AP HUMAN

GEOGRAPHY
Unit One: Thinking Geographically
The AP Exam
• TUESDAY, MAY 5th
•Two-hours and 15 minutes
• 75 multiple choice (60 minutes)
•3 essays in free response section (75
minutes- answer all 3 FRQ’s)
• Students who score high enough on the
exam can receive college credit for taking the
course.
 Course Outline
 Thinking Geographically 8-10%

 Population and Migration Patterns and Processes 13-17%

 Cultural Patterns and Processes 12-17%

 Political Patterns and Processes 12-17%
 Agriculture and Rural Land Use 12-17%

 Cities and Urban Land Use 13-17%

 Industrial and Economic Patterns and Processes 13-17%

 Syllabus Highlights
• Calendar and Vocab for each unit on website.
• Two Interactive Notebooks.
• Late and Missing Work:
– All work turned in at the end of the unit in the
Interactive Notebook.
– Due dates for specific assignments will serve as
checks on progress and completion.
• Homework:
– Quality time v. Quantity
– Manageable units spread over time = Better
Retention (avoid the cram)
– Pomodoro’s = Focused 20 minutes, 5-6 days per
week.
 Unit Breakdown
• NOTEBOOK
– Vocab: Human Geography is a vocab intensive
course. Notebooks will become a comprehensive
study guide in the spring.
– Ultimate Guides: Two page essays on key topics and
concepts.
– Textbook Assignment: 6 Response Questions each
Unit.
– Practice Free Response Questions
– Current Event Articles – Applying human geography
concepts.
– Regional Country Reports
 Unit Breakdown
• ASSESSMENT
– Daily Review Quizzes
– Regional Map Quizzes
– Unit Exams
– Multiple Choice
– Free Response Questions
– Comprehensive Semester Exams
• Semester 1: Units 1 - 4
• Semester 2: Units 5- 7
1.1 Introduction to Maps
Spatial Approach
A spatial approach considers the arrangements of
phenomena being studied across the earths surface.

It considers location, distance, direction, orientation,

pattern and interconnection

Geographers ask spatial approach based questions such

as;
Why are things where they are?
How did things become distributed as they are?
What is changing the patterns of distribution?
What are the implications of the spatial distributions
for people?
 • History = Time

• Geography = Space

Television Introduction by Country

Physical Geography
• Spatialanalysis of the structure,
processes and location of the Earth’s
natural phenomena such as climate, soil,
plants, animals and topography.
Latitude
The distance north or south of
the equator.
 Equator
• Imaginary line that circles the globe exactly halfway
between the North and South poles.

• The equator is designated as 0 degrees latitude and

the poles as 90 degrees north and 90 degrees south.
Longitude
• Thedistance east or west of the
Prime Meridian.
Prime Meridian
• An imaginary line that circles the runs from
pole to pole through Greenwich England. It is
designated as 0 degrees longitude.
• On the opposite side of the globe from the Prime
Meridian is 180 degrees longitude.
International Date Line
• An imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to
the South Pole and demarcates the change of one
calendar day to the next.
• It passes through the middle of the Pacific Ocean,
roughly following the 180° line of longitude but
deviating to pass around some territories and island
groups.
Ultimate Guide: What is Human
Geography and why is it important?
• Video:
 Take notes on video in notebook
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDk06h7Abbw
•
• Power Research:
 15 minutes
 Gather as much info as possible to answer the question
 Take notes

• Outline
 3-4 minutes
 Outline your essay
 Topics, examples, definitions

• Power Write
 20 minutes of writing
 Minimum of two pages completed
What is Human Geography?
Human Geography
• The study of:
• how people make places,
• how we organize space and society,
• how we interact with each other in places and
across space,
• and how we make sense of others and ourselves
in our locality, region, and world.
Human Geography
• The impact of geography on humans
and the impact of humans on
geography
 Geography is everything and
everything is geography.”
Culture Boundary Disputes
Religion Geopolitics
Language Urbanization
Racial Conflict Agricultural Methods
Ethnic Cleansing Agri-business
Infant mortality Food Scarcity
Life expectancy Patterns of Consumption
Infectious disease Popular Culture
Migration Religious
Fundamentalism
Immigration
Globalization
Gender Roles
Genetically Modified
Foods
Cartographic Scale

The ratio between the size of objects in

the real world and their representation on
the map.

