APHG Theories and Models
I. History and Maps
A. 5 Themes of Geography
1. Location
2. Human-Environment Interaction
3. Region
4. Place
5. Movement
MR HELP or LPRHEIM
B. Distance Decay
C. Environmental Determinism vs. Possibilism
D. Map Projections
1. Conical
2. Cylindrical
3. Azimuthal (Planar)
Famous Map Types
1. Mercator
2. Peters
3. Robinson
4. Fuller
E. Maps
1. Political vs. Physical Maps
2. Topographic
3. Thematic
* Cartogram
* Choropleth
* Flow Line Maps
F. Describing Location
1. Absolute vs. relative location
2. Site vs. Situation
II. Population and Migration
A. Population Equation (Demographic Accounting Equations)
1. Global Population Accounting Equation = Population (at end) = Population (at beginning) + Births Deaths
2. Sub-Global Population Accounting Equation = Populations (at end) = Populations (at beginning) +
births - deaths + immigration - emigration
B. Malthus (ian)
J-curve
C. Neo-Malthusian
S-curve
C. Esther Boserup: critic (disagreed with) of Malthus who claimed that improved subsistence agriculture
could solve Malthus' predictions of food production.
D. CBR, CDR, IMR, Life Expectancy, Fecundity, GFR, TFR, ZPG, RNI
E. Demographic Transition Model
1
2
3
4
(sometimes 5)
F. Epidemiologic Transition Model: based on and uses the DTM to analyze the spread of diseases, illness,
mortality etc; the health of a population.
G. Gravity Model (of Migration)
The larger more influential destination (E.g.: city) is the more likely
destination for a migrant.
G. Ravenstein's Migration Laws
H. (Zelinsky's) Migration Model.
The type of migration that occurs within a country depends on how developed it is or what type of
society it is. Migration increases in Stage 2 countries as they wish to migrate to Stage 3 and 4 countries.
Very few people emigrate from Stage 4 countries (because life is relatively good); they tend to migrate
intra regionally; even more so for Stage 5 countries. (Stages??? see Rostow's Model).
1. Migration, immigration, emigration
2. Push vs . Pull Factors
3. Forced vs. Voluntary Migration
4. Step vs. Chain Migration
III. Cultural
A. Diffusion Patterns
B. Kurgan Hearth vs. Anatolian Hearth (of Indo-European origins)
C. Belief Systems
1. Universalizing and Evangelical
Religions vs. Local Religions.
2. Global vs. Ethnic Religions.
D. Religions
1. Animism
2. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
3. Hinduism and Buddhism
Belief
System
Religion
4. Taoism
5. Sikhism
6. Shinto
E. Race vs. Ethnicity (vs. Nation)
(Physical features vs. cultural traits vs. land occupied or desired)
Organized
Religion
IV. Political
A. (Immanuel Wallerstein's) World Systems Analysis
B. (Friedrich Ratzel's) Organic Theory
C. (Mahan's) Sea Power Theory
D. (Halford Mackinder's) Heartland Theory
E. (Nicolas Spykman's) Rimland Theory
F. Domino Theory
G. Shapes and Borders
1. Compact, Elongated, Rectangular, Fragmented, Perforated, Prorupted
2. Landlocked, Exclave, Enclave, Microstate, City-state
H. Boundaries
1. Physical, Geometric, Subsequent, Antecedent, Superimposed, Relic
I.
Centrifugal
vs.
Centripetal Forces
1. Balkanization
V. Economic
A. Economic Classifications
1. Primary: raw materials (mining, fishing etc.)
2. Secondary: manufacturing
3. Tertiary: services (financial services, tourism etc.)
4. Quaternary: information
5. Quinary: high level decision making
B. Industrial Revolution
C. (Alfred Weber's) Least Cost Theory of Industrial Location
The exact geographic location of any factory is determined by its
position relative to the raw source materials used to
manufacture the product, the market that will purchase
the product, and the efficiency of transportation
(of the product).
D. Rostow's Modernization Model / (5) Stages of Economic Development
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
E. Core-Periphery Model
F. (Immaneul Wallerstein’s) World System Theory
F. First World, Second World, and Third World
* Cold War Era Concept
* First World: Developed economically advanced democratic “West.”
* Second World: Communist countries
* Third World: Developing, poorer, and frequently non-aligned other countries
G. Developed World vs. Developing World (and the BRICS) (Rich vs. Poorer and Poor)
VI. Agricultural
A. Carl Sauer's) Theory of a vegetative hearth
Agriculture began in areas conducive for vegetative replanting (humid tropical areas) and with plants
conducive to vegetative transplanting (tubers etc.)
B. First Agricultural Revolution (Neolithic Revolution)
C. Second Agricultural Revolution (The Agricultural Revolution)
D. (Third Agricultural Revolution) and the Green Revolution
E. Von Thunen's Agricultural Location Model
Note: There are multiple
variations of this model. The role
of the market, transportation, and
technology remain the same
however.
VII. Urban
A. Christaller's Central Place Model / Theory
Pretty Simple: big cities dominate a
region, and the geographic location of
surrounding cities and towns and
their size is determined by their
interaction with that dominant city.
B. Rank Size Rule
Second largest city in a region will be 1/2 the size of the largest city. The fourth largest city in a region
(dominated by the largest city in the region) will be 1/4 the size of the largest city. Etc.
C. Borchert Model of Urban Evolution
refer to four distinct periods in the history of American urbanization. Each epoch is characterized by the
impact of a particular transport technology on the creation and differential rates of growth of American
cities.
D. Comparative Models of Urban Systems
1. (Burgess') Concentric Zone Model
(Chicago)
2. (Hoyt's) Sector Model (Chicago)
3. Multiple Nuclei Model (Ullman)
E. Urban Realms Model
Describes automobile-dependent
metropolitan areas· Large, self-sufficient
suburban sectors · 4 criteria shape the
extent, character, & internal structure of
each urban realm:(1) terrain (topography,
water)(2) size of metropolis(3) amount of
economic activity in each realm(4) internal
accessibility of each realm based on its
dominant economic core