Prepare for the AP Human Geography exam with these practice questions and answers. This comprehensive guide covers population, migration, culture, political geography, agriculture, and urbanization.
Q: maps
Answer: the most important tool of a geographer. essential in highlighting and analyzing patterns.
Q: scale
Answer: the ratio between the size of things in the real world and the size of those same things on a map.
Q: cartographic
Answer: refers to the way the map communicates the ratio of its size and the size of what it represents.
Q: geographic or relative scale
Answer: refers to the amount of territory that the map represents ex.) global scale (maps of the whole earth) or local scale (maps of a city)
Q: scale of the data
Answer: the way maps organize their data
Q: scale
Answer: the relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole
Q: globalization
Answer: Actions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope.
Q: the bigger the scale, the broader the data will be and it won’t be as specific as it would be on a smaller scale.
Answer: why is it important to examine data at different scales?
Q: the internet and the ability to keep more places better connected.
Answer: what factors have contributed to the globalization of the economy and western culture?
Q: reference maps
Answer: Maps that show the absolute location of places and geographic features determined by a frame of reference, typically latitude and longitude
Q: political maps
Answer: show and label human-created boundaries and designations, such as countries, states, cities, and capitals
Q: physical maps
Answer: show and label natural features, such as mountains, rivers, and deserts
Q: road maps
Answer: show and label highways, streets, and alleys
Q: plat maps
Answer: show and label property lines and details of land ownership
Q: locator maps
Answer: illustrations used in books and advertisements to show specific locations mentioned in the text
Q: thematic maps
Answer: show spatial aspects of information or of a phenomenon
Q: Chloropeth Map
Answer: A map that uses graded differences in shading or color or the placing of symbols inside defined areas on the map in order to indicate the average value if some property or quantity in those areas.
Q: Dot Distribution Map
Answer: A map where dots are used to demonstrate the frequency or intensity of a particular phenomena
Q: graduated symbol map
Answer: A map with symbols that change in size according to the value of the attribute they represent.
Q: Isoline Map
Answer: Map displaying lines that connect points of equal value; for example, a map showing elevation levels
Q: Cartogram
Answer: A special kind of map that distorts the shapes and sizes of countries or other political regions to present economic or other kinds of data for comparison.
Q: when you’re trying to get to a place
Answer: when would you use a reference map?
Q: probably physical maps because they show features that are completely natural and have no human interference.
Answer: Which map is likely least common in the study of HUMAN geography. Why?
Q: they have some relation to graphs, but are also much like a traditional map.
Answer: why do some consider a cartogram easy to read and interpret.
Q: they distort the places, so it’s difficult to tell which place is which.
Answer: why do some consider a cartogram challenging to read?
Q: map projections
Answer: process of showing a curved surface on a flat surface
Q: distort
Answer: all maps _______ some aspect of reality
Q: mercator projection
Answer: what is the purpose of the mercator projection?
Q: navigation
Answer: what are the strengths of the mercator projection?
Q: – directions are shown accurately- lines of latitude and longitude meet at right angles
Answer: what is the distortion of the mercator projection?
Q: – distance between lines of longitude appears constant- land masses near the poles appear large
Answer: what is the purpose of the peters projection?
Q: peters projection
Answer: what are the strengths of the peters projection?
Q: spatial distributions related to area
Answer: what are the distortions of the peters projection?
Q: sizes of land masses are accurate
Answer: what is the purpose of the conic projection?
Q: shapes are inaccurate, especially near the poles
Answer: what are the strengths of the conic projection?
Q: conic projection
Answer: what are the distortions of the conic projection?
Q: general use in midlatitude countries
Answer: what is the purpose of the robinson projection?
Q: – lines of longitude converge- lines of latitude are curved- size and shape are both close to reality
Answer: what are the strengths of the robinson projection?
Q: – direction is not constant- on a world map, longitude lines converge at only one pole
Answer: what are the distortions of the robinson projection
Q: robinson projection
Answer: what are the four types of distortion?
Q: general use
Answer: distorts shapes around edges of map
Q: – no major distortion- oval shape appears more like a globe than does a rectangle
Answer: separates the eastern and western hemispheres into two pieces. gives more prominence to the landmasses
Q: – area, shape, size, and direction are all slightly distorted
Answer: which projection minimizes the distortion of a single property. how?
Q: 1.) the SHAPE of an area can be distorted, so that it appears more elongated or squat than in reality2.) the DISTANCE between two points may become increased or decreased3.) the RELATIVE SIZE of different areas may be altered, so that one area may appear larger than another on a map but is in reality smaller4.) the DIRECTION from one place to another can be distorted
Answer: why would a cartographer choose to use an equal area projection?
