AP Human Geography�Mr. Bradford�Room 504

The AP Exam: Tuesday, May 5 2026

Multiple-Choice

• 60 questions
• 60 minutes
• 50% of exam score

​

​

​

Free Response Question (FRQ)

• 3 questions
• 75 minutes
• 50% of exam score

KBAT

• Know and Be Able To
• Is essentially your study guide
• Includes key vocabulary, possible FRQ topics for the exam, the chapters covered on the exam, and everything you should be able to do prior to taking the exam
• Should guide your reading of the chapter(s) and your studying for quizzes and exams

Reading a College-Level Textbook

1. Preview the text – read section heading, view any pictures/graphs/maps/charts/visuals, etc.
2. Skim the reading – look for the main ideas, key terms, etc.
3. Chunk the reading – try not to read more than 10 pages at a time.
4. Read. ☺
5. Go back and take notes on the reading. You might want to write vocabulary or key terms on index cards and use post-its to make annotations on the textbook. (Obviously, highlighting and writing in the book is preferable, but it is not an option here).
6. Review and summarize the reading.

​

​

Reading Guides

• Must be printed on your own.
• Available on Mr. Bradford’s website.
• Helps you identify the really important vocabulary/information/concepts.
• Must be handwritten!
• These are notes, so the questions DO NOT need to be answered in complete sentences
• Due the day of the Unit Exam (not the day of the reading quiz)

Reading Guides

• The Reading Guides heavily emphasize key vocabulary, and real world applications of those terms.
• The examples provided in the textbook are often the examples that show up on tests and quizzes.

Map of Yorba Linda High School

• In your spiral notebook, sketch a map of Yorba Linda High School.

​

• Has to be drawn by memory, no referencing any other map or resource.

​

• Ready… Set…. Go!

Map Activity Discussion

• What is a map?

-2D/flat-scale model of Earth’s surface, or a portion of it.

​

• Map Scale

-The relationship of a features size on a map and its actual size to earth.

• How is scale shown on a map?

​

• Graphic Scale / Ratio or Fraction Scale / Written Scale

​

1:24,000

1 inch equals 1 mile

Map Activity Discussion

• What purpose did your map serve?

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

reference thematic map

Map Activity Discussion

• You most likely drew a large-scale map, what are the advantages of a large scale map. What are the disadvantages?

​

• Based on what we know about a large-scale map, what is a small-scale map?

​

• What else could we plot/show on this map to make it more informative?

​

Map Activity Discussion

• What is Distribution

-The arrangement of features in space

​

• How would you describe the distribution of students/staff at any given time at Yorba Linda High School? (Think: Density & Concentration)

​

1. Density

Frequency something occurs in space

2. Concentration

Extent of features spread over space (Clustered & Dispersed)

​

What is the concentration of 5-18 year old's in Yorba Linda right now?

What about at 5:00 pm?

What accounts for that change?

​

Content Specific Vocabulary Practice

• Describe the distribution of power plants in the United States.

​

• Use density & concentration (clustered and dispersed) in your discussion

ESPeN

Economic

Social

Political

Environmental

Let’s talk about money…

• poor/rich
• Infrastructure
• laborers

Let’s talk about government…

• What is the gov’t doing/not doing
• Infrastructure
• At war or peace

Let’s talk about culture…

• Education
• Gender
• Family dynamics
• Clothing
• Age
• Religion

Lets talk about nature…

• climate
• Time of day
• Topography (desert, lake, etc.)
• How is the environment a cause or impacted

Davis, California

LDCs

MDCs

ESPeN

Economic

Social

Political

Environmental

Let’s talk about money…

• poor/rich
• Infrastructure
• laborers

Let’s talk about government…

• What is the gov’t doing/not doing
• Infrastructure
• At war or peace

Let’s talk about culture…

• Education
• Gender
• Family dynamics
• Clothing
• Age
• Religion

Lets talk about nature…

• climate
• Time of day
• Topography (desert, lake, etc.)
• How is the environment a cause or impacted

Read article on China’s commercial fishing industry, complete in your notes.

CHINA

SENEGAL

Argentina

Indonesia

South Korea

Unit 1: �Principles of Geography

I. Introduction to Geography

A. Five Themes of Geography

1. Location

a. Toponym (place name)

b. Site – topography, soil, climate, latitude, elevation, etc.

c. Situation – location of place relative to other places

2. Human-environment interactions

a. Cultural Ecology – complex relationships between humans and their environment

b. Cultural landscape – built forms that cultural groups create in inhabiting earth

c. Sustainability – practices that meet the needs of the present w/o compromising future generations ability to meet their needs.

