AP Human Geography Unit Notes

5 Themes of Geography

• Location

  • Relative Location: Position of a place relative to others.
  • Absolute Location: Exact position measured using latitude and longitude.

• Place

  • Characteristics that make a location unique (both human and physical).

• Human-Environment Interaction

  • Study of how humans adapt to and modify their environment.

• Movement

  • Relates to the mobility of people, goods, and ideas, which affect spatial interactions and accessibility.

• Regions

  • Areas defined by specific criteria or characteristics that distinguish them from other areas.

Branches of Geography

Physical Geography

• Topography: Study of Earth's surface and relief features.
• Climate: Analysis of average weather conditions (Koppen classification system).
• Flora and Fauna: Study of plant and animal life.
• Soil: Examination of terrestrial soils and their types.

Human Geography

• Culture: Dynamics of human cultures and their development.
• Population: Demographic studies encompassing statistics about populations.
• Economic Geography: Interaction between location and economic activities.
• Political Geography: Study of political processes relative to geographic space.
• Urban Geography: Examination of cities and urban areas.

Forms of Distortion in Projections

1. Shape Distortion: Alteration of the shapes of land masses.
2. Direction Distortion: Change in actual direction between points.
3. Distance Distortion: Alteration in the space between points.
4. Relative Size Distortion: Misrepresentation of the size of places/regions.

Thematic Maps

• Isoline Maps: Use lines to represent constant data values (e.g., elevation).
• Choropleth Maps: Use varying shades of color to represent data distributions.
• Graduated Symbol Maps: Symbols vary in size to represent quantitative data.
• Dot Maps: Each dot represents a frequency of data.
• Cartograms: Data represented in proportion to a variable, distorting geography.

Climate Influencing Factors (LACEMOPS)

• Latitude: Climatic variation with distance from the equator.
• Air Masses: Influence of cold and warm air flows.
• Continentality: Effect of land versus water on temperatures.
• Elevation: Impact of height above sea level on climate (temperature decreases by ~3.5°F per 1000 ft increase).
• Mountain Barriers: Effects of mountains on weather patterns (windward/leeward).
• Ocean Currents: Influence of cold or warm ocean currents on climate.
• Pressure Cells: High (cold) and low (warm) pressure systems affecting wind patterns.

Migration Dynamics

• Stats: Women migrate within countries; men migrate between countries.
• Main Sources of Migration: Economic factors are primary; rural to urban movement predominates.

Map Projections

• Goode’s Homolosine: Minimizes distortion; interrupts oceans.
• Mercator: Maintains direction but distorts shape/size.
• Robinson: Compromises on distortion across various aspects.
• Winkel Tripel: Balances size and shape.
• Gall-Peters: Preserves area but distorts shape.
• Fuller Projection: Maintains size/shape without cardinal directions.

Economic Categorization of Countries

• Primary Economies: Resource extraction (agriculture, mining).
• Secondary Economies: Manufacturing and processing.
• Tertiary Economies: Services provision (healthcare, education).
• Quaternary Economies: Information and management services.
• MDC (More Developed Countries): High industrialization and wealth. (e.g., USA, Canada)
• NIC (Newly Industrialized Countries): Transitioning economies. (e.g., China, India)
• LDC (Less Developed Countries): Low income and industrial base. (e.g., Angola, Benin)

Cartography

• Definition: The science of map-making.
• Map Scale Types:
  • Large Scale (1:25,000): More detail, smaller area.
  • Small Scale (1:1,000,000): Less detail, larger area.
• Map Analysis Scale:
  • Global vs. National scales based on level of detail and data grouping.

Population Indicators

• Natural Increase Rate (NIR): CBR - CDR.
• IMR (Infant Mortality Rate): Deaths under 1 year per 1,000 live births.
• TFR (Total Fertility Rate): Average number of children a woman will have.
• Life Expectancy: Average years of life based on health/demography.

Geographical Terms

• Density: Number of occurrences in a given area.
• Clustering: Proximity of distributed items.
• Dispersion: Spread of items over an area.
• Spatial Distribution: Arrangement of a phenomenon across space.

Migration Theories and Laws

• Ravenstein’s Laws of Migration: Patterns and reasons reflected in migration statistics.
• Wallerstein’s Core-Periphery Model: Economic relationships between developed and developing nations.

Urban Geography

• Demographic Transition Model: Stages of population change over time.
  • Stage 1: High birth & death rates.
  • Stage 2: Decline in death rates, high birth rates.
  • Stage 3: Declining birth rates, lower death rates.
  • Stage 4: Low birth & death rates, possible population decrease.

Summary of Concepts and Models

• Epidemiological Transition Model: Changes in disease patterns as populations grow.
• Cultural Landscape: Reflection of human imprint on land.
• Diffusion Types: Relocation, expansion, hierarchical, etc.

Urbanization Trends

• Shift toward suburban living and development of edge cities.
• Gentrification and urban renewal outcomes.
• Climate impact on urban evolution and sustainability efforts.