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AP Human Geography
Chapter 7, Ethnicity
1. Define ethnicity (use the glossary).
2. According to the author, what are the three main reasons why ethnicity is a
controversial topic in our culture?
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Case Study / Ethnic Diversity in America
3. Why do geographers reject the notion of race? However, what aspect of race is
important to geographers and why?
Introduction
4. How is ethnicity different from race?
5. What is the link between ethnicity and geography?
6. What does the author mean by the fact that our ethnicity is immutable?
7. Why is ethnicity important to study in an era of globalization?
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Key Issue I.
Where Are Ethnicities Distributed?
A. Distribution of Ethnicities in the United States
8. What are the two largest ethnic minorities in the United States? What percent of the
total population are they?
1. Clustering of Ethnicities
9. At what scales do ethnicities cluster?
a. Regional Concentrations of Ethnicities
10. Fill in the chart with the appropriate information.
Percents
Distribution
Hispanic or
Latino/Latina
African
American
Asian
Americans
American
Indians and
Alaska
Natives
b. Concentration of Ethnicities in Cities
Trends
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11.
African-Americans
Hispanics
State Scale %
Chicago, Il
Detroit, MI
New York City, NY
12. Describe the distribution of ethnicities at the state level for California and Texas.
13. What is a visible marker on the landscape for remnants of old ethnic neighborhoods
in many cities in the United States?
14. How have the ethnic concentration urban neighborhoods changed from the early 20th
century to the late 20th century?
15. Describe the general ethnic distribution of major groups for Los Angeles.
2. African American Migration Patterns
16. How does the study of migration help geographers study present day cultural
patterns?
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17. Fill in the chart with the appropriate information.
Source Area(s)
Routes of Migration
Destination(s)
Forced
Migration
From Africa
Immigration
To The
North
Expansion
Of The
Ghetto
B. Differentiating Ethnicity and Race
18. Fill in the chart below with respect to various differences between ethnicity and race.
Asian
African American
and Black
African American
Hispanic or Latino
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19. What is the reasoning for why scientists reject the notion of race?
20. What is the technical definition of racism?
C. Race in the United States
21. Although there are 14 divisions for race on the Census form, what are the recent
trends with respect to categorical percents and those that check other race? Why?
1. “Separate But Equal” Doctrine.
22. Describe the geographic implications of Plessy v. Ferguson.
2. “White Flight.”
23. What was the geographic response to Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka,
Kansas? Use Detroit’s population statistics to support your answer.
24. What was blockbusting and how did it lead to unique geographies for whites and
blacks?
D. Division by Race in South Africa
25. Describe how apartheid led to the geographic separation of people in South Africa.
26. What are the historical/cultural roots of apartheid?
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27. Even though apartheid has been abolished in South Africa, what are the geographic
and economic legacies of this oppressive system?
Key Issue II.
Why Have Ethnicities Been Transformed into Nationalities?
28. How is nationality different from ethnicity?
A. Rise of Nationalities
29. How and when did the American nationality form?
30. Why is the question of ethnicity vs. nationality a critical issue for Canada?
1. Nation-States
31. What is a nation-state, and what is often given the rationale for forming one?
32. What are the arguments for and against Denmark being a nation-state?
33. Using Figure 7-15, describe the evolution of European state boundaries to coincide
with linguistic distributions. How did the distribution of German speaking peoples
become seriously problematic!
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2. Nationalism
34. What methods do states or nationalistic groups do to maintain nationalism?
35. Fill in the chart with examples.
Centripetal Forces
Centrifugal Forces
B. Multinational States
36. Describe the difference between a multiethnic state and a multinational state. Give
examples.
37. How is the UK an example of a multinational state? What is the strongest element of
nationalist pride in the UK?
1. Former Soviet Union: The Largest Multinational State
38. Fill in the charts with the basic information for each country.
Ethnic Breakdown
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Cultural Elements
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Ethnic Breakdown
Cultural Elements
Belarus
Moldova
Ukraine
Ethnic Breakdown
Cultural Elements
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
2. Russia: Now the Largest Multinational State
39. How many nationalities does the Russian government recognize, and what is the
general distribution of these minorities?
40. Describe the historical/cultural background of Chechnya, and detail the Russian
response to their independence movement.