Also known as map scale.

 smaller scale
Sample Area Covered Fraction Scale Verbal Scale
World 1:78,000,000 1 in = 1,250 mi
No. America 1:36,000,000 1 in = 570 mi
Central U.S. 1: 4,000,000 1 in = 64 mi
AAA Oregon map 1: 1,267,200 1 in = 20 mi
larger scale

Smaller-scale shows more land area in less

detail. Used to show global patterns.
Larger-scale shows less land area in more
detail. Used on local maps.
Absolute Direction

Directions to a location based on the

cardinal points – North, South,
East, West.
Relative Direction:

Directions to a location that use

relative terms, such as left, right,
up, down, over.

Example: Go down McKillican, cross 43,

keep walking along the road, on your
right will be a red brick building.
Clustering
• Map making tool that allows you to cluster your
data into smaller data points so that it is easier
to see from the larger groupings.
Dispersal
• Mapmaking tool – spread out
overlapping data symbols to make
them easier to differentiate.
Elevation
• Mapping techniques to show the height
above a certain level - commonly above
sea level.
 Trinidad & Tobago
Venezuel
a Suriname

Reference Maps
Guyana
French Guiana
Colombia
Ecu
ado
r
- Show locations of
places and geographic Peru
Brazil

features. Referred to Bolivia

for general Paragu

information. ay

Uruguay
Argentina
Chile

Falkland Islands
Common Types of Reference
Maps
1. Political Maps

2. Physical Maps

3. Road Maps

4. Plat Maps

5. Locator Maps
Political Maps: Show human created
boundaries and designations, such as
countries, states, cities and capitals.
Physical Maps: Show natural features, such as
mountains, rivers and deserts.
Road Maps: Shows highways,
roads, and streets.
Plat Maps: Show property lines.
Locator Maps: Used in books,
newspapers, advertisements to show
specific locations mentioned in the
text.
Thematic
Maps
- Show degree of an
attribute, the
pattern of its
distribution, or its
movement.
- Relative locations
Common Types of Thematic
Maps
1. Categorical
2. Choropleth
3. Isoline
4. Dot Distribution
5. Graduated
Symbol
6. Cartograms
Categorical Thematic Maps
Shows areas that are different in kind
Shows different kinds of the same thing
(category).
Uses several distinct colors to show different
categories

Desert Forest Tundra

Examples: climates, form of government,

political parties
Choropleth Thematic Maps
Shows areas that are different in amount
Use shades of similar colors to show different
values

high value medium value low value

Examples: population density, literacy rates

 FOUR-LEVEL ANALYSIS

Level Description Key Questions

1. Comprehension Establish the basic information. What?

Where?
When?
What type of map?
Scale?

2. Identification Identify and describe patterns in Are the phenomena clustered or dispersed?
phenomena. What densities are apparent?
Where are the patterns?
Are the patterns connected?

3. Explanation Explain how individual phenomena Why is something where it is?

might form a pattern. How did something get where it is?

4. Impact Explain why a pattern is important, Why is the pattern important?

what impact it has and predict what it What are the impacts?
might lead to.  Environmental (changes to the environment and the impact on humans)
 Social (interactions, language, religion, culture, people, etc.)
 Political (government, laws, regulations, policies, conflict, etc.)
 Economic (money, currency, trade, development, poverty, etc.)
What might the pattern lead to in the future?
 Human Development Index (HDI) Rankings
Includes GNI/PPP, Literacy, and Life Expectancy
Dot Distribution Maps:
Show the specific location and distribution
of something across space. Each dot
represents a
specified quantity.
Graduated Symbol Maps:
Uses symbols of different sizes placed in an
area to show value or quantity. Often a
circle, but could be any symbol – people
representing population
Isoline Maps
• Uselines to connect points of equal
value to show variations in data across
space.

• Linesclose together show that the

phenomena is changing rapidly. Lines
farther apart show the phenomenon
staying relatively the same.
Topographic Maps
Type of Isoline Map.

Most commonly shows changes in

elevation using contour lines.
 Cartograms
Distorts the size and shape of a
map area to show statistical data.

