AP Human Geography Cheat Sheet 2026

Key terms by unit · Updated for 2026 exam

Quick Answer: Does AP Human Geography provide a formula sheet? No — all terms, models, and theories must be memorized. The DTM, Von Thünen model, and urban models are the most formula-like content and appear on almost every exam.

Unit 1 — Thinking Geographically

Term	Definition
Absolute location	Exact coordinates (latitude/longitude)
Relative location	Location described in relation to other places
Sense of place	Subjective feelings associated with a location
Region	Area with shared characteristics; formal, functional, or vernacular
Scale	Relationship between map distance and actual distance
Diffusion	Spread of ideas/innovations across space
Hearth	Place of origin of an innovation or cultural trait
Contagious diffusion	Spreads to adjacent areas (like a disease)
Hierarchical diffusion	Spreads from large cities to smaller ones (top-down)
Stimulus diffusion	Underlying idea spreads but adapted to local context
Relocation diffusion	Spreads through physical movement of people
GIS	Geographic Information System — maps layered digital data
Remote sensing	Collecting data from satellites or aircraft

Unit 2 — Population & Migration

Term	Definition
CBR / CDR	Crude Birth Rate / Crude Death Rate (per 1,000 people)
NIR	Natural Increase Rate = CBR − CDR; population growth without migration
TFR	Total Fertility Rate — average children per woman; replacement level ≈ 2.1
Demographic Transition Model (DTM)	4–5 stages from high birth/death rates to low birth/death rates
Stage 1 DTM	High CBR, high CDR; pre-industrial; population stable
Stage 2 DTM	High CBR, falling CDR; rapid population growth
Stage 3 DTM	Falling CBR, low CDR; slowing growth; industrializing
Stage 4 DTM	Low CBR, low CDR; stable/slow growth; developed countries
Stage 5 DTM	CBR below CDR; population decline (Japan, Germany)
Population pyramid	Bar chart showing age-sex structure; wide base = young/growing population
Dependency ratio	(Youth + Elderly) / Working-age × 100
Push factors	Conditions that drive people away (poverty, war, drought)
Pull factors	Conditions that attract people (jobs, safety, family)
Ravenstein's Laws	Most migrants move short distances; step migration; urban destinations
Forced migration	Involuntary movement (refugees, slavery, environmental displacement)
Voluntary migration	By choice, usually economic reasons
Internally Displaced Person (IDP)	Forced from home but remains within own country
Refugee	Forced to cross international border to escape persecution
Remittances	Money sent by migrants back to home country

Unit 3 — Cultural Patterns & Processes

Term	Definition
Culture	Shared beliefs, values, practices of a group
Cultural landscape	Human modification of natural environment; reflects culture
Folk culture	Small, homogeneous groups; slow to change; oral tradition
Popular culture	Widespread; changes rapidly; driven by mass media
Lingua franca	Common language used between speakers of different languages
Creole / Pidgin	Language that develops from contact between two languages
Universalizing religion	Seeks to convert all; global spread (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism)
Ethnic religion	Tied to specific group/place; doesn't seek converts (Judaism, Hinduism)
Syncretism	Blending of two or more cultural traditions
Acculturation	Adopting traits of a dominant culture while retaining own
Assimilation	Complete absorption into dominant culture; loss of original culture
Cultural imperialism	Dominant culture displaces or undermines local cultures
Sequent occupance	Successive cultures leave their imprint on the landscape

Unit 4 — Political Patterns & Processes

Term	Definition
State	Politically organized territory with sovereignty
Nation	Group sharing cultural identity (not necessarily a state)
Nation-state	Nation and state coincide; most governments aspire to this
Sovereignty	Supreme authority over a defined territory
Centripetal forces	Unite a state (common language, religion, national identity)
Centrifugal forces	Divide a state (ethnic conflict, regional inequality)
Devolution	Transfer of power from central to regional governments
Supranationalism	Nations cede some sovereignty to international body (EU, UN)
Gerrymandering	Drawing district boundaries to favor a party or group
Boundary types	Geometric: straight lines. Physical: rivers, mountains. Cultural: religion, language
Antecedent boundary	Drawn before area was settled (many African borders)
Subsequent boundary	Drawn after settlement, reflects cultural divisions
Shatterbelt	Region caught between competing powers; politically fragmented
Heartland theory	Mackinder: control of Eurasian interior = world power

Unit 5 — Agriculture & Rural Land Use

Term	Definition
Subsistence agriculture	Producing only enough food for the farmer's family
Commercial agriculture	Producing crops for sale in markets
Intensive agriculture	High inputs (labor/capital) per unit of land; near urban areas
Extensive agriculture	Low inputs per unit; large areas; remote locations
Von Thünen model	Agricultural land use rings around a market city; closer = more intensive
Green Revolution	1960s–70s: HYV seeds, irrigation, fertilizers → ↑ food production in LDCs
GMO (Genetically Modified Organism)	Crops engineered for higher yield or pest resistance
Monoculture	Growing a single crop over large areas; efficient but vulnerable
Agribusiness	Large-scale commercial farming integrated with processing/distribution
Fair trade	Paying farmers in LDCs higher prices to improve living standards

