This comprehensive cheat sheet covers key concepts in AP Human Geography, designed to help you ace the exam. We'll break down essential topics, providing concise explanations and memory aids to maximize your understanding and retention. Remember, this is a supplement to your textbook and class notes—it’s not a replacement!
Unit 1: Thinking Geographically
- Geography's Core Concepts: Location (absolute & relative), place (human & physical characteristics), human-environment interaction (modification & adaptation), movement (diffusion patterns), region (formal, functional, perceptual).
- Geographic Tools: Maps (various projections & their distortions), GIS (Geographic Information Systems), remote sensing, GPS (Global Positioning System). Understanding scale is crucial!
- Spatial Interaction: Tobler's First Law of Geography ("everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things"). Consider distance decay and friction of distance.
- Types of Diffusion: Relocation (migration), expansion (hierarchical, contagious, stimulus).
Unit 2: Population & Migration
- Population Growth: Factors affecting growth (birth rate, death rate, migration), demographic transition model (DTM), population pyramids (interpreting age and sex structures). Malthusian theory (resource limitations).
- Population Distribution: Clusters and sparsely populated areas. Factors influencing distribution (climate, resources, topography).
- Migration: Ravenstein's Laws of Migration (push & pull factors, intervening obstacles). Types of migration (internal, international, forced, voluntary). Consequences of migration (brain drain, remittances).
Unit 3: Cultural Patterns and Processes
- Culture: Material and non-material aspects. Cultural landscapes (built environments reflecting cultural values).
- Cultural Diffusion: How cultures spread and interact (acculturation, assimilation, multiculturalism). Consider the role of globalization.
- Language Families: Major language families and their distribution. Language as a marker of cultural identity.
- Religion: Major world religions, their distributions, and their impact on cultural landscapes (sacred sites, architecture).
- Ethnicity: Ethnic groups, their distribution, and their relationship with cultural landscapes. Ethnic conflict and its geographic expression.
Unit 4: Political Organization of Space
- State vs. Nation: Understanding the difference between a state (political entity) and a nation (cultural identity). Nation-states, multinational states, stateless nations.
- Geopolitics: The interplay between geography and politics. Boundaries (types and disputes), territoriality.
- Centrifugal and Centripetal Forces: Forces that either unify or divide a state.
- International Organizations: UN, NATO, EU, etc., and their roles in global politics.
Unit 5: Agriculture and Rural Land Use
- Agricultural Revolutions: First, Second, and Third Agricultural Revolutions, their impact on food production and population growth.
- Agricultural Systems: Intensive vs. extensive agriculture, different farming practices (e.g., shifting cultivation, pastoral nomadism).
- Rural Land Use: Von Thünen's model (location of agricultural activities based on transportation costs). Challenges of rural development.
Unit 6: Industrialization and Economic Development
- Industrial Revolution: Its origins, diffusion, and impacts on global economies.
- Economic Development: Indicators of economic development (GDP, HDI, GNI). Models of economic development (Rostow's Stages of Growth, Wallerstein's World-Systems Theory).
- Industrial Location: Factors influencing the location of industries (Weber's model).
- Globalization and its Impacts: Economic interdependence, global trade patterns, challenges of globalization.
Unit 7: Cities and Urban Land Use
- Urbanization: The growth of cities, factors contributing to urbanization.
- Models of Urban Structure: Concentric zone model, sector model, multiple nuclei model. Understanding the limitations of these models.
- Urban Challenges: Issues like poverty, inequality, sprawl, and environmental problems.
- Globalization and Cities: The role of cities in the global economy.
This cheat sheet provides a framework for your AP Human Geography studies. Remember to consult your textbook, class notes, and practice exams for a comprehensive understanding of the material. Good luck!
