AP_Human_Geography_study_set__2_

Unit 1: Thinking Geographically

Definitions and Concepts

• Geography: The study of Earth's physical features, human societies, and the interactions between them.

• Map Scale: Relationship between the distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the ground.

• GIS (Geographic Information System): A tool that stores, analyzes, and visualizes spatial data.

• GPS (Global Positioning System): A satellite-based navigation system that provides location information anywhere on Earth.

Types of Regions

• Formal Region: An area defined by one or more shared traits (e.g., language or climate).

• Functional Region: An area organized around a central hub or focal point (e.g., metropolitan area).

• Vernacular Region: A region perceived and defined by people (e.g., the "South").

Geographical Analysis

• Spatial Analysis: Examining geographic patterns to identify relationships.

• Distance Decay: Diminishing importance of a phenomenon as distance increases from its origin.

• Time-Space Compression: Reduction in time it takes for information or goods to travel due to technological advances.

Key Geographic Concepts

• Cultural Landscape: The visible imprint of human activity on the landscape.

• Absolute Location: Exact coordinates of a place using latitude and longitude.

• Relative Location: Position of a place about other locations.

• Site vs. Situation: Site refers to the physical characteristics of a place; situation describes its location relative to others.

Unit 2: Population and Migration

Population Density Metrics

• Arithmetic Density: Total population divided by total land area.

• Physiological Density: Population divided by arable land area.

• Agricultural Density: Number of farmers per unit of arable land.

• Carrying Capacity: The maximum population that an environment can sustain.

Migration Concepts

• Migration: Movement of people from one place to another.

• Emigration vs. Immigration: Emigration is leaving a country; immigration is entering a country.

• Push Factor: A condition that drives people to leave a location.

• Pull Factor: A condition that attracts people to a new location.

• Forced Migration: Migration due to conflict, natural disasters, or persecution.

• Voluntary Migration: Migration by choice for better opportunities.

Migration Types

• Brain Drain: Emigration of skilled professionals from one country to another.

• Chain Migration: Migration due to family or community connections in the destination area.

• Step Migration: Migration occurring in stages (e.g., village to town to city).

• Refugee: A person forced to flee their country due to persecution.

Population Growth Metrics

• Natural Increase Rate (NIR): Percentage by which a population grows annually, excluding migration.

• Total Fertility Rate (TFR): Average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime.

• Dependency Ratio: Ratio of dependents (young and old) to the working-age population.

• Zero Population Growth (ZPG): Birth rate equals death rate, leading to no population growth.

Population Structures

• Population Pyramid: Graphical representation of a population's age and gender distribution.

Unit 3: Cultural Patterns and Processes

Culture and Its Dynamics

• Culture: Shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors of a group.

• Cultural Hearth: Origin point of a cultural trait or innovation.

• Cultural Diffusion: Spread of cultural traits from one area to another.

Types of Cultural Diffusion

• Relocation Diffusion: Spread of culture through physical movement of people.

• Hierarchical Diffusion: Spread from a higher authority or power to others.

• Contagious Diffusion: Rapid, widespread diffusion of a trait.

• Stimulus Diffusion: Spread of an underlying idea without the specific trait.

Cultural Change and Interaction

• Assimilation: Minority group adopts the dominant culture.

• Acculturation: Blending of cultures while retaining distinct features.

• Syncretism: Blending of elements from two or more cultures.

Cultural Expressions

• Popular Culture: Widespread, fast-changing cultural traits transmitted via mass media.

• Folk Culture: Traditional practices of small, homogeneous groups in rural areas.

Language and Religion

• Language Family: Group of related languages with a common ancestral origin.

• Lingua Franca: Common language used for communication between speakers of different native languages.

• Universalizing vs. Ethnic Religion: Universalizing religions seek global appeal; ethnic religions are closely tied to specific cultures.

Unit 4: Political Geography

Political Concepts and Institutions

• Sovereignty: Authority of a state to govern itself without external interference.

• Nation: Group of people with shared cultural traits and identity.

• State: Political unit with defined boundaries, a permanent population, and sovereignty.

• Nation-State: A state occupied by a single nation.

• Multinational State: A state with multiple nations within its borders.

National Self-Determination and Boundaries

• Stateless Nation: A nation without a state of its own.

• Self-Determination: Right of a nation to govern itself.

Boundary Types

• Boundary: Line marking the extent of a state's territory.

• Geometric Boundary: Formed by straight lines or arcs.

• Physical Boundary: Based on physical features (e.g., mountains, rivers).

• Cultural Boundary: Based on cultural traits such as language or religion.