Source: M. Gastner, C. Shalizi, and M. Newman, University of Michigan

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/
 Political Party Affiliation Red = Republican Blue = Democrat

Source: M. Gastner, C. Shalizi, and M. Newman, University of Michigan

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/
Map Projection
Systematic methods of transferring a spherical
surface to a flat map

Distortion must occur in either size, shape, distance,

or direction – all projections are compromises
Common Map Projections
• Mercator

• Peters – Equal Area Projection

• Conic

• Robinson
Mercator Projection
A projection of a map of the world on to a
cylinder in such a way that all the parallels
of latitude have the same length as the
equator, used especially for marine charts
and certain climatological maps.
The Mercator Projection
Strengths
 Directions are shown accurately
 Lines of latitude and longitude meet at
right angles
Distortion
 Distances between lines of longitude
appear constant
 Land masses near the poles appear large
Peters Equal Area Projection
• The Peters projection is a
rectangular map projection that
maps all areas such that they have
the correct sizes relative to each
other.
Peters Equal Area Projection
• Strengths
 Sizes of land masses are accurate

• Distortions
 Shapes are inaccurate, especially near the
poles.
Conic Projection
•A map projection based on the
concept of projecting the earth's
surface on a conical surface, which
is then unrolled to a plane surface.
• Conic Projection
Conic Projection
• Strengths
 Lines of latitude converge
 Lines of latitude are curved
 Size and shape are both close to reality
• Distortion
 Direction is not constant
 On a world map longitude lines converge at only one
pole
The Robinson Projection
• A map projection which shows the entire
world at once. It was specifically created
in an attempt to find a good compromise
to the problem of readily showing the
whole globe as a flat image.
The Robinson Projection
• Strengths
 No major distortions
 Oval shape appears more globe like than
rectangle form
• Distortion
 Area, shape, size, and direction are all
slightly distorted
Denver metro area
Christian
 Turkey

Syria
Iran

Jordan
Iraq Ethnic
Groups

Saudi
Arabia Kuwait

Iraq’s population is 29 million: sixty percent are Shi’a Arab, mostly in the south.
Sunni Arabs are concentrated in the center (western Iraq is sparsely populated).
Over 4 million Iraqis in northern Iraq are Kurdish. Baghdad is a transition zone.
1.2 Geographic Data
Remote Sensing

The use of cameras or other sensors mounted on aircraft or

satellites to collect digital images of the earth’s surface.
Geographic Information
System (GIS)

A computer system that can store,

analyze and display information
from multiple digital maps or
geospatial data sets.
Global Positioning
System (GPS)
• GPS receivers on the earth’s
surface use the locations of
multiple satellites to determine
and record the receivers exact
location.
Ultimate Guide – Remote Sensing,
GIS, and GPS.
1. Define and describe Remote Sensing. Explain how it is used
to study geography. How is it used to collect data and why is it
important. Must include several real world examples to
explain the concept.

2. Define and describe GPS. Explain how it is used to study

geography. How is it used to collect data and why is it
important. Must include several real world examples to
explain the concept.

3. Define and describe GIS. Explain how it is used to study

geography. How is it used to collect data and why is it
important. Must include several real world examples to
explain the concept.
1.5 Pages
Quantitative Data
• Informationthat can be measured
and recorded using numbers.
Qualitative Data
• Information that is not usually
represented by numbers. Includes
interviews, descriptions, visual
observations, and documents.
Census Data
• Information gathered through an official
count or survey of a population, typically
recording various details of individuals.
• The United States Census is a survey
conducted every ten years to determine
the population for taxation and political
representation purposes.
1.3 The Power of Geographic Data
Geographic Models
• Representations of reality or theories
about reality, to help geographers see
general spatial patterns, focus on the
influence of specific factors and
understand variations from place to place.
• Models help explain, describe and predict
spatial activity and phenomena.
Spatial Models
• Look like stylized maps. Used to
show theories about spatial
distributions.
Nonspatial Models
• Show theories and concepts using
words, graphs or tables. Often show
changes over time rather than
across space.
1.4 Spatial Concepts
Absolute Location
Uses a coordinate system, such as
latitude and longitude, to show the
precise plotting of where something
is located.

An absolute location describes a

fixed position that never changes.
Relative Location
The location of a place in relation
to other human and physical
features.
Write one paragraph describing the relative location of Caracas,
Venezuela
Place
Describes a location by it’s physical and
human features.

What does this place look like?

Describes the uniqueness of a location.

