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AP Human Geography Exam Review

May 19, 2025

AP Human Geography Final Exam Review 2025

Map Projections

  • Mercator Projection: Distorts land sizes.
  • Why Maps are Distorted: Cannot display a 3D shape on a 2D object.

Geographic Tools

  • Absolute Location: Precise coordinates of a point.
  • GPS: Global Positioning System.
  • GIS: Geographic Information System, geographically referenced information.

Types of Maps

  • Choropleth Map: Thematic map using color variations.
  • Cartogram: Shows diagrammatic statistics.

Demographics and Population

  • Arithmetic Density: Number of people in a specific area.
  • Population Pyramids Interpretation: Narrow base indicates low birth rate.
  • Fertility Rates and Societal Advancement: Fertility rates increase with advances in medicine and technology.

Cultural Geography

  • Ethnocentrism: Belief in the superiority of one's own cultural or ethnic group.
  • Cultural Landscape: Associations and uses that evoke a sense of history, e.g., rice terraces of Philippine Cordilleras.
  • Primary Religions:
    • South America: Catholic
    • Middle East: Judaism and Christianity
    • Asia: Buddhists
  • Cultural Diffusion: Spread of cultural trends across locations.

Forces and Boundaries

  • Centrifugal Force: Outward force on a mass when it is rotated.
  • Centripetal Force: Unifies people and enhances support for a state.
  • Superimposed Boundary: Imposed by external authority, disregarding existing divisions.
  • Relict Boundary: Former boundary, significant economically or culturally.

Historical and Political Geography

  • Berlin Conference Effect: Legal claim by Europeans to occupy Africa.
  • Gerrymandering: Manipulation of electoral districts for electoral advantage.

Physical Geography

  • Tropics Location: Between Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N) and Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°S).

Agricultural Practices

  • Extensive Agriculture: Cultivation using small amounts of labor and capital.
  • Township-and-Range Survey System: Facilitated orderly settlement and sale of land in the U.S.
  • Corn Domestication: First domesticated in Southwest Mexico.
  • Green Revolution: Introduction of new crop varieties, boosting production.

Urban Geography

  • Site: Specific physical characteristics of a place.
  • Situation: Surrounding features, both human-made and natural.
  • Megacities: Urban areas with over 10 million people.
  • Central Place Theory: Number, size, and range of market services in a commercial system.

City Models

  • Southeast Asian City Model (McGee Model): Diverse residential areas, cultural influences, and historical context.
  • Latin American City Model: Urban structure emphasizing spatial organization and social stratification.

Economic Activities

  • Primary Economic Activities: Agricultural and animal products, forestry, logging, mining, oil, and gas extraction.
  • Industrial Location Consideration: Early models focusing on urban land use and social dynamics.

Development and Industrialization

  • Human Development Index (HDI) Score: Value between 0 and 1, higher value indicates higher development.
  • Deindustrialization: Decline in manufacturing output and employment, occurred in the Core.