AP Human Geography - Unit 4: Political Patterns and Processes
Assessments:
● Unit 4 Map Quiz:
● Unit 4 Vocabulary Quiz:
● Unit 4 Multiple-Choice Exam:
● Unit 4 FRQ:
Required Reading:
● Rubenstein, Chapter 7 (select Key Issues) and Chapter 8
● AMSCO Chapter 9, 10, & 11
Overview:
This unit addresses the political organization of the world. Building on knowledge of populations and cultural patterns learned in previous units, students
examine the contemporary political map and the impact of territoriality on political power and on issues of identity for people. Students also look at the different
types of political boundaries, how they function, and their scale, as they consider both internal and international boundaries. The interplay of political and
cultural influences may cause tensions over boundaries to arise, such as sovereign states making claims on what other states consider to be international waters.
Students also examine forms of government and how forces such as devolution may alter the functioning of political units and cause changes to established
political boundaries. Separatist and independence movements that challenge the sovereignty of political states may arise from economic and nationalistic forces,
as seen in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Spain. The influence of supranational organizations such as the United Nations or European Union and their role in
global affairs presents another challenge to nationalist sovereignty. Student understanding of cultural patterns and processes helps inform their understanding of
the consequences of centrifugal and centripetal forces.
Map and Vocabulary Quiz Study Guide:
● Vocabulary Quiz
● Map Quiz will include the political features listed below:
Sub-Saharan Africa
● Angola ● Gabon ● Nigeria
● Benin ● Gambia ● Rwanda
● Botswana ● Ghana ● Senegal
● Burkina Faso ● Guinea ● Sierra Leone
● Burundi ● Guinea-Bissau ● Somalia
● Cameroon ● Kenya ● South Africa
● Central African Republic ● Lesotho ● South Sudan
● Chad ● Liberia ● Sudan
● Republic of Congo ● Madagascar ● Swaziland
● Democratic Republic of Congo ● Malawi ● Tanzania
● Ivory Coast ● Mali ● Togo
● Djibouti ● Mauritania ● Uganda
● Equatorial Guinea ● Mozambique ● Western Sahara
● Eritrea ● Namibia ● Zambia
● Ethiopia ● Niger ● Zimbabwe
Multiple-Choice Exam and FRQ Study Guide:
Learning Objective(s) (LO) and Suggested Skills (S) Essential Vocabulary Supplemental Concepts (to help you understand
Essential Vocabulary)
Introduction to Political Geography: ❏ State ● Examples of semiautonomous regions
❏ Nation include American Indian reservations
LO: I can DEFINE the different types of political ❏ Nation-state
entities. ❏ Stateless nation
❏ Multinational state
LO: I can IDENTIFY a contemporary example of ❏ Ethnic enclave
political identities. ❏ Multistate nation
❏ Ethnic exclave
S: I can IDENTIFY the different types of information ❏ Autonomous/semiautonomous region
presented in visual sourcess
Political Processes: ❏ Sovereignty ● Colonialism/Imperialism
❏ Self-determination ● Cold War
LO: I can EXPLAIN the processes that have shaped ❏ Nationalism ○ Capitalism vs. Communism
contemporary political geography. ❏ Berlin Conference ○ Satellite state
❏ Decolonization (i.e independence ○ Buffer state
S: I can EXPLAIN what maps or data imply or illustrate movements)
about geographic principles, processes, and outcomes.
Political Power and Territoriality: ❏ Neocolonialism ● Dependency theory
❏ Shatterbelts ● Geopolitics
LO: I can DESCRIBE the concepts of political power and ❏ Choke points ● Landlocked
territoriality as used by geographers. ❏ Territoriality
S: I can EXPLAIN spatial relationships across various
geographic scales using geographic concepts,
processes, models, or theories.
Learning Objective(s) (LO) and Suggested Skills (S) Essential Vocabulary Supplemental Concepts (to help you understand
Essential Vocabulary)
Defining Political Boundaries: ❏ Boundary
❏ Types of political boundaries:
LO: I can DEFINE types of political boundaries used by ❏ Relict
geographers. ❏ Superimposed
❏ Subsequent
S: I can DESCRIBE a relevant geographic concept, ❏ Antecedent
process, model, or theory in a specified context. ❏ Geometric
❏ Consequent
❏ Militarized
❏ Open
The Function of Political Boundaries: ❏ Steps in creating a boundary:
❏ Define
LO: I can EXPLAIN the nature and function of ❏ Delimit
international and internal boundaries. ❏ Demarcate
❏ Administer
S: I can EXPLAIN the degree to which a geographic ❏ Demilitarized zone
concept, process, model, or theory effectively explains ❏ Maritime boundary
geographic effects across various geographic scales. ❏ United Nations Convention on the Law
of the Sea (UNCLOS)
❏ International waters
❏ Territorial seas
❏ Exclusive economic zones
Internal Boundaries: ❏ Voting district ● Role of US Census in reapportionment and
❏ Reapportionment redistricting
LO: I can EXPLAIN the nature and function of ❏ Redistricting
international and internal boundaries. ❏ Gerrymandering
S: I can IDENTIFY the scales of analysis presented by
maps, quantitative and geospatial data, images, and
landscapes.
Learning Objective(s) (LO) and Suggested Skills (S) Essential Vocabulary Supplemental Concepts (to help you understand
Essential Vocabulary)
Forms of Governance: ❏ Unitary state
❏ Federal state
LO: I can DEFINE federal and unitary states.
LO: I can EXPLAIN how federal and unitary states
affect spatial organization.
S: I can DESCRIBE spatial patterns, networks, and
relationships.
Defining Devolutionary Factors: ❏ Devolution
❏ Devolutionary forces:
LO: I can DEFINE factors that lead to the devolution of ❏ Ethnic separatism
states. ❏ Ethnonationalism
❏ Ethnic cleansing
S: I can EXPLAIN what maps or data imply or illustrate ❏ Terrorism (p. 290)
about geographic principles, processes, and outcomes. ❏ Irredentism
Challenges to Sovereignty: ❏ Subnational territorial unit ● Locations of political conflicts:
❏ Balkanization ○ Scotland
LO: I can EXPLAIN how political, economic, cultural, ❏ Supranationalism ○ Northern Ireland
and technological changes challenge state sovereignty. ❏ United Nations (UN) ○ Spain
❏ North Atlantic Treaty ○ Belgium
S: I can EXPLAIN what maps or data imply or illustrate Organization (NATO) ○ Canada
about geographic principles, processes, and outcomes. ❏ European Union (EU) ○ Eritrea
❏ Association of Southeast Asian ○ South Sudan
Nations (ASEAN) ○ Nigeria
❏ Arctic Council ○ East Timor
❏ African Union (AU) ○ Former Yugoslavia
❏ Military alliance ● Economies of scale
❏ Democratization ● Autocracy vs. Democracy
Learning Objective(s) (LO) and Suggested Skills (S) Essential Vocabulary Supplemental Concepts (to help you understand
Essential Vocabulary)
Consequences of Centrifugal and Centripetal Forces: ❏ Failed state ● Uneven economic development
❏ Centripetal vs. Centrifugal forces
LO: I can EXPLAIN how the concepts of centrifugal and
centripetal forces apply at the state scale.
S: I can COMPARE geographic characteristics and
processes at various scales.
Big Idea Questions (you should be able to answer using course vocabulary by the end of the unit):
1. How do historical and current events influence political structures around the world?
2. How are balances of power reflected in political boundaries and government power structures?
3. How can political, economic, cultural, or technological changes challenge state sovereignty?