AP Human Geography Guide

5 Themes of Geography

• Location: Relative and absolute (latitude and longitude).
• Place: Distinct physical/human characteristics of an area.
• Human-Environment Interaction: How humans interact with their environment.
• Movement: Mobility of individuals, goods, and ideas.
• Regions: Areas defined by one or more distinct characteristics.

Physical and Human Geography

• Physical Geography: Topography, Climate (Koppen), Flora and Fauna, Soil.
• Human Geography: Culture, Population, Economic, Political, Urban Agriculture.

4 Forms of Distortion on Maps

• Shape of the area.
• Direction between points.
• Distance between points.
• Relative size of the place.

Thematic Maps

• Isoline Maps: Lines of equal value (e.g., elevation).
• Choropleth Maps: Shading patterns or colors to show data.
• Graduated Symbol Map: Symbol size proportional to data intensity.
• Dot Map: Dots represent data frequency.
• Cartogram: Size of political unit displays data value.

LACEMOPS Climate Acronym

• L: Latitude.
• A: Air Masses.
• C: Continentality.
• E: Elevation.
• M: Mountain Barriers.
• O: Ocean Currents.
• P: Pressure Cells.
• S: Storms.

Migration

• Women more migratory within countries; Men more between countries.
• Economic reasons are a major cause of migration.
• Migration increases with commerce and transportation improvements.
• Rural to urban migration is a major stream.

Map Projections

• Goodes Interrupted: Minimizes distortion; interrupts Antarctica and oceans.
• Conic: Accurate for distance/direction in small zones.
• Mercator: Maintains direction; distorts shape/size, used for sea travel.
• Robinson: Balanced distortion, landforms shown correctly.
• Gall-Peters: Accurate landmass size; distorted shapes.
• Fuller Projection: Accurate size and shape; no cardinal directions.
• Winkel Tripel: Rounder shape; distortion near poles.

Economic Terms

• Primary Countries: Extract resources.
• Secondary Countries: Manufacture/refine products.
• Tertiary Countries: Provide services.
• Quaternary Countries: Information and management services.
• MDC: Most Developed Countries.
• NIC: Newly Industrialized Countries.
• LDC: Least Developed Countries.

Unit 1 Vocabulary

• Cartography: Science of mapmaking.
• Scale: Relation of feature size to map size.
• Scale of Analysis: Data organization on maps.
• Distance: Absolute (quantitative) and relative (qualitative).
• Regions: Formal, Functional, Perceptual.
• Culture: Beliefs, values, materials.
• Diffusion: Relocation, Expansion (Hierarchical, Contagious, Stimulus).

Theories and Models

• Wallerstein’s Core-Periphery Model: Core, Semi-periphery, Peripheral countries.
• Rostow’s Stages of Development: 5 stages from traditional society to mass consumption.

Environmental Concepts

• Space-Time Compression: Increased connectivity reducing distance decay.
• Pillars of Sustainability: Environment, Economy, Society.
• Environmental Determinism vs. Possibilism: Debate on influence of environment vs. human control.

Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

• Stage 1: Low growth.
• Stage 2: High growth.
• Stage 3: Moderate growth.
• Stage 4: Low growth.
• Stage 5 (possible): Decline.

Epidemiologic Transition Model (ETM)

• Stages representing shifts in disease patterns and health improvements.

Cultural Geography

• Differences between Folk and Popular culture.
• Diffusion barriers: Distance, age, language, religion, politics, etc.

Language and Religion

• Language Families: Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan, etc.
• Universalizing Religions: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism.
• Ethnic Religions: Hinduism, Judaism, etc.

This guide should serve as a comprehensive overview of key concepts in AP Human Geography, encompassing physical and human geography, map projections, economic terms, theories, demographic models, and cultural geography.