AP Human Geography case studies
AP Human Geography · Put your knowledge to work in context.
AP Human Geography is a College Board Advanced Placement course and exam described by the source as equivalent to an introductory college-level course in human geography, with no recommended prerequisites. Students investigate population trends, cultural landscapes, and spatial patterns across scales, from cities to rural areas, and examine how people interact with the environment. The AP Human Geography case studies are 5 cases and about 2,996 words.
1Two Farms, One Watershed: Reading the Scale of a Map
A regional planning office has two maps of the same 240 km² agricultural watershed. Map A is a small-scale map covering the whole watershed on one page; Map B is a large-scale map showing only the northern 40 km² at high detail.
533 words, about 3 min2A Shrinking Cohort: Reading a Population Pyramid Backwards
A coastal country of 18 million people has a population pyramid with a wide base up to age 24, a sharp notch at ages 25–34, and a bulge at ages 55–64. Total fertility rate fell from 4.1 (1990) to 1.6 (2020).
614 words, about 3 min3A Language Revived: Diffusion, Identity, and the Limits of a Policy
In a mountainous region of 900,000 people, an Indigenous language (Language X) was spoken by 62% of residents in 1970 but only 11% by 2015, almost all over age 50. The national government, which historically ran boarding schools that punished students for speaking X, now funds X-medium instruction in primary schools and requires bilingual signage.
572 words, about 3 min4Drawing a Line: Gerrymandering, Scale, and the Shape of a Vote
A state with 10 congressional districts must redraw after a census. The population is 55% Party A and 45% Party B, but Party A voters are concentrated in one dense metro area while Party B voters are spread evenly across the rest of the state.
589 words, about 3 min5The Vanishing Orchard: Land-Use Competition at the Urban Fringe
A valley of 50,000 people sits 40 km from a fast-growing metro of 3 million. For decades it grew apricots on 8,000 hectares of irrigated land, selling to a regional cannery.
688 words, about 3 min