AP Human Geography Curriculum Map
Unit
1. Geography:
It’s Nature and
Perspectives
Duration
3 Weeks
Primary Standards
A. Geography, as a field of inquiry, looks at the world from a spatial
perspective.
B. Geography offers a set of concepts, skills, and tools that facilitate
critical thinking and problem solving.
C. Geographical skills provide a foundation for analyzing world
patterns and processes.
D. Geospatial technologies increase the capability for gathering and
analyzing geographic information with applications to everyday life.
E. Field experiences continue to be important means of gathering
geographic information and data.
2. Population
and Migration
5 Weeks
A. Knowledge of the geographic patterns and characteristics of human
populations facilitates understanding of cultural, political, economic,
and urban systems.
B. Populations grow and decline over time and space.
C. Causes and consequences of migration are influenced by cultural,
demographic, economic, environmental, and political factors.
3. Cultural
Patterns and
Processes
6 Weeks
A. Concepts of culture frame the shared behaviors of a society.
B. Culture varies by place and region.
Essential Question(s)
How do geographers describe
where things are? Why are
different places similar? Why
and how are resources being
depleted?
How is world population
distributed? How has the
world’s population increased?
Why is population increasing
at different rates in different
countries? How has migration
manifested itself over time in
different places?
How are religions distributed?
How do religions affect and
organize space and
landscape? How can this lead
to conflict? How are languages
distributed? How have
ethnicity and nationalism led
to conflict and, more recently,
terrorism?
4. Political
Organization of
Space
2 Weeks
A. The contemporary political map has been shaped by the events of
the past.
B. Spatial political patterns reflect ideas of territoriality and power at a
variety of scales.
C. The forces of globalization challenge contemporary politicalterritorial arrangements.
How and why did states,
nations and international
organizations develop? How
have ethnicity and nationalism
led to conflict and, more
recently, terrorism?
5. Agriculture,
Food
Production, and
Rural Land Use
3 Weeks
How did agriculture originate
and diffuse? How and why
does agriculture vary from
developed to less developed
countries?
6.
Industrialization
and Economic
Development
6 Weeks
7. Cities and
Urban Land Use
6 Weeks
A. The development of agriculture led to widespread alteration of the
natural environment.
B. Major agricultural regions reflect physical geography and economic
forces.
C. Settlement patterns and rural land use are reflected in the cultural
landscape.
D. Changes in food production and consumption present challenges
and opportunities.
A. The Industrial Revolution, as it diffused from its hearth, facilitated
improvements in standards of living.
B. Measures of development are used to understand patterns of social
and economic differences at a variety of scales.
C. Development is a process that varies across space and time.
D. Sustainable development is a strategy to address resource
depletion and environmental degradation.
A. The form, function, and size of urban settlements are constantly
changing.
B. Models help to understand the distribution and size of cities.
C. Models of internal city structure and urban development provide a
framework for urban analysis.
D. Built landscapes and social space reflect the attitudes and values of
a population.
E. Urban areas face economic, social, political, cultural, and
environmental challenges.
How is development
measured? How does the level
of development vary among
regions and countries? How
can countries promote
development?
What activities and problems
are associated with the innercity and central business
district of a major urban
center? What are the causes
and consequences of
suburbanization? How are
different social, economic, and
ethnic groups distributed
within an urban area?