AP Human Geography Unit 1 Summary

Introduction

Purpose: Review major concepts of Unit 1 in AP Human Geography
Study Guide: Available in the Ultimate Review Packet, includes videos, quizzes, vocab lists, and more

Distortion: All map projections have distortions in direction, shape, area, or distance
Mercator Projection: Conformal, accurate for direction, but distorts size (e.g., Greenland vs. Africa)
Goode Homolosine Projection: Equal area, accurate size/shape, distorted distances
Robinson Projection: Balanced distortion, maintains size/shape but distorts near poles
Gall Peters Projection: Accurate land size, distorts shape and direction

Reference Maps: Show boundaries and geographic features, useful for directions, property lines, etc.
- Topographic Maps: Use contour lines to show elevation changes
Thematic Maps: Display spatial patterns using quantitative data
- Choropleth Maps: Use colors or shades to represent data quantities
- Dot Density Maps: Use dots to show data occurrence, useful for spatial distribution
- Graduated Symbol Maps: Use symbols to show location and amount of data
- Isoline Maps: Use lines to connect areas of similar data
- Cartogram Maps: Visualize data dynamically, larger areas represent greater values
- Flowline Maps: Show movement of goods, people, or ideas

Remote Sensing: Satellites collect data, used in GIS for layered thematic maps
Geospatial Technologies: GPS, GIS help locate places and visualize data
Field Observations & Interviews: Personal observations and interviews collect qualitative data
Media Reports & Government Documents: Provide insights into areas, laws show cultural priorities
Travel Narratives & Landscape/Photo Analysis: Offer personal perspectives and environmental impact assessments

Qualitative Data: Subjective, word form, collected through observations/interviews
Quantitative Data: Objective, number form, collected through censuses and surveys

Scale Insight: Different scales (local, national, global) provide varying insights into data
Government & Business Applications: Use data for planning, infrastructure, legislation, and business operations
Individual Use: Navigation, housing decisions, political and social insights

Absolute vs. Relative Location: Exact coordinates vs. location in relation to surrounding areas
Spatial Distribution: Consists of density, concentration, and patterns
Time-Space Compression: Decreased impact of distance due to advancements in technology
Environmental Determinism vs. Possibilism: Environment dictates success vs. environment and culture mutually influence

Types of Land Use: Agricultural, industrial, commercial, residential, recreational, transportation
Natural Resources: Renewable vs. non-renewable, importance of sustainability

Map Scale vs. Scale of Analysis: Distance on a map vs. how data is organized
Small vs. Large Scale Maps: Generalizations vs. detailed observations

Types of Regions:
- Formal Regions: Defined by common attributes (e.g., political, physical)
- Functional Regions: Organized around a node or center (e.g., economic activities)
- Perceptual Regions: Based on opinions and beliefs, not fixed