AP Human Geography Ultimate Review Flashcards

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering the seven units of AP Human Geography based on the Mr. Sin review transcript.

What are the primary characteristics of the Mercator map projection?

It is a conformal map that preserves shape and direction, making it useful for naval navigation, but it severely distorts the area of landmasses, especially near the poles.

How does the size of Africa compare to Greenland on a Mercator map versus reality?

On a Mercator map they look roughly the same size, but in reality, Africa is about $14$ times larger than Greenland.

What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative data in geography?

Qualitative data is descriptive, subjective, and open to interpretation (e.g., interviews and field observations), while quantitative data is numerical, objective, and measurable (e.g., census data and income levels).

What is the difference between a small scale map and a large scale map?

Small scale maps are zoomed out, showing larger areas with more generalizations, while large scale maps are zoomed in, showing smaller areas with more detail and fewer generalizations.

What is environmental determinism?

The theory that the physical environment dictates the success or failure of a society, suggesting that certain environments like fertile river valleys allow societies to thrive while harsh environments prevent development.

What are formal, functional, and perceptual regions?

Formal regions have shared common attributes; functional (nodal) regions are organized around a center point or economic activity; and perceptual (vernacular) regions are defined by people's opinions, feelings, or beliefs.

How are arithmetic, physiological, and agricultural densities calculated?

Arithmetic is total population divided by total land area; physiological is total population divided by arable land; agricultural is the number of farmers divided by arable land.

What age groupings are examined in a population pyramid?

Prereproductive years ($0-14$), reproductive years ($15-44$), and post reproductive years ($45$ and above).

What happens to birth and death rates in Stage $2$ of the Demographic Transition Model (DTM)?

Death rates start to decline due to improvements in food supply and medicine, while birth rates remain high, leading to rapid population growth.

What is Zero Population Growth (ZPG) and in which DTM stage does it typically occur?

ZPG is when the population essentially replaces itself with low birth and death rates, typically occurring in Stage $4$.

What is the replacement level Total Fertility Rate (TFR)?

A TFR of $2.1$ is considered the replacement rate.

What does the Malthusian theory predict?

Thomas Malthus predicted that population grows exponentially while food production grows arithmetically, eventually leading to a catastrophe where population exceeds carrying capacity.

What is the difference between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism?

Ethnocentrism is judging another culture by one's own cultural standards, while cultural relativism is evaluating a culture by its own standards.

What are the common types of expansion diffusion?

Contagious diffusion (rapid spread in all directions), hierarchical diffusion (top-down through power structures), and stimulus diffusion (spreading of an idea that is adapted to fit local culture).

What is the difference between universalizing and ethnic religions?

Universalizing religions (e.g., Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism) seek to appeal to all people and expand; ethnic religions (e.g., Hinduism, Judaism) are centered around specific cultural groups and usually stay in one location.

How is a state defined in political geography?

A geographic area with a permanent population, defined borders, a sovereign government, and recognition by other states.

What is a stateless nation?

A group of people with a shared culture and history who desire to govern themselves but do not have a state of their own.

What are the three zones defined by the Law of the Sea?

Territorial waters ($12$ nautical miles), the contiguous zone ($12$ to $24$ nautical miles), and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (up to $200$ nautical miles).

What is the difference between redistricting and gerrymandering?

Redistricting is the redrawing of voting district boundaries (usually after a census), while gerrymandering is manipulating that process to favor one political party.

What is devolution?

The transfer of political power from a central government to regional or local governments, often driven by ethnic separatism or uneven economic development.

What is the difference between intensive and extensive agriculture?

Intensive agriculture uses less land but more labor and capital (e.g., market gardening), while extensive agriculture uses more land with less labor and capital (e.g., nomadic herding).

What are the three types of rural settlement patterns?

Clustered (grouped closely), dispersed (spread out), and linear (arranged in a line along a road or river).

What characterized the Green Revolution?

The use of high-yield seed varieties, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and mechanized farming to dramatically increase global food production.

What does Von Thunen’s model explain about land use?

It explains that agricultural land use is shaped by transportation costs and the perishability of products relative to the market, with dairy/horticulture closest and ranching farthest away.

What is the difference between a megacity and a metacity?

A megacity has a population over $10,000,000$, while a metacity has a population over $20,000,000$.

What are Range and Threshold in Central Place Theory?

Range is the maximum distance people will travel for a good or service; Threshold is the minimum population needed to support that good or service.

What is gentrification?

When wealthier residents move into lower-income neighborhoods, raising property values and potentially displacing long-term residents.

What are the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors of the economy?

Primary is resource extraction (farming, mining); Secondary is manufacturing and processing; Tertiary is providing services (retail, healthcare).

What are bulk-reducing and bulk-gaining industries?

Bulk-reducing industries (e.g., copper smelting) locate near raw materials because the final product is lighter; bulk-gaining industries (e.g., soda bottling) locate near the market because the product gets heavier.

What does Rostow’s Stages of Economic Growth theory argue?

That all countries develop through five linear stages: Traditional Society, Preconditions for Takeoff, Takeoff, Drive to Maturity, and Age of Mass Consumption.

What is Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory?

A theory dividing the global economy into three tiers: Core (most power/wealth), Semi-periphery (industrializing middle ground), and Periphery (dependent on exporting raw materials).

What is the difference between outsourcing and offshoring?

Outsourcing is contracting work out to another company; offshoring is moving a company's own operations to another country.