AP® Human Geography

Often times you think of learning vocabulary as a memorization drill. This is a huge a misconception. Learning vocabulary has more to do with understanding the meaning of a word and improving your word power than simply remembering the meaning for a short period of time. The words you learn should stay in your memory forever, and not just until the exams are over.

The Heartland Theory is a form of geopolitics. Geopolitics are politics influenced by geography. Since human geography is about how humans are impacted by geography, we would say geopolitics have a lot to do with APHG. The Heartland Theory is important to anyone taking the AP® Human Geography exam.

Countries today face a myriad of issues that threaten to divide its citizens. Religious differences, for example, can split people of the same culture. Differences in language can be a cause for unrest, and may require resolution by the central government.

Understanding religious differences is important to the field of human geography. So how do you as a geographer study religion? Geographers research and document the location of religions and use the results to explain why certain religions are widely distributed and why other religions are extremely concentrated.

In the early eighteenth century, Johann Heinrich von Thünen designed one of the very first geographical models. The von Thünen model was key to solving a big problem in his day—how to balance the cost of land with the best crop to produce.

Are you a city person? Whether you like it or not, you are probably like more than half of the population of the United States and live either in a city or close enough to quickly travel to one. Cities are growing much faster than rural areas, and it is important for you to learn about the dynamics of urban geography.

Do you live in a galactic city? Cities are growing much faster than rural areas, and the dynamics of urban geography is an important subject to know about for the AP® Human Geography exam.