The physical and human elements that

make it a “place” not just a “space”
 Physical Features
Climate, vegetation, landforms, bodies of water and
wildlife.

Human Features
Language, religion, culture and customs, politics and
government, skin tone, facial features, music, food,
architecture and landmarks.
Sense of Place
Infusing a place with meaning and
emotion.
Site
The absolute location of a place or
activity described by local physical
and cultural characteristics.

The characteristics are contained or

located within the absolute location.
Situation
The relative location of a place
described in relation to the
physical and cultural
characteristics of the larger region
of which it is a part.

The characteristics are outside of

the locations absolute location.
Mini Ultimate Guide
• Describe the site of West Linn High
School

• Describe the situation of West Linn

High School

• Describe the site of London

• Describe the situation of London

Space
• Implies the extent of an area
Flows
• The movement of objects from one
location to another, such as the
number of people in a migration or
the amount of goods being traded
between two countries.
Distance Decay
The declining intensity of an
activity, process or function with
increasing distance from its point
of origin.
Accessibility
The ease of reaching one location from
another.
Connectivity
The degree (amount) of linkage between
locations from another.
Time-Space Compression
Refers to the greatly accelerated movement of
people, goods and ideas made possible by
modern technology. Less time to go across
space.
Spatial Distribution
The physical location of a geographic
phenomena across space.

There are three main properties of

distribution
Density
Concentration
Pattern
Density
The frequency with which
something exists within a given
unit of area.
Concentration
The spread of something over a given
area.

When objects are close together they

are clustered or agglomerated.

When objects are relatively far apart

they are dispersed.
MAP MAKING
1. Choose a phenomena that would have a clustered
concentration and create a grid map demonstrating the cluster
2. Choose a phenomena that would have a dispersed
concentration and create a grid map demonstrating the
dispersion
A MINI ULTIMATE GUIDE TO
DENSITY AND CONCENTRATION

Density and concentration are not the same.

1. Define and EXPLAIN density.

2. Define and EXPLAIN concentration.
3. Create a visual that demonstrates the
difference between density and concentration
(map, chart, graph).

Guide should be one full page in length. Three

quarters writing and one quarter visual.
Spatial Patterns of Distribution
The geometric arrangement of
something in a study area.
There are three primary types of
spatial distribution
1. Linear
2. Centralized
3. Random
Linear Distribution
Phenomena are arranged in a line. Not
necessarily a straight line.
Nucleated or Centralized
Distribution

Phenomena are spaced around a central point.

Creating a circular cluster.
Dispersed or Random Distribution
Phenomena that appear to have no order to
their position.
Various Pattern Arrangements

What phenomena could explain the

patterns shown in A, B, and C?
1.5 Human – Environmental
Interaction
Environmental Determinism
Social Culture is developed completely by the
environment.
Similar environments produce similar cultures.
Possibilism

People develop
culture as much as
environment.
The environment
provides
possibilities for a
culture.
Technology
increases the
possibilities.
Landscape
The material character of a place, the
complex of natural features, human
structures and other objects that give
a place a particular form.
Built Environment

Human created structures and

objects that give form to a particular
place.
Cultural Landscape
The visible imprint of human
activity and culture on the
landscape.
Globalization
A set of processes that are:
- increasing interactions
- deepening relationships
- heightening interdependence
without regard to country borders.

A set of outcomes that are:

- unevenly distributed
- varying across scales
- differently manifested
throughout the world.
1.6 Scales of Analysis
Geographic Scale
• The relationship between the portion of the
Earth being studied and Earth as a whole.
Specifically, the relationship between the
size of an object on the map and the size of
the actual feature on earth.
• The standard scales are:
- Global
- Regional
- National
- Local
ULTIMATE GUIDE:
Globalization
Video: Focus on identifying both positive
and negative aspects of globalization.
Gather real world examples.

Additional Research: Gather more info

on the good and bad of globalization.

2 pages
PRACTICE FRQ - GLOBALIZATION
A. Define and describe globalization.
B. List and explain at least two positive effects of
globalization.
C. List and explain at least two negative effects of
globalization.

20 minutes – 2 pages.
1.7 Regional Analysis
Region
An area on the Earth’s surface that has
a marked degree of homogeneity of some
phenomenon.