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3. Turmoil in the Caucasus
41. How did the Soviet system keep ethnic tensions in check?
a. Azerbaijan
42. What issues do Azeris face in Iran?
b. Armenia
43. Why is Armenia so unique for the region? What difficulties have they had in forming
a nation-state?
c. Georgians
44. Why has Georgia’s cultural diversity been a source of unrest? What role has Russia
played in this situation?
C. Revival of Ethnic Identity
45. How did Karl Marx view nationalism? How did communist encourage centripetal
forces?
46. Why have ethnic forces become more important than national forces in the late 20th
century? Give specific examples.
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Key Issue III.
Why Do Ethnicities Clash?
A. Ethnic Competition to Dominate Nationality
1. Ethnic Competition in the Horn of Africa
47. Fill in the chart for the ethnic conflicts taking place in the Horn of Afria.
Ethiopia & Eritrea
Sudan
Somalia
Who (is
involved)?
What (is
happening)?
When (did
these events
take place)?
Where (is
this
happening)?
Why (is this
happening)?
2. Ethnic Competition in Lebanon
48. Fill in the chart below for Lebanon
Religions
Ethnicities
Geographic Distribution
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49. How has changing demographics contributed to the civil war in Lebanon?
B. Dividing Ethnicities Among More Than One State
1. India and Pakistan
50. What the basis for separating West and East Pakistan from India?
51. Describe the massive migration that occurred as a result of the partition of India?
52. What is the source of conflict in the region of Kashmir?
53. How do Sikhs complicate the situation in South Asia?
2. Sinhalese and Tamil in Sri Lanka
54. When did the civil war in Sri Lanka begin, and approximately how people have been
killed in the conflict?
55. What is the root of the conflict? What steps are the Sinhalese taking that will make it
more difficult for Sri Lanka to become a peaceful multinational state?
Global Forces, local Impacts, Dividing the Kurds
56. Describe the geographic distribution of Kurds (Kurdistan) and the percent of the
population they are in each country.
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57. How did Kurdistan lose its state status?
58. Why have the Turks suppressed Kurdish culture?
59. How successful have Kurdish resistance tactics been? Give examples.
60. How have the Kurds fared in Iraq since the first Gulf War in 1991?
Key Issue IV.
What Is Ethnic Cleansing?
61. Define ethnic cleansing?
62. What is the point of ethnic cleansing?
A. Ethnic Cleansing in Europe
63. Give examples of ethnic cleansing during and right after WWII.
64. What are some recent examples of ethnic cleansing in Euro
1. Creation of Multiethnic Yugoslavia
65. Explain briefly the steps taken to create Yugoslavia
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66. Fill in the matrix with the appropriate information for the former Yugoslavia.
Neighbors
Republics
Nationalities
Languages
Religions
Alphabets
Currency
2. Destruction of Multiethnic Yugoslavia
67. For how long did Yugoslavia work? Why did it work? What are the major reasons
why it broke up?
a. Ethnic Cleansing in Bosnia
68. Why was it difficult to create a viable country for Bosnia & Herzegovina?
69. How did Croates and Serbs bolster their case to break away from Bosnia &
Herzegovina?
70. Why was ethnic cleansing on the part of Bosnian Serbs against Bosnian Muslims
especially severe?
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71. Explain how the Dayton Accords helped establish peace in the region.
b. Ethnic Cleansing in Kosovo
72. Why did Serbs engage in ethnic cleansing against Kosovo? What were their
historic/geographic claims to the territory?
73. How did the NATO respond to the atrocities in Kosovo? What were the final results
of the military intervention?
c. Balkanization
74. Define balkanization. How did Balkanization lead to WWI? Can you think of any
other areas of the world that are susceptible to balkanization?
B. Ethnic Cleansing in Central Africa
75. Why is there is so much ethnic cleansing in Africa? Who is most responsible for
laying the groundwork to help create this situation?
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76. Fill in the chart with notes
Hutus
Tutsis
Livelihood
Location
Population
Historical
control
Colonial
influence
1962
1994
Counter
attack
Impact on
neighboring
countries
End result
Contemporary Geographic Tools: Documenting Ethnic Cleansing
78. How was aerial photography used to help document ethnic cleansing in Kosovo?
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