Suggested Summer Assignments: AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
tim.peterson@taylor.kyschools.us 270-940-0351
1) EXPAND YOUR MENTAL MAP
 Start studying this summer for the Map Quiz during the first week of school
 Make sure you know the U.S. states, world regions, major cities and selected countries
(see the attached lists and maps at the end of this document)
2) FOLLOW CURRENT EVENTS
 Watch the news and keep up with what is happening where in the world around you
 Read the headlines for world news throughout the summer
3) READ, READ, READ, and then… READ some
more
 Choose a book from below and type a two page review reflecting on what you learned.
 The books on this list have been selected to help you understand the nature and complexity
of geography before undertaking its formal study this fall.
 Each book fits well with a unit of study in the course and in its own way will broaden your knowledge
of geography to help you follow and contribute to class
discussions
Suggested Human Geography Reading List
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Why Geography Matters: More Than Ever (2nd Edition) by Harm de Blij*
The Power of Place by Harm De Blij
States of Mind by Brad Herzog
The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century by Thomas Friedman
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How It Can Renew America by Thomas
Friedman
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The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas Friedman
Longitudes and Attitudes by Thomas Friedman
City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan*
Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky
Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond*
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond
The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape by James Howard
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How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization by Franklin Foer
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven Levitt
Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming by Bjorn Lomborg
We Just Want to Live Here: An Unlikely Teenage Friendship in the Two Jerusalems by Amal Rifa'I and Odelia
Kunstler
Ainbinder
22. The New Geography of Jobs by Enrico Moretti
23. Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, not Bombs in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Greg Mortenson*
24. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl
Wu Dunn
25. 10 Geographic Ideas That Changed the World by Susan Hanse*
COUNTRIES YOU MUST KNOW
Southwest Asia & North Africa
Europe
Asia
Iraq
Iran
Afghanistan
Yemen
Morocco
Israel
Libya
Egypt
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
Oman
Algeria
Syria
Jordan
Lebanon
Cyprus
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Mali
Sudan
Tunisia
France
Germany
Sweden
Greece
Spain
United Kingdom
Denmark
Poland
Austria
Italy
Switzerland
Belgium
Netherlands
Romania
Croatia
Ukraine
Czech Republic
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Serbia
Iceland
Russia
China
Kazakhstan
South Korea
North Korea
Kyrgyzstan
Mongolia
Nepal
Pakistan
India
Bangladesh
Sri Lanka
Laos
Vietnam
Cambodia
Thailand
Myanmar (Burma)
Bhutan
Nepal
Armenia
North America
Latin America
Africa
Canada*
know major cities & Quebec
Mexico
South Africa
Guatemala
Madagascar
Honduras
Lesotho
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Tanzania
Kenya
Panama
Ethiopia
Pacific Rim
Brazil
Angola
Australia
Bolivia
Botswana
New Zealand
Peru
Rwanda
Indonesia
Ecuador
Uganda
Singapore
Venezuela
Nigeria
Malaysia
Colombia
Malawi
Philippines
Chile
Ghana
Japan
Argentina
Zimbabwe
Taiwan
Paraguay
Somalia
Papua New Guinea
Uruguay
Dominican Republic
Liberia
Sierra Leone
Haiti
Namibia
Cuba
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Jamaica
Eriteria
United States **
know locations of all 50 states
WORLD REGIONS YOU MUST KNOW
REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES
CITIES YOU MUST KNOW
SW Asia & North Africa
Cairo, Egypt
Tripoli, Libya
Tehran, Iran
Kabul, Afghanistan
Ankara, Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey
Baghdad, Iraq
Jerusalem, Israel
Tel Aviv, Israel
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Dubai, U.A.E.
Pacific Rim
Jakarta, Indonesia
Manila, Philippines
Osaka-Kyoto, Japan
Singapore, Singapore
Tokyo, Japan
Sydney, Australia
Europe
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Berlin, Germany
London, England
Madrid, Spain
Paris, France
Rome, Italy
Vienna, Austria
Bucharest, Romania
Budapest, Hungary
Prague, Czech Republic
Warsaw, Poland
Kiev, Ukraine
Moscow, Russia
St. Petersburg, Russia
Vladivostok, Russia
Latin America
Bogotá, Colombia
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Havana, Cuba
Lima, Peru
Mexico City, Mexico
Brasília, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
São Paulo, Brazil
Santiago, Chile
Asia
Calcutta, India
Delhi, India
Islamabad, Pakistan
Karachi, Pakistan
Mumbai (Bombay), India
New Delhi, India
Beijing, China
Hong Kong, China
Shanghai, China
Pyongyang, North Korea
Seoul, South Korea
Africa
Lagos, Nigeria
Abuja, Nigeria
Nairobi, Kenya
Cape Town, South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa
North America
Boston, Massachusetts
Chicago, Illinois
Dallas, Texas
Los Angeles, California
New York, New York
St. Louis, Missouri
San Francisco, California
Washington, D.C.