Types of Regions
1. Formal
2. Functional
3. Perceptual.
Regionalization
• The process geographers use to
divide and categorize space into
smaller units.
Formal Region
Formal regions are areas that share a
common human or physical geographic
feature.

Also known as Uniform or Homogeneous

Regions

Feature is quantifiable – can be counted or

measured.

Defined border can be drawn around the

region
Formal Regions – Common
Human or Cultural Features

• Language

• Religion

• Nationality

• Political Identity
• Ethnicity
Formal Regions – Common Physical
Features

• Climate • Temperature

• Rainfall

• Landform • Valley

• Mountain Ridge

• Vegetation • Growing Season

• Type of Crop
Functional Region
The deliberate organization of space
to accomplish some function.

It is organized around a node or focal

point that draws people from the
surrounding area.

Also known as a Nodal Region

 Shopping Regions – Mall
Functional Regions Transportation – Airport, port, train station
Financial – Bank
Entertainment – Providence Park , Sydney
Opera House
Perceptual Region
Region determined by people’s beliefs, emotions
and attitudes about an area.

Also known as a Vernacular Region.

Perceptual regions do not have specific

boundaries.

Because people’s beliefs about a region may be

based on stereotypes, the perception may not
even be true or common in the region.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErRHJlE4PGI
Mental Maps
Maps we carry in our minds of places we have
been and places we have heard of.
 Perception
of Place

Where Pennsylvanian
students prefer to live

Where Californian
students prefer to live
Activity Spaces
The places we travel to routinely in
our rounds of daily activity.
World Regions
• APHuman Geography divides the
World into 10 large regions and 22
subregions.
Large Regions
• Divides world into 10 regions
• The 7 continents + 3 cultural
regions, based on shared languages
and histories.
 Central America
 Sub-Saharan Africa
 Russian Federation
Subregions
•A Subregion shares some characteristics
with the larger region, but is distinctive
in some ways.
• Example – Brazil
 Shares many common characteristics with
other South American countries, such as
Roman Catholic religion.
 Brazil’s primary language is Portuguese,
which makes it unlike any other country
in the Spanish speaking Latin America.
MINI ULTIMATE GUIDE
• Describe how friction of distance has been impacted by
globalization.

• 2 paragraphs
• FRQ’S ARE STRUCTURED RESPONSES

 No formal introduction
 No conclusion
 No transition sentences needed
 Spelling and grammar will not be graded
 Unless it makes your response unclear/confusing
 Handwriting should be as legible as possible
• RESPONSES SHOULD BE 2-3 PAGES IN LENGTH!!!!

• PLAN ON 20 MINUTES PER ESSAY

 The FRQ Verbs
TAKE 3-5 MINUTES TO UNDERLINE KEY WORDS IN THE QUESTION
AND PREPLAN

Use the FRQ verbs to break the question down and organize your
response.

Clearly label each section using the question prompt

• REMEMBER THIS IS A GEOGRAPHY EXAM

• WRITE LIKE A GEOGRAPHER

• USE YOUR GEOGRAPHY VOCAB

SCALE
REGIONS
ALL THOSE GEOGRAPHIC CONCEPTS
 WRITE AS IF YOUR
READER HAS NO
KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE
TOPIC!

EXAMPLES, EXAMPLES,
EXAMPLES!
The more “real” the better.
Use Hurricane Harvey vs. general hurricane
CRAM SESSION
Review, study and
be prepared to
write about
REGIONS
A. Define and explain formal region.

B. Identify a functional region and explain why it would be considered

a functional region.

C. Identify a vernacular region and explain why it would be considered

a vernacular region.

C. Identify the type of region which is most difficult to clearly define

and describe. Give one real world example to explain why this type of
region is more difficult to define.
Which statement describes the relative location of
Barcelona, Spain?
a) 386 miles west of Madrid and 644 miles south of
Paris
b) In the Northern and Eastern Hemisphere
c) 41 degrees N, 2 degrees E
d) The capital of the Catalonia region
e) One of the largest cities in Spain
• Two Columns

• Divide Vocab (Calendar)

 Sort of Understand
 Do not Understand at all
 2008 Presidential Election Red = McCain Blue = Obama

Source: M. Gastner, C. Shalizi, and M. Newman, University of Michigan

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/
 2008 Presidential Election Red = McCain Blue = Obama

Source: M. Gastner, C. Shalizi, and M. Newman, University of Michigan

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/