AP Human Geography Unit 1 Review Notes

Maps

• Maps are a significant component of the course and must be understood for their ability to represent spatial information.

• Reference Maps:

  • Informational, showing boundaries, toponyms (place names), and geographic features, serving as a basic tool for locating and identifying places.

  • Used for directions, aiding in navigation and understanding spatial relationships.

• Thematic Maps:

  • Display themes, patterns, and spatial patterns of places, used to visualize and analyze specific geographic data.

  • Often display quantitative data, using numerical information to represent geographic phenomena.

• Toponym: name of a place on Earth, essential for identifying and referencing locations.

Types of Thematic Maps

• Focus on reading and understanding maps rather than memorizing components; emphasize analytical skills to interpret spatial data effectively.

• Consider limitations of maps at different scales to avoid misinterpretations and understand the level of generalization.

• Broad themes: Political, economic, social, and cultural aspects are commonly represented to analyze various dimensions of human geography.

• These maps often display quantitative data, utilizing statistical information for in-depth analysis.

• Chloropleth Maps:

  • Use shading to display data ranges, with darker or lighter shades indicating different values.

  • Example: literacy rates by region, illustrating the distribution of education levels.

  • Important to interpret the data (e.g., identifying regions with highest/lowest literacy rates) to draw meaningful conclusions.

  • Always consider the title, legend, and source of the map for a comprehensive understanding.

• Dot Density Maps:

  • Show precise locations of phenomena using dots, with each dot representing a certain quantity.

  • Depending on the scale of the map, they may be difficult to read due to overcrowding or dispersion of dots.

• Scale:

  • Small Scale: Shows a large area with less detail (e.g., the Earth), useful for overview but lacks specific information.

  • Large Scale: Shows a small area with lots of detail, providing detailed insights but limited in overall scope.

• Graduated Symbol Maps:

  • Use symbols of different sizes to represent data values at specific locations.

  • Can have limitations due to overlap, making them difficult to read when symbols cluster together.

  • Used because they are visually interesting and can effectively communicate data variations.

• Isoline Maps:

  • Use contour lines to group characteristics together, connecting points of equal value.

  • Important to remember contour lines represent continuous data, such as elevation or temperature.

• Cartogram Maps:

  • Distortion can make them harder to read, requiring careful interpretation.

  • The larger the area, the more prevalent the topic is in that region.

  • Example: Population cartogram, where larger areas indicate higher population, illustrating demographic distribution.

• Flowline Map:

  • Shows movement (people, goods, ideas) between locations using lines of varying thickness.

  • Useful for illustrating globalization and interconnectedness among different regions.

  • Example: exports and imports, where E is for exit (exports) and I is for in (imports), showing trade flows.

Map Projections

• Every map has distortion, which is the fundamental problem when representing a 3D surface on a 2D plane.

• Distortion can affect shape, area, distance, and direction, leading to misrepresentations.

• Common map projections include Mercator, Robinson, Hobbleson, and Fuller, each designed for specific purposes.

• Mercator projection is highly distorted, especially at high latitudes, but preserves local shapes and angles.

Map Vocab

• Absolute Distance: The exact distance between two places, measured in standard units.

• Absolute Direction: The exact direction you're heading, typically using cardinal directions.

• Relative Distance: An approximate measurement between two places, often described in terms of time or cost.

• Relative Direction: Direction depends on the surrounding area or a specific reference point.

Settlement Stuff

• Clustered: Settlements are grouped together, often around a central point like a water source.

• Dispersed: Settlements are spread out, common in agricultural areas with large land holdings.

• Linear: Settlements are along a line, such as a river or transportation route.

Data

• Qualitative: Information up for debate and interpretation, subjective, based on opinions and perceptions.

  • Example: Surveys on opinions, providing insights into attitudes and beliefs.

• Quantitative: Objective and factual/ numerical, measurable and verifiable data.

  • Example: Crime rate of a city, GDP per capita, providing statistical evidence for analysis.

Geospatial Technologies

• Remote Sensing:

  • Collecting information about the Earth from satellites without being physically present, useful for monitoring environmental changes and land use.

• GPS (Global Positioning System):

  • Used for directions but also in farming for precise tractor use, enabling precision agriculture.