Political Processes

• Devolution: Transfer of power from central to regional governments.

• Gerrymandering: Manipulation of electoral district boundaries for political gain.

• Unitary State: Governed as a single, centralized entity.

• Federal State: Power shared between central and regional governments.

• Supranationalism: Cooperation among countries for mutual benefit.

Key Organizations

• United Nations (UN): International organization for global cooperation.

• European Union (EU): Political and economic union of European countries.

Geopolitical Terms

• Shatterbelt: A region caught between powerful external forces, politically fragmented.

• Centripetal Force: Unites people and strengthens a state.

• Geography: The study of Earth's physical features, human societies, and the interactions between them.

• Map Scale: Relationship between the distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the ground.

• GIS (Geographic Information System): A tool that stores, analyzes, and visualizes spatial data.

• GPS (Global Positioning System): A satellite-based navigation system that provides location information anywhere on Earth.

• Formal Region: An area defined by one or more shared traits (e.g., language or climate).

• Functional Region: An area organized around a central hub or focal point (e.g., metropolitan area).

• Vernacular Region: A region perceived and defined by people (e.g., the "South").

• Spatial Analysis: Examining geographic patterns to identify relationships.

• Distance Decay: Diminishing importance of a phenomenon as distance increases from its origin.

• Time-Space Compression: Reduction in time it takes for information or goods to travel due to technological advances.

• Cultural Landscape: The visible imprint of human activity on the landscape.

• Absolute Location: Exact coordinates of a place using latitude and longitude.

• Relative Location: Position of a place about other locations.

• Site: Refers to the physical characteristics of a place.

• Situation: Describes a place's location relative to others.

• Arithmetic Density: Total population divided by total land area.

• Physiological Density: Population divided by arable land area.

• Agricultural Density: Number of farmers per unit of arable land.

• Carrying Capacity: The maximum population that an environment can sustain.

• Migration: Movement of people from one place to another.

• Emigration: Leaving a country.

• Immigration: Entering a country.

• Push Factor: A condition that drives people to leave a location.

• Pull Factor: A condition that attracts people to a new location.

• Forced Migration: Migration due to conflict, natural disasters, or persecution.

• Voluntary Migration: Migration by choice for better opportunities.

• Brain Drain: Emigration of skilled professionals from one country to another.

• Chain Migration: Migration due to family or community connections in the destination area.

• Step Migration: Migration occurring in stages (e.g., from village to town to city).

• Refugee: A person forced to flee their country due to persecution.

• Natural Increase Rate (NIR): Percentage by which a population grows annually, excluding migration.

• Total Fertility Rate (TFR): Average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime.

• Dependency Ratio: Ratio of dependents (young and old) to the working-age population.

• Zero Population Growth (ZPG): Birth rate equals death rate, leading to no population growth.

• Population Pyramid: Graphical representation of a population's age and gender distribution.

• Culture: Shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors of a group.

• Cultural Hearth: Origin point of a cultural trait or innovation.

• Cultural Diffusion: Spread of cultural traits from one area to another.

• Relocation Diffusion: Spread of culture through physical movement of people.

• Hierarchical Diffusion: Spread from a higher authority or power to others.

• Contagious Diffusion: Rapid, widespread diffusion of a trait.

• Stimulus Diffusion: Spread of an underlying idea without the specific trait.

• Assimilation: Minority group adopts the dominant culture.

• Acculturation: Blending of cultures while retaining distinct features.

• Syncretism: Blending of elements from two or more cultures.

• Popular Culture: Widespread, fast-changing cultural traits transmitted via mass media.

• Folk Culture: Traditional practices of small, homogeneous groups in rural areas.

• Language Family: Group of related languages with a common ancestral origin.

• Lingua Franca: Common language used for communication between speakers of different native languages.

• Universalizing Religion: Religions that seek global appeal.

• Ethnic Religion: Religions closely tied to specific cultures.

• Sovereignty: Authority of a state to govern itself without external interference.

• Nation: Group of people with shared cultural traits and identity.

• State: Political unit with defined boundaries, a permanent population, and sovereignty.

• Nation-State: A state occupied by a single nation.

• Multinational State: A state with multiple nations within its borders.

• Stateless Nation: A nation without a state of its own.

• Self-Determination: Right of a nation to govern itself.

• Boundary: Line marking the extent of a state's territory.

• Geometric Boundary: Formed by straight lines or arcs.

• Physical Boundary: Based on physical features (e.g., mountains, rivers).

• Cultural Boundary: Based on cultural traits such as language or religion.

• Devolution: Transfer of power from central to regional governments.