3. Region

a. Formal (Uniform), Functional (Nodal), & Vernacular (Perceptual)

4. Place

a. A specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular characteristic

5. Movement

a. Diffusion

Brainstorm: Five Themes of Geography

​

List 2-3 examples for each of the themes of geography. You will work with your partner, but you should each have your own work written down.

​

Responses can go in your notes.

B. Human Geography

1. Two branches of geography: physical and human

2. Human geography focuses on the study of people, places, spatial variation in human activities, and the relationship between people and the environment

C. Maps as a Geographic Tool

1. Cartography is the art and science of making maps

a. Reference maps show locations of places and geographic features.

b. Thematic maps tell stories, typically showing some attribute or the movement of a geographic phenomenon.

*Thematic maps focus on data.

​

2. Maps help geographers explain where and why.

C. Maps as a Geographic Tool

Reference Tool

Thematic (Communications Tool)

Practice Quiz!

What kind of regions are being displayed on this thematic map?

Formal (Uniform)

Thematic Maps

II. Thinking Like a Human Geographer

A. Basic Concepts Geographers Use

1. Maps – geography relies on math
2. Place – a specific place on earth, characterized by its site and situation
3. Region – an area of the Earth with distinctive physical and cultural features
4. Scale – the relationship between a portion of the Earth shown on a map and the whole Earth
5. Space – the physical gap between two objects
6. Connections – relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space

B. Map Scale

1. Large vs. Small Scale
2. Map scales can be expressed verbally, as ratio or fraction, or graphically

​

Drawing Activity

​

Quickly sketch three different maps that would include YLHS. Each map must be at a different scale. Make sure your maps are in order from smallest to largest scale.

​

FYI: Mr. Bradford is not looking for you to be an expert cartographer (although, that would be cool)…the goal is to make sure we understand scale. ☺

C. Scale of Analysis

1. Different scales of analysis can provide different insights. Changing the scale of analysis can tell a different or more detailed story.
• Scales of analysis:
• Local scale
• National scale
• Regional scale
• Global scale

D. Map Projections

1. Projection

a. Transferring locations on the earth’s surface to a flat map

2. Types of Distortion

a. Shape

b. Distance

c. Relative Size

d. Direction

​

*Read problems with distortion on page 9.

​

Video Clip

D. Map Projections

E. Types of Thematic Maps

1. Choropleth Maps

​

1. shows data aggregated for a specific geographic area, often using colors to represent values in 3 to 5 statistical categories.

​

Choropleth

E. Types of Thematic Maps

2. Dot Distribution

​

1. Uses a dot to represent objects or counts. The dot can represent one object or multiple objects

Dot Distribution

E. Types of Thematic Maps

3. Cartograms

​

1. Distorts the geographic shape of an area in order to show the size of a specific variable, the larger the area on a cartogram, the large the value of the underlying variable. Example: population

E. Types of Thematic Maps

4. Graduated Symbol

​

1. Uses symbols (usually circles or dots) of different sizes to represent numerical values.

Graduated Symbol

E. Types of Thematic Maps

5. Isoline

​

a. On a map, a line that connects or links different places that share a common or equal value, such as elevation.

Isoline

F. Contemporary Geographic Tools

1. GIS: Geographic Information System

a. Computer system to capture, store, query, analyze, and display geographic data

2. Remote Sensing

a. Acquiring data about the Earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting the Earth or some other long-distance method

3. GPS: Global Positioning System

a. Determines the precise location of something on Earth (absolute location)

III. Uniqueness of Each Point on Earth

A. Place

1. Site – the unique physical and human characteristics of a place
2. Situation – location of a place relative to other places (relative locations)
3. Toponym – the name given to a place on Earth

Write, Pair, Share

​

In your notes, write about the site, situation, and toponym of your favorite city to visit outside of Orange County.

​

When Mr. Bradford says so, you will get up and find your “sole mate” (the person with shoes most similar to yours). Remain standing with your partner.

​

You will take turns sharing. Once you both have shared, you will sit down.

