AP Human Geography Study Guide

Political Map

A map that shows countries and borders.

Physical Map

A map that displays landforms and elevation.

Choropleth Map

A map that is shaded by data such as income or population.

Dot Distribution Map

A map where dots represent the quantity of a variable.

Flow-Line Map

A map that illustrates movement such as migration or trade.

Topographic Map

A map that uses contour lines to represent elevation.

Local Scale

Analysis focused on a small area like a city or neighborhood.

Regional Scale

Analysis focused on a group of places.

National Scale

Analysis conducted at the level of a country.

Global Scale

Analysis conducted at a worldwide level.

Formal Region

A region defined by a shared trait such as language or climate.

Functional Region

A region defined by a central hub, like a radio station area.

Perceptual Region

A region defined by personal feelings, such as 'The South'.

Demographic Transition Model

A model that describes population change over time through five stages.

Epidemiologic Transition Model

A model that describes changes in causes of death over time across five stages.

Malthus Theory

The theory suggesting that population growth leads to famine and war due to limited resources.

Boserup Theory

The theory that population growth leads to innovation and improvements in food supply.

Cultural Realms

Regions characterized by shared cultural traits.

Christianity

A major religion primarily located in Europe, the Americas, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Islam

A major religion primarily located in the Middle East, North Africa, and Indonesia.

Buddhism

A major religion predominantly found in East and Southeast Asia.

Hinduism

A major religion primarily located in India and Nepal.

Judaism

A major religion with a significant presence in Israel and worldwide diaspora.

Territoriality

The control and defense of space, including borders, fences, and property lines.

Climate Regions

Global climatic categories that include Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental, and Polar.

Agricultural Hearths

The historical places where agriculture developed, including the Fertile Crescent and Indus Valley.

Von Thünen Model

A model that describes farming rings around a city based on distance from the city.

Bid-Rent Theory

The theory stating that land closer to the CBD is more expensive.

Burgess Model

A city model that shows urban growth in concentric rings.

Hoyt Model

A city model that demonstrates urban growth in wedge shapes along transportation routes.

Harris-Ullman Model

A city model featuring multiple nuclei or centers.

Central Place Theory

A theory that explains how cities provide goods and services to surrounding areas.

Gravity Model

A model stating that larger cities attract more interaction and that distance reduces interaction.

Industrial Revolution Locations

The geographical areas where industrialization first occurred, including Britain and Western Europe.

Rostow’s Stages of Growth

A model describing five stages of economic development.

Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory

A theory that categorizes countries into core, semi-periphery, and periphery based on wealth and resources.