusion: The process of spread of a feature or trend from one place to another over time.

Important Terms

• Globalization: Actions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope.
• Sustainability: The use of Earth's renewable and nonrenewable natural resources in ways that do not constrain resource use in the future.
• 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.
• Environmental Determinism: The study of how the physical environment predisposes societies and states towards particular development trajectories.

Studying Tips

• Focus on understanding the key concepts and terms.
• Use flashcards to memorize important definitions and examples.
• Practice applying the concepts to real-world scenarios.