Q: equal area projections
Answer: data that describe both the locations and characteristics of spatial features on the Earth’s surface
Q: Goode Homolosine Projection
Answer: the act of collecting data that was observed and recorded on location
Q: the robinson projection because it is shaped more like an oval than a rectangle or square, which makes it more comparable to a globe.
Answer: A system that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers.
Q: it minimizes distortion, which is very important in order to draw an accurate map
Answer: the scanning of the earth by satellite or high-flying aircraft in order to obtain information about it.
Q: Geospatial Data
Answer: A computer system that stores, organizes, analyzes, and displays geographic data.
Q: Fieldwork
Answer: Data associated with mathematical models and statistical techniques used to analyze spatial location and association.
Q: GPS
Answer: Information describing color, odor, shape, or some other physical characteristic
Q: remote sensing
Answer: considers the arrangement of the phenomena being studied across the surface of the earth
Q: GIS
Answer: the study of physical features of the earth’s surface
Q: quantitative data
Answer: The study of the spatial variation in the patterns and processes related to human activity.
Q: qualitative data
Answer: The science of making maps
Q: Spatial Approach
Answer: what was the early history of geography?
Q: Physical Geography
Answer: what is the modern history of geography?
Q: Human Geography
Answer: how is human geography broken into different subfields?
Q: cartography
Answer: what is the most important tool for a geographer?
Q: first maps probably were written in the soil with sticks. maps were made in mesopotamia, china, and egypt. romans and greeks were the first to formalize mapmaking.
Answer: how did the study of geography change from the ancient study of geography to the modern era?
Q: launched after christopher columbus sailed to the americas in 1492. people started leaving their regions and exploring new places.
Answer: a point of view that considers the earth and how humans interact with it
Q: it is broken up into population, culture, economics, urban areas, and politics. They’re all interconnected
Answer: Exact location of a place on the earth described by global coordinates
Q: maps and an extensive knowledge of the earth
Answer: Distance north or south of the equator
Q: before the late 1400s, europeans rarely left their region. when christopher columbus did just that, it was the beginning of a new age of exploration.
Answer: An imaginary circle around the middle of the earth, halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole
Q: geographic perspective
Answer: the northernmost point of the Earth’s axis
Q: absolute location
Answer: the southernmost point of the Earth’s axis
Q: latitude
Answer: Distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees
Q: equator
Answer: The meridian, designated at 0° longitude, which passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England.
Q: north pole
Answer: roughly follows the prime meridian but accommodates international boundaries
Q: south pole
Answer: The position of a place in relation to another place
Q: longitude
Answer: The degree of economic, social, cultural, or political connection between two places
Q: prime meridian
Answer: How easy it is to to travel to or communicate with a place
Q: International Date Line
Answer: former mining towns full of empty buildings where no one lives
Q: relative location
Answer: how does the approach of a geographer differ from the approach of a historian?
Q: connectivity
Answer: can absolute or relative location change over time?
Q: Acessibility
Answer: A specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular character.
Q: ghost towns
Answer: An area distinguished by a unique combination of trends or features.
Q: historians think of time and events that took place in the past. geographers thing of place and the human interaction with the earth in present day.
Answer: The physical character of a place
Q: relative location
Answer: the location of a place relative to other places
Q: place
Answer: State of mind derived through the infusion of a place with meaning and emotion by remembering important events that occurred in that place or by labeling a place with a certain character.
Q: region
Answer: the loss of uniqueness of place in the cultural landscape so that one place looks like the next
Q: site
Answer: The name given to a portion of Earth’s surface.
Q: situation
Answer: how is the concept of place different from the concept of location?
Q: sense of place
Answer: The length of a path between two points
Q: placelessness
Answer: a degree of closeness
Q: toponyms
Answer: the rapid innovation of communication and transportation technologies associated with globalization that transforms the way people think about space and time
Q: location is a point on the earth and place has to do with characteristics in a portion of an area.
Answer: the movement of peoples, ideas, and commodities between different places
Q: distance
Answer: something that slows down the travel of knowledge or transport
Q: proximity
Answer: The diminishing in importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin.
Q: time-space compression
Answer: the amount of matter in a given space
Q: spatial interaction
Answer: The arrangement of something across Earth’s surface.
Q: friction of distance
Answer: what are the types of distribution?
Q: distance decay
Answer: The relationship between the distribution of one feature and the distribution of another feature.
Q: density
Answer: the study of the interrelationship between people and their physical environment
Q: Distribution
Answer: Geographic approach that emphasizes human-environment relationships.
Q: linear phenomena, circular phenomena, geometric phenomena, and random phenomena
Answer: A doctrine that claims that cultural traits are formed and controlled by environmental conditions.