AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY UNIT 1 -
GEOGRAPHY BASICS EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
Geography - Answer--coined by Eratosthenes
-stemmed from Greeks
-Human Geo: study of patterns and processes that shape human interaction with the
environment
-Physical Geo: focuses on understanding the patterns and processes in the natural
environment as opposed to the built environment
5 Themes of Geography - Answer--Place: describing individuality of a place (physical
attributes and cultural attributes/landscape)
-Region: areas with similar characteristics (parameters set by geographer)
-Location: where is a place found on Earth
-Human-Environment Interaction: describes how people modify/alter their environments
to fit their needs
-Spatial Interaction or Movement: how is a place linked to the outside world (airports,
ports, etc.)
6 Elements of Geography - Answer--Spatial World: all places are linked (economically,
agriculturally, etc.)
-Places and Regions: particular locations assigned with characteristics (language,
religion, etc.)
-Physical Systems: overlaps human-enviro theme, physical systems are related to
human systems, physical barriers (volcanoes, mountains, oceans, etc.)
-Human Systems: anything that humans have done to modify the Earth's surface,
agriculture, hydroelectric power sources, homes, physical systems sometimes affect
human systems
-Environment and Society: four primary ways of using land: economic, sustainable,
environmental, and preservationist, how humans use land to their advantage
-Uses of Geography in Today's Society: think about Earth spatially and on smaller
scales, GIS, GPS, other technological advances
Sequent Occupance - Answer--the notion that successive societies leave their cultural
imprints on a place. Each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape (De Blij)
ex. California has Spanish-style architecture left behind by the Spanish when they
ruled/owned that area.
Cultural Landscape - Answer-A combination of cultural features such as language and
religion, economic features such as agriculture and industry, and physical features such
as climate and vegetation
-the visible imprint of human activity on the landscape (De Blij)
, ex. architecture, agriculture, etc.
Arithmetic density - Answer--the number of people divided by the amount of land of a
certain area to arrive at a number of people per square mile/km, calculates the density
using all the land in a given area, less accurate than physiological (Kaplan)
Physiological density - Answer--refers to the total number of people divided by the
arable land, more accurate than arithmetic density (Kaplan)
Population density - Answer--how many people are within a given area, a high pop.
density doesn't mean a high pop. (Kaplan)
-measure of total pop. relative to total land size (De Blij)
ex. Singapore has higher pop. density than India but a lower pop.
(Cultural) Hearth - Answer--the origin of a characteristic (Kaplan)
-an area where cultural traits develop and from which traits diffuse (De Blij)
ex. the hearths of high fashion are Milan, Italy and Paris, France
Relocation diffusion - Answer--physical spread of cultures, ideas, and diseases through
people; when they migrate, they bring culture traits with them (Kaplan)
-involves the actual movement of people who have that cultural trait, migrate to a new
locale, and proceed to spread it from there (De Blij)
ex. Portuguese families who have immigrated to Southern MA have brought their
cultural traits with them (food, religion, sports, etc.)
Expansion diffusion - Answer--spread of a characteristic from a central node or hearth
through various means (hierarchical, contagious, and stimulus) (Kaplan)
-an innovation or idea develops in a hearth and remains strong there while spreading
outward (De Blij)
Hierarchical diffusion - Answer--a phenomenon spreads as a result of a group, usually
the social elite, spreading ideas or patterns in a society (can be reversed) (Kaplan)
-pattern in which the main channel of diffusion is some segment of those who are
susceptible to what is being diffused (De Blij)
ex. use of fax machines, AIDs
Contagious diffusion - Answer--spreads without regard to race, social class, or family
status (Kaplan)
-nearly all adjacent individuals are affected (De Blij)
ex. the spread of Islam, the spread of a disease
Stimulus diffusion - Answer--takes a part of an idea and spreads that idea to create an
innovative product (Kaplan)
-not all ideals can be readily adopted by a pop., can still have impact, promote local
experimentation and slow progress (De Blij)
ex. Industrial Revolution in England (stimulated by money)
GEOGRAPHY BASICS EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
Geography - Answer--coined by Eratosthenes
-stemmed from Greeks
-Human Geo: study of patterns and processes that shape human interaction with the
environment
-Physical Geo: focuses on understanding the patterns and processes in the natural
environment as opposed to the built environment
5 Themes of Geography - Answer--Place: describing individuality of a place (physical
attributes and cultural attributes/landscape)
-Region: areas with similar characteristics (parameters set by geographer)
-Location: where is a place found on Earth
-Human-Environment Interaction: describes how people modify/alter their environments
to fit their needs
-Spatial Interaction or Movement: how is a place linked to the outside world (airports,
ports, etc.)