B. Absolute Location

1. Meridians are used to measure longitude (man-made)

2. Parallels are used to measure latitude (scientific)

3. Lines of latitude and longitude determine absolute location (mathematical location) – precise position on Earth’s surface

C. Types of Regions

1. Formal Region (uniform region) – everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics
2. Functional Region (nodal region) – organized around a node or focal point
3. Vernacular region (perceptual region)– a place that one believes is part of one’s cultural identity and comes from people’s informal sense of place, often using mental maps

Formal (Uniform) Region

Functional (Nodal) Region

“Delivery Zone” for Porky’s Pizza

Vernacular (Perceptual) Region

Writing Break: Regions

​

Write at least one example of a formal region, functional region, and vernacular region (minimum of three examples).

​

Responses can go in your notes.

Brainstorm: Regions that include area near YLHS

​

In three separate columns, list three formal regions, three functional regions, and three vernacular regions that this school is located within. You must provide a written explanation for each of your choices.

​

You will work with a partner, but you should each have your own written responses. Responses can go in your notes.

IV. Space and Culture

A. Characteristics of Space

1. Distribution – the arrangement of a feature in space
1. Density – the frequency in which something occurs in space, often calculated arithmetically
2. Concentration – the spread of a feature over space, often used to describe changes in distribution (Clustered vs. Dispersed)
3. Pattern – the geometric arrangement of objects in space

Distribution

Using the map to the right, describe where most Americans live with regard to…

​

• Density
• Concentration (Clustered/Dispersed)
• Patterns

B. Culture

1. Culture is an all-encompassing term that identifies not only the lifestyles of people but also their prevailing values and beliefs.
2. Cultural geographers identify a single attribute of a culture as a cultural trait.
3. A cultural hearth is an area where cultural traits develop and from which cultural traits diffuse.

C. Spatial Diffusion

1. Relocation Diffusion

a. Occurs most frequently through migration

b. Involves the actual movement of individuals who have already adopted the idea or innovation and carry it to a new place

C. Spatial Diffusion

2. Expansion Diffusion – an innovation or idea develops in a hearth and remains strong there while also spreading outward

a. Hierarchical diffusion – spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places

*Reverse Hierarchical diffusion – bottom up, rather than top down

​

b. Contagious diffusion – rapid, widespread diffusion of ideas in a wavelike manner like a disease or forest fire

​

c. Stimulus diffusion – a specific trait is rejected, but the underlying idea is accepted

C. Spatial Diffusion

Hierarchical Diffusion

Contagious Diffusion

Stimulus Diffusion

Going viral…

Writing Break: Diffusion

​

Write at least one example of relocation diffusion, contagious diffusion, hierarchical diffusion, and stimulus diffusion (minimum of four examples).

​

Use complete sentences. Responses can go in your notes.

​

D. Spatial Interaction

1. Tobler’s First Law of Geography states that everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things
2. Distance decay: the tapering off of a process, pattern, or event over a distance. Also referred to as the friction of distance.

D. Spatial Interaction

3. Distance decay is much less severe today than in the past because of time-space compression

D. Spatial Interaction

4. The gravity model predicts the interactions between people in different areas in the world.

E. Globalization

1. Globalization of the economy

a. Every place in the world is part of the global economy.

b. Globalization has lead to more specialization on the local level.

c. Globalization has increased economic differences among place.

2. Globalization of culture

a. Communication is easier

due to technology

b. Makes people more

culturally similar

E. Globalization

E. Globalization

3. More Developed Country (MDC) – a country with an advanced economy and a high standard of living.

Associated with high levels of development.

​

4. Less Developed Country - a country that are of relatively low income or economically poorer than developed countries.

Associated with lower levels of development.

LDCs

MDCs

V. Sustainability

A. Three Pillars of Sustainability

1. Environmental Pillar – managing natural resources
2. Social Pillar – using resources to meet human needs
3. Economic Pillar – the price of resources due to supply and demand

Brundtland Report

Promotes environmental protection at the same time as economic growth and social equity.

B. Humans and Their Environment

1. Environmental determinism holds that human behavior, individually and collectively, is strongly affected by—even controlled or determined by—the physical environment
2. Possibilism is the doctrine that the choices that a society makes depend on what its members need and what technology is available to them
3. 19^th century geographers argued for environmental determinism, while modern geographers embrace possibilism.

Examples of Possibilism

Netherlands: Dykes and Polders

Las Vegas, Nevada