• GIS (Geographic Information System):

  • Software for storing, capturing, managing, and displaying data, used for spatial analysis and decision-making.

  • Used for creating thematic maps, allowing visualization of complex geographic patterns.

Gathering Information

• Field Observations: Observing in person to gather firsthand data and insights.

• Media Reports: Information from news sources, providing current events and perspectives.

• Travel Narratives: Accounts from travelers, offering personal experiences and observations.

• Policy Documents: Legislative information and laws that shape human activities and landscapes.

• Interviews: Talking to people to gather opinions, experiences, and local knowledge.

• Landscape Analysis: Observing and interpreting landscapes, assessing both natural and human-induced features.

• Photographic Interpretation: Analyzing photos to gather information with a focus on landscape analysis and photographic interpretation.

Census and Satellite Imagery

• Census:

  • A quantitative data source collected every 10 years, providing demographic and socioeconomic information.

  • Provides accurate counts of people and characteristics like income, race, and gender, essential for policy and planning.

  • Used to inform policy decisions, such as resource allocation and infrastructure development.

• Satellite Images:

  • Remote sensing data, capturing Earth's surface from space.

  • Used to observe land use changes over time, such as deforestation, urbanization, and agricultural expansion.

Using Data at Different Scales

• Personal:

  • Using data for individual decisions, like buying a house or choosing a school.

  • Example: Using Redfin to look at crime rates and school districts, informing personal choices.

• Business:

  • Using data to decide where to open a new business, optimizing location for market access and profitability.

  • Looking at average income by country or region, assessing market potential.

• Government:

  • Using population pyramids to see population shifts and changes, analyzing demographic trends for policy planning.

• Small Scale: Shows the entire globe/ a large area, but with less detail, useful for general overviews.

• Large Scale: Shows a small area, but with more detail, providing specific insights.

Additional Vocab

• Place: characteristics of particular locations, including physical and human attributes.

Distance Decay and Time-Space Compression

• Distance Decay:

  • The effect of distance on interactions, where interaction decreases with increasing distance.

  • The farther away you are, the less likely you are to interact, affecting trade, communication, and social relationships.

  • Has decreased due to time-space compression, reducing the impact of distance.

• Time-Space Compression:

  • The world feels smaller due to technological advancements, enhancing connectivity and reducing travel time.

  • Enables quicker connections across the globe, especially in global trade, communication, and cultural exchange.

Perspectives

• Environmental Determinism:

  • The physical environment dictates possibilities, suggesting that natural factors control human development.

  • Less accepted today, due to its oversimplified view of human-environment relationships.

• Possibilism:

  • Factors in human agency, emphasizing the role of human choices in shaping outcomes.

  • Anything is possible, humans can control their outcome through technology, innovation, and adaptability.

• Human-Environment Interaction:

  • Any time humans interact with the environment, causing a cause and effect relationship, involving a two-way influence.

  • Includes renewable and non-renewable resources, impacting sustainability and resource management.

Land Use Patterns

• Understanding land use patterns (agricultural, residential, transportation, industrial) to reveal spatial organization and human activities.

• Reveals society's priorities, economic development, government policies, and culture, reflecting societal values and resource allocation.

Scale and Scale of Analysis

• Scale: The relationship between the distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the ground, determining the level of detail.

• Scale of Analysis: How data is collected, organized, and presented, influencing the interpretation of geographic phenomena.

• Common Scales of Analysis: Local, regional, national, and global, each providing different perspectives.

• Subnational: Anything below the national level, such as state, province, or county.

Types of Regions

• Formal:

  • Regions with common characteristics or attributes, not up for debate, defined by objective criteria.

  • Example: The United States, defined by political boundaries and legal jurisdiction.

• Functional:

  • Regions with a central node or focal point, organized around a specific function or activity.

  • Example: A pizza place that delivers to a certain area or a train/bus station serving a transportation network.

• Perceptual:

  • Regions based on people's perceptions and opinions, subjective and varying among individuals.

  • Example: The South of the United States, each person would include different states based on cultural, historical, and social perceptions.

  • Often uses cardinal directions when naming, such as the Midwest or the Far East.