6 Elements of Geography - Answer--Spatial World: all places are linked (economically,
agriculturally, etc.)
-Places and Regions: particular locations assigned with characteristics (language,
religion, etc.)
-Physical Systems: overlaps human-enviro theme, physical systems are related to
human systems, physical barriers (volcanoes, mountains, oceans, etc.)
-Human Systems: anything that humans have done to modify the Earth's surface,
agriculture, hydroelectric power sources, homes, physical systems sometimes affect
human systems
-Environment and Society: four primary ways of using land: economic, sustainable,
environmental, and preservationist, how humans use land to their advantage
-Uses of Geography in Today's Society: think about Earth spatially and on smaller
scales, GIS, GPS, other technological advances
Sequent Occupance - Answer--the notion that successive societies leave their cultural
imprints on a place. Each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape (De Blij)
ex. California has Spanish-style architecture left behind by the Spanish when they
ruled/owned that area.
Cultural Landscape - Answer-A combination of cultural features such as language and
religion, economic features such as agriculture and industry, and physical features such
as climate and vegetation
-the visible imprint of human activity on the landscape (De Blij)
, ex. architecture, agriculture, etc.
Arithmetic density - Answer--the number of people divided by the amount of land of a
certain area to arrive at a number of people per square mile/km, calculates the density
using all the land in a given area, less accurate than physiological (Kaplan)
Physiological density - Answer--refers to the total number of people divided by the
arable land, more accurate than arithmetic density (Kaplan)
Population density - Answer--how many people are within a given area, a high pop.
density doesn't mean a high pop. (Kaplan)
-measure of total pop. relative to total land size (De Blij)
ex. Singapore has higher pop. density than India but a lower pop.
(Cultural) Hearth - Answer--the origin of a characteristic (Kaplan)
-an area where cultural traits develop and from which traits diffuse (De Blij)
ex. the hearths of high fashion are Milan, Italy and Paris, France
Relocation diffusion - Answer--physical spread of cultures, ideas, and diseases through
people; when they migrate, they bring culture traits with them (Kaplan)
-involves the actual movement of people who have that cultural trait, migrate to a new
locale, and proceed to spread it from there (De Blij)
ex. Portuguese families who have immigrated to Southern MA have brought their
cultural traits with them (food, religion, sports, etc.)
Expansion diffusion - Answer--spread of a characteristic from a central node or hearth
through various means (hierarchical, contagious, and stimulus) (Kaplan)
-an innovation or idea develops in a hearth and remains strong there while spreading
outward (De Blij)
Hierarchical diffusion - Answer--a phenomenon spreads as a result of a group, usually
the social elite, spreading ideas or patterns in a society (can be reversed) (Kaplan)
-pattern in which the main channel of diffusion is some segment of those who are
susceptible to what is being diffused (De Blij)
ex. use of fax machines, AIDs
Contagious diffusion - Answer--spreads without regard to race, social class, or family
status (Kaplan)
-nearly all adjacent individuals are affected (De Blij)
ex. the spread of Islam, the spread of a disease
Stimulus diffusion - Answer--takes a part of an idea and spreads that idea to create an
innovative product (Kaplan)
-not all ideals can be readily adopted by a pop., can still have impact, promote local
experimentation and slow progress (De Blij)
ex. Industrial Revolution in England (stimulated by money)