• Gerrymandering: Manipulation of electoral district boundaries for political gain.

• Unitary State: Governed as a single, centralized entity.

• Federal State: Power shared between central and regional governments.

• Supranationalism: Cooperation among countries for mutual benefit.

• United Nations (UN): International organization for global cooperation.

• European Union (EU): Political and economic union of European countries.

• Shatterbelt: A region caught between powerful external forces, politically fragmented.

• Centripetal Force: Unites people and strengthens a state.

Unit 1: Thinking Geographically

• Chapter 1: Definitions and Concepts: Introduces key geographical concepts such as geography, map scale, GIS, and GPS. Discusses the importance of understanding spatial relationships and the different types of regions (formal, functional, and vernacular).

• Chapter 2: Geographical Analysis: Focuses on spatial analysis methods, including distance decay and time-space compression, to understand geographic patterns and their implications on human interactions and behaviors.

• Chapter 3: Key Geographic Concepts: Explores foundational geographic concepts like cultural landscape, absolute vs. relative location, and the differences between site and situation, emphasizing their roles in geographical study.

Unit 2: Population and Migration

• Chapter 4: Population Density Metrics: Discusses various metrics for measuring population density, including arithmetic, physiological, and agricultural densities, as well as carrying capacity which defines the sustainable population.

• Chapter 5: Migration Concepts: Defines key migration concepts, distinguishing between emigration and immigration, and identifying push and pull factors influencing migration decisions.

• Chapter 6: Migration Types: Reviews various migration patterns such as brain drain, chain migration, step migration, and includes insights into the experiences of refugees.

• Chapter 7: Population Growth Metrics: Analyzes population growth indicators like the natural increase rate (NIR), total fertility rate (TFR), dependency ratio, and conditions that lead to zero population growth (ZPG).

• Chapter 8: Population Structures: Describes the populations' age and gender distributions using population pyramids as a visual tool for demographic analysis.

Unit 3: Cultural Patterns and Processes

• Chapter 9: Culture and Its Dynamics: Defines culture and introduces concepts related to cultural hearths and cultural diffusion, discussing how cultures develop and spread.

• Chapter 10: Types of Cultural Diffusion: Breaks down types of cultural diffusion, including relocation, hierarchical, contagious, and stimulus diffusion, illustrating how cultural traits propagate through societies.

• Chapter 11: Cultural Change and Interaction: Explores processes of cultural change such as assimilation, acculturation, and syncretism, highlighting their impacts on societal dynamics.

• Chapter 12: Cultural Expressions: contrasts popular and folk culture, illustrating their distinct characteristics and the ways in which they are transmitted and preserved.

• Chapter 13: Language and Religion: Discusses language families, the concept of lingua franca, and distinguishes between universalizing and ethnic religions in cultural contexts.

Unit 4: Political Geography

• Chapter 14: Political Concepts and Institutions: Introduces fundamental political geography concepts such as sovereignty, state, nation, and nation-state, detailing their implications for governance.

• Chapter 15: National Self-Determination and Boundaries: Evaluates concepts of stateless nations, self-determination, and various types of boundaries (geometric, physical, cultural) and how they shape political landscapes.

• Chapter 16: Political Processes: Examines political processes like devolution, gerrymandering, unitary vs. federal states, and the role of supranationalism in geopolitics.

• Chapter 17: Key Organizations: Reviews the role and functions of major international organizations, specifically the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU), in promoting global cooperation.

• Chapter 18: Geopolitical Terms: Concludes with an exploration of key geopolitical terms such as shatterbelt and centripetal force, discussing their relevance in understanding contemporary political geography.

Types of Maps in Geography

1. Political Maps: Show governmental boundaries, cities, and significant bodies of water. Useful for identifying territories and political divisions.

2. Physical Maps: Illustrate physical landscape features such as mountains, valleys, and plains. Highlighting natural elements of the environment.

3. Topographic Maps: Depict elevation changes using contour lines, demonstrating the terrain's shape and relief.

4. Thematic Maps: Focus on a specific theme or subject area, such as population density, climate, or economic activities, often using colors or symbols to represent data.

5. Choropleth Maps: Represent variables through different shading patterns or colors, highlighting statistical data across regions.

6. Dot Distribution Maps: Use dots to represent the presence of a phenomenon, with each dot corresponding to a specific quantity.

7. Flow Maps: Illustrate movement from one location to another, useful for depicting migration patterns or trade routes.

8. Cadastral Maps: Show land ownership and property boundaries, often used in urban planning and management.

9. Weather Maps: Display atmospheric conditions, including temperature, precipitation, and weather patterns at a given time.