AP Human Geography College Board

This subject is broken down into 49 topics in 5 modules:

  1. Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes 12 topics
  2. Cultural Patterns and Processes 8 topics
  3. Political Patterns and Processes 10 topics
  4. Population and Migration Patterns and Processes 12 topics
  5. Thinking Geographically 7 topics
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  • 49
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  • 2+
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This page was last modified on 28 September 2024.

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Human Geography

Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes

Agricultural Origins and Diffusions

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Agricultural Origins and Diffusions

Agricultural Origins and Diffusions

Introduction to Agriculture

  • Agriculture refers to the planned cultivation of plants and rearing of animals for sustenance or economic gain.
  • It revolutionised human existence, allowing permanent settlements (sedentism) and population growth.
  • The origins of agriculture are found within the Neolithic Revolution, which took place around 10,000 years ago.

Theories of Agricultural Origins

  • Carl Sauer proposed that agriculture originated in areas where plants and animals were naturally abundant - the oasis theory.
  • The Demic Diffusion theory posits that agriculture spread via migration of farming communities.
  • The Cultural Diffusion theory suggests that the knowledge and tools of farming spread among cultures without large-scale migration.

Primary Agricultural Hearths

  • Key hearths of agricultural origin include the Fertile Crescent, Sub-Saharan Africa, China, and the Americas.
  • The Fertile Crescent (including parts of present-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan) was a primary hearth, with agricultural activities like wheat and barley farming, and goat and sheep herding.
  • Mesoamerica was a key hearth for maize, beans, and squash (the Three Sisters).

Diffusion of Agriculture

  • Agriculture diffused outwards from these hearths by various methods: relocation diffusion (through migration) and expansion diffusion (through the spread of ideas).
  • Expansion diffusion includes both hierarchical diffusion (from larger to smaller groups) and contagious diffusion (among neighbours).

Impact of Agricultural Diffusion

  • The diffusion of agricultural practices transformed societies, landscapes, economic structures, and global ecosystems.
  • The Columbian Exchange was a significant event in agricultural diffusion, involving the global transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and human populations between the New World and the Old World.
  • New agricultural practices can act as a double-edged sword, causing a rise in food production but also leading to deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and environmental degradation.

Course material for Human Geography, module Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes, topic Agricultural Origins and Diffusions

Human Geography

Political Patterns and Processes

Internal Boundaries

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Internal Boundaries

Internal Boundaries

  • Internal boundaries refer to the geographical lines drawn within a state to distinguish between regions, administrative units, or other divisions.
  • They can be based on physical features (mountains, rivers), a straight line, or cultural/political aspects.

Types of Internal Boundaries

  • Administrative: These are used to demarcate territories for jurisdictional purposes, such as provinces, districts, and municipalities.
  • Physical: These are often based on natural geographic features and can help in dividing the country into regions.
  • Cultural: These could be drawn along ethnic, linguistic, or religious lines.

Purpose of Internal Boundaries

  • They can foster regionalism, a sense of identity associated with a specific region within a state.
  • At times, they can serve as a measure to ensure representative governance. For example, electoral boundaries are drawn to ensure fair representation of all constituents.
  • Can help facilitate efficient administration by delineating clear areas of jurisdiction and responsibility.

Impact on Political Patterns and Processes

  • Internal Boundaries can often result in forming distinct political cultures within regions, affecting the overall political landscape of a nation.
  • They can lead to conflicts, especially when these boundaries reflect or reinforce ethnic, religious or socio-economic divisions.
  • They can play a significant role in increasing political participation by ensuring representation for diverse ethnic, religious, or socio-economic groups.

Redrawing Internal Boundaries

  • Redrawing internal boundaries can have heavy political implications and is often a sensitive topic. This can be an aspect of gerrymandering, which is the manipulation of electoral boundaries to favour a certain group.
  • In some cases, redrawing internal boundaries may be carried out to maintain demographic balance following major changes in population distribution.

Remember, understanding the existence, purpose and changes to internal boundaries provides crucial insights into a nation’s political processes, regional identities, and potential areas of conflict. It is, therefore, a key aspect of understanding political geography.

Course material for Human Geography, module Political Patterns and Processes, topic Internal Boundaries

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