Unit 6 — Cities & Urban Land Use

Term	Definition
Urbanization	Increase in % of population living in cities
Primate city	City > twice as large as next largest; dominates country (Bangkok, Paris)
Rank-size rule	nth largest city = 1/n of largest city's population
Central Place Theory (Christaller)	Explains size and distribution of cities; larger cities serve larger market areas
CBD (Central Business District)	Core of city; high land values, offices, retail, skyscrapers
Concentric Zone Model	Burgess: rings of land use expanding from CBD outward
Sector Model	Hoyt: wedge-shaped sectors along transportation routes
Multiple Nuclei Model	Harris & Ullman: several nodes of activity, not one center
Gentrification	Higher-income residents move into low-income urban area → rising rents, displacement
Suburbanization	Movement from city core to surrounding suburbs; enabled by cars
Edge city	Large suburban node with offices, retail, jobs; outside traditional CBD
Squatter settlements (informal housing)	Self-built housing lacking legal title, services; common in LDC cities

Unit 7 — Industrial & Economic Development

Term	Definition
GDP per capita	Total economic output per person; common development indicator
HDI (Human Development Index)	Combines income, education, life expectancy
Core-periphery model	Wealthy core countries exploit less-developed periphery
Wallerstein's World Systems Theory	Core, semi-periphery, periphery; global economic hierarchy
Rostow's Stages of Development	5 stages from traditional to high mass consumption
Dependency theory	LDCs remain poor because of exploitation by MDCs; colonialism's legacy
EPZ (Export Processing Zone)	Designated area with tax incentives to attract foreign manufacturing; common in Asia and Latin America
Maquiladora	Foreign-owned factory in Mexico near US border; assembly for export
Outsourcing	Moving production to cheaper labor markets
Bulk-gaining industry	Final product heavier than inputs; locate near market (beverages, auto assembly)
Bulk-reducing industry	Final product lighter than inputs; locate near raw materials (steel, copper)
Footloose industry	Not tied to specific location; can locate anywhere (tech, software)
Weber's least-cost theory	Industries locate where transportation + labor costs are minimized
Agglomeration	Clustering of related industries in one area; shared infrastructure, labor pool
Deindustrialization	Loss of manufacturing jobs in developed countries; shift to service economy

Common AP Human Geo Exam Tasks

Apply a model to a real-world example — FRQs often describe a country or city and ask you to apply the DTM, Von Thünen, or urban models. Name the model, identify the stage or zone, and explain why based on the given data.
Explain spatial patterns — "Why are squatter settlements located on the urban periphery?" or "Why do maquiladoras cluster near the US-Mexico border?" Answers must link geographic concepts to real causes.
Distinguish similar terms — state vs. nation vs. nation-state; assimilation vs. acculturation; push vs. pull factors. MC questions frequently test these distinctions.
Interpret a map or data table — most FRQs include a stimulus (map, graph, or table). Read it carefully before answering — specific data from the stimulus earns points that general knowledge alone cannot.

How to Memorize AP Human Geo

Know all 5 DTM stages cold — CBR and CDR levels, population growth direction, and a real-world example for each stage. This is the single most-tested conceptual model.
Draw the urban models — sketch Burgess (concentric zones), Hoyt (sectors), and Harris-Ullman (multiple nuclei) from memory. Label the CBD, residential zones, and industrial areas.
Learn the theorists by name — Ravenstein (migration laws), Von Thünen (agricultural land use), Christaller (central place theory), Weber (least-cost industrial location), Wallerstein (world systems). These names appear on MC.
Group cultural diffusion types — contagious, hierarchical, stimulus, relocation. Know an example of each. These appear every year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is AP Human Geography hard?

AP Human Geo has a ~59% pass rate. It's often taken by 9th or 10th graders as a first AP experience. The content is accessible but vocabulary-heavy — students who learn terminology precisely do well; students who rely on vague understanding of terms tend to miss MC questions.

What units are most important for AP Human Geo?

Units 2 (Population and Migration), 4 (Political Geography), 6 (Cities and Urban Land Use), and 7 (Economic Development) consistently carry the most weight. Unit 1 (Thinking Geographically) is foundational and appears throughout every FRQ.

What models must you know for AP Human Geo?

Essential models: Demographic Transition Model (DTM), Von Thünen agricultural model, Ravenstein's Laws of Migration, Burgess Concentric Zone Model, Hoyt Sector Model, Harris-Ullman Multiple Nuclei Model, Christaller's Central Place Theory, and Weber's Least-Cost Theory.