AP Human Geo (2/20/2025)

The Berlin Conference established the borders of North African countries including Egypt, Libya, and Sudan. The landscape of these countries influenced the types of boundaries imposed by the European colonial powers. Which of the following boundary types best explains the influence of landscape on the political borders of the North African region?

Geometric, with straight lines, disregarding physical features or tribal cultural differences of the areas

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea sets the limit of the exclusive economic zone at 200 nautical miles from a country’s coastline. In cases where countries are less than 400 nautical miles apart at sea, which of the following explains how the exclusive economic zone boundary is determined for each country?

Both countries will follow the median-line principle.

Some territories within the Russian Federation are characterized by concentrated populations of ethnic groups and these areas function as autonomous republics. Which of the following best explains the political relationship between the autonomous republics and the central government of Russia?

The autonomous republics provide ethnic groups with some political control over their homelands while preserving Russia’s territorial integrity.

The Canadian government created the new territory of Nunavut in order to

recognize the territorial rights of indigenous people in the area

Which of the following correctly compares the impact of centripetal forces at the local scale with the impact of centripetal forces at the national scale?

Centripetal forces at both the local scale and the national scale may lead to increased cultural cohesion.

Which of the following describes typical characteristics of federal states?

A large land area and multiple ethnic groups

The Philippines and Malaysia lay claim to resources under and around the Spratly Islands. Which of the following best explains how the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) influences claims to the islands by both countries?

The claims to the Spratly Islands by both the Philippines and Malaysia overlap due to exclusive economic zones up to 200 nautical miles from their coasts.

Which of the following describes a federal form of governance?

Multiple substates have local control and are unified to pursue common goals at the national level.

Which of the following describes a unitary form of governance?

A state has a strong central government with no power given to regions.

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of devolutionary movements in Spain and Canada?

There is an economic aspect to the Catalan independence movement, while the Quebecois focus mainly on cultural differences.

LARGE ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS POPULATIONS IN IRAQ, 2015 ESTIMATES

Group	Population
Shia Arabs	15 million
Sunni Arabs	9 million
Sunni Kurds	4 million
Turkmen	3 million
Shia Kurds	500 thousand
Armenian	500 thousand
Yazidi	500 thousand

Based on the data in the table, which of the following is a possible impact of ethnic and religious diversity in Iraq?

Ethnicity and religion lead to devolutionary pressures in the country by politically dividing regions.

ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES (ECOWAS)

Which of the following is the correct organizational scale for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)?

Supranational

Which of the following can be an example of a centrifugal political force?

Variation of language within the country

Which of the following describes an example of a consequent boundary?

Canada created the province of Nunavut to provide greater autonomy for the First Nations.

AMERICAN INDIAN RESERVATIONS, ALASKAN NATIVE CORPORATION LANDS, HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS

Which of the following best explains the governance of the shaded areas shown on the map?

These areas show where indigenous peoples have a limited amount of self-government at a national scale.

Which of the following best explains the effect of French language and culture on the federal state of Canada’s political power?

French language and culture act as a centrifugal force in Canada because independence movements in Quebec have attempted to secede the province from Canada.

Which of the following compares the impact of increased global communications technology to the impact of state-controlled media?

Global communications technology may bring in new ideas that act as centrifugal forces, whereas state-controlled media is utilized as a centripetal force to present a common message.

The provisions of the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea give coastal countries navigational and economic sovereignty over which of the following zones?

Twelve-nautical-mile territorial sea zone

Compare the centralized power of the Soviet Union with the contemporary Russian Federation, in terms of the control of territory. Which of the following statements does the information in the map best support?

Russia is an ethnically diverse region with many subnational units.

The shape of North Carolina’s Twelfth Congressional District, shown above, is most likely the result of

gerrymandering

In the United States House of Representatives there are a fixed number of 435 seats divided among the states based upon each state’s relative population size. Changes in the number of representatives, as shown on the map, affect politics at which of the following scales?

State

 The European Union, the Arab League, and the United Nations are all examples of

nation-states

Which of the following events could be a threat to a state’s sovereignty at the national scale, while holding a region together at the global scale?

Admittance into a supranational organization such as the European Union

Nunavut in Canada is a semiautonomous region that allows an indigenous group within Canada to maintain their own culture and local government, reducing the threat of fragmentation. Which of the following best compares the impact of the creation of Nunavut at both local and national scales?

It created centripetal forces at both local and national scales.

Which of the following explains why Korea and Vietnam were viewed as shatterbelts during the Cold War?

Korea and Vietnam experienced conflict due to a dispute between global powers.