Topics Covered
AP Human Geography
A. Thinking Geographically
1 Introduction to human geography and spatial thinking
2 Types of maps: reference vs thematic
3 Map projections and distortions
4 Geographic data: satellite imagery, GPS, GIS
5 Concepts of space, place, and scale
6 Patterns and processes at different scales
7 Regionalization and types of regions (formal, functional, perceptual)
B. Population and Migration Patterns and Processes
1 Population distribution and density
2 Factors influencing population distribution (physical and human)
3 Population composition: age, sex, ethnicity
4 Demographic transition model (DTM) stages
5 Population pyramids and interpreting them
6 Population policies: pro-natalist and anti-natalist
7 Causes of migration (push and pull factors)
8 Migration patterns: voluntary, forced, internal, international
9 Ravenstein’s Laws of Migration
C. Cultural Patterns and Processes
1 Concepts of culture (folk vs popular culture)
2 Cultural landscapes and sequent occupance
3 Language families, branches, and groups
4 World religions: origins, diffusion, and distribution
5 Ethnicity and ethnic neighborhoods
6 Diffusion of culture: relocation, expansion, hierarchical, contagious, stimulus
7 Acculturation, assimilation, multiculturalism, syncretism
D. Political Patterns and Processes
1 Concepts of political geography (states, nations, nation-states)
2 Political boundaries: types and causes (geometric, physical, cultural)
3 Effects of colonialism and imperialism
4 Geopolitical theories (Rimland Theory, Heartland Theory)
5 Challenges to state sovereignty (devolution, supranationalism)
6 Gerrymandering and redistricting
7 Supranational organizations (UN, EU, NATO)
E. Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes
1 Development of agriculture: Neolithic Revolution
2 Agricultural hearths and diffusion
3 Types of agricultural practices: subsistence vs commercial
4 Von Thünen model of agricultural land use
5 Rural settlement patterns and landscapes
6 Green Revolution and its impacts
7 Modern issues in agriculture (GMOs, sustainability, global food supply)
F. Industrial and Economic Development Patterns
1 Industrial Revolution and its spread
2 Sectors of the economy (primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary, quinary)
3 Economic development indicators (GDP, GNI, HDI)
4 Rostow’s stages of economic growth
5 Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory (core, periphery, semi-periphery)
6 Factors affecting location of industry (site and situation factors)
7 Outsourcing, offshoring, and global supply chains
G. Cities and Urban Land-Use Patterns and Processes
1 Urbanization and global city growth
2 Models of urban structure (Burgess, Hoyt, Harris-Ullman)
3 World cities and megacities
4 Suburbanization and edge cities
5 Gentrification and urban renewal
6 Sustainable urban design: smart growth, green spaces
7 Challenges of urban sustainability (housing, pollution, transportation)
