AP HUG Exam

1. Small towns and Townships are an example of what kind of map scale?

Large scale map

1. Is the Robinson Projection or Mercator Projection more accurate? Why?

Robinson because the shapes and sizes of continents are more accurate. 

1. Would a town planner use a scale of 1:24,000 or 1:250,000 - why?

1:24,000 because it is a large scale.

What is possibilism?

the theory that the environment offers many possibilities for human activity, but human choices, culture, and technology ultimately decide which options are pursued, rather than the environment strictly determining outcomes

1. What is an unintended consequence of China’s one child policy?

Sex-selective abortions causing there to be more men than women.

1. Japan has a low birth rate and high life expectancy - Why will Japan struggle with demographic challenges in 30 years?

They will have an aging population that won’t be able to work. 

1. Since the 1970’s women have been working more - what will that result in?

Lower fertility rates and smaller family sizes, changes in migration patterns as they move around for jobs. 

1. Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have TFR over 5.0 - what would their population look like?

They will have a youthful population because of the high birth rate. 

1. Malthusian Theory

The population grows exponentially while food output only grows arithmetically. This would result in a food shortage and famine due to overpopulation.

1. California is a “cultural hearth” when it comes to environmental law - what will likely happen if they pass an environmental law - such as banning styrofoam cups?

Other states are likely to follow this trend because California is a cultural hearth so it is where traits originate from. 

1. What is a cultural landscape?

 A natural landscape that has been modified by humans, reflecting their cultural beliefs and values. 

1. China created porcelain china - which was highly valued in Europe because of its beauty. It was very expensive from China so European crafters developed new methods of making porcelain using other materials. What type of diffusion is this?

This is an example of Stimulus Diffusion, where the idea of porcelain spread from China to Europe, but Europeans adapted the concept to their own needs and resources, developing new materials like feldspar and bone ash instead of Chinese kaolin to create their own versions.

Where in the world would hog production be the lowest?

Regions where cultural/religious laws forbid pork (like the Middle East, parts of Africa), or in countries with very low populations and less focus on large-scale pork (like Canada on a per-capita basis)

1. The diffusion of Walmart - which spread from small towns to big cities is what type of diffusion

Reverse hierarchical diffusion, a pattern where innovations spread from smaller, less important places to larger, more influential centers, going against the typical "top-down" trend.

1. What is the status of the Kurds?

They are the largest stateless nation. 

1. Why is Nigeria a multinational state?

They contain over 250 distinct ethnic groups (like Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo) with unique languages, cultures, and traditions, all within one state, creating a complex tapestry where different "nations" coexist. 

1. What is the status of Darfur in Sudan?

There is an ongoing civil war that has put them in a humanitarian crisis. 

1. Why did South Sudan seek independence from Sudan?

Sudan and South Sudan’s border is a transition zone between Africa’s Islamic northern region and the Christian and animist regions of sub-Saharan Africa

1. What is the issue of the Falkland Islands?

A long-standing sovereignty dispute between the United Kingdom, which governs them as an Overseas Territory, and Argentina, which claims them as Las Malvinas.  

1. What would be the likely outcome of the establishment of an independent Kurdistan for the Kurdish People? What would they have to do to get it?

Kurdish self-governance, cultural flourishing, and economic growth (oil/gas), but faces huge hurdles: intense opposition from neighbors (Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria) fearing instability/separatism, internal divisions. 

1. What is a good example of Balkanization?

A prime example of Balkanization is the violent breakup of former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, where the multi-ethnic nation fractured into several smaller, hostile states (like Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia) along ethnic lines, driven by nationalism and conflict, mirroring the original Balkan Peninsula's fragmentation after the Ottoman Empire's collapse

1. What is a good way to explain the political relationship between the autonomous republics and the central government of Russia?

The relationship is a complex, centralized federalism where ethnic autonomous republics offer symbolic cultural control (own language, constitution) to diverse groups, satisfying some self-rule hopes, but Moscow retains ultimate power through federal districts and overriding laws, balancing national unity with managing vast diversity, a dynamic that's shifted towards stronger central control over time. 

1. What is the effect of French language and culture on the federal state of Canada’s political power?

Acting as both centripetal force (unifying) through official bilingualism, ensuring French rights in federal institutions, and a centrifugal force (divisive) via Quebec's distinct identity and sovereignty movements

1. Consequent Boundaries

Type of subsequent boundary - takes into account the existing cultural distribution of the people living in the territory and redevelops boundary lines to more closely align with cultural boundaries.

1. Most of Africa’s political boundaries were originally drawn by…..

Superimposed boundaries, the Berlin Conference imposed arbitrary boundaries throughout the continent of Africa. 

1. What is an example of a geometric boundary?

Borders that are established on straight lines of latitude and longitude instead of physical or cultural boundaries.  

Ex. Established border between Saudi Arabia and Iraq

1. What is an example of a relic boundary

Border that no longer exists, but has left some imprint on the local cultural or environmental geography.  

Ex.  Boundary between East Germany and West Germany during the Cold War

1. Boundaries based on the median-line principle are generally associated with…..

Maritime boundaries

1. What is the primary function of international political boundaries?

To define the limits of a state's sovereignty, establishing the geographic area where a government holds exclusive authority

1. How far is a territorial sea boundary

12 nautical miles from the coastline

1. Who controls most of the Aegean Sea?Greece

Greece

1. What is the likely outcome of gerrymandering?

Impacts election results at various scales -> National, state, local.  

1. How often are congressional boundaries redrawn?

Every 10 years. 

1. Based on scales of analysis - how would you see local representation in the national legislature?

The census makes sure that each state is represented equally. Reapportioning and redistricting assure that each congressional district is roughly the same total population. 

1. What is a unitary state?

Style of government where the power is located centrally and the purpose of regional or local units is to carry out policy. 

1. What is the role of the federal state in a country’s political organization

Acts as an overarching government for a collection of subnational states allied for a common purpose. 

1. Why did Canada create Nunavut?

To recognize the territorial rights of indigenous people in the area. 

1. How is there ethnic separatism in the Philippines?

The majority of the muslim population is on one island. 

1. What is the European Union an example of?

A supranational organization. 

1. What is something that could be a threat to a state’s sovereignty at the national scale, while holding a region together at the global scale?

Joining a supranational organization. 

1. Even though the rise of supranationalism in Europe went up in the 1900’s - what still happened in Europe during that time period in regard to states?

The number of political entities increased because of the devolution of large states into smaller nation-states.  

1. Is variation on language a centripetal or centrifugal force?

Both a centripetal and centrifugal force because it can be a diverse effect on the state but also have dividing factors. 

1. What is an example of a centripetal force in political geography?

A shared national language, ethnicity, or religion

1. What is going on in the Basque Region of Spain and France? How do their local and regional governments compare with the national governments of France and Spain?

They are a stateless region and the local and regional autonomous government and separatists militias are established within the basque region. The local governments create the potential for conflict and are a centrifugal force. 

1. What type of nation is the Basque region?

Stateless region. 

1. Uneven Development - centrifugal or centrepetal force?

Centrifugal because it causes separation economically. 

1. What states have in their recent history been divided into two political entities because of cultural or ideological conflict?

Korea, Vietnam, Germany, and Iceland.