Alarming Fact, Intro to Human Geography, Population

Human Geography: Alarming Fact # 10

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For the last 50 years Japan has given a commemorative silver cup to each of its citizens on their 100th birthday. The number of people over 100 back then was limited but that number has exploded recently as Japan now has on average the oldest population on Earth. Japan also faces an economy burdened by a heavy national debt. Those factors have combined to cause the Japanese government to suspend the traditional gift as it has become too expensive to continue.

This site has posted previously on the increasing population crisis in Japan. To see the original post follow the link below:

Human Geography: The Declining and Aging Population of Japan

 

Intro to Human Geography

Welcome Back to School and Human Geography 2015-2016

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Around the country some schools have been back in session for a few weeks, some just started, and the rest will be starting shortly. I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome all of the students that are taking AP® Human Geography this year. This website will serve as a tool for students and faculty looking for additional resource beyond what is available in the classroom or textbooks.

Last year my classroom students attained the highest pass rate in my school district’s history. I look forward to challenging that mark this year with my new crop of ninth graders.

Also, for those students needing help beyond the classroom and the resources on this site, I am available for private tutoring sessions throughout the school year. Last year every student I privately tutored passed the AP® Exam. For more information on how “The Human Geo Guy” can help you, or to contact me directly, please follow this link.

Best wishes for a great school year and lots of passing scores on May 13, 2016.

Danny Sanchez “The Human Geo Guy”

Political Geography

Gerrymandering

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Gerrymandering
Graphic created by The Washington Post, adapted from a post by Facebook user Stephen Nass.

Gerrymandering has been a political issue for over a century in the United States. It is the intentional drawing of oddly shapes congressional districts to favor one party over another. In the past I have explained it to my students by describing the voting districts as making as much sense as a paintball splatter.

Gerrymandering can be used to create a super majority for one political party over the other despite only having a small majority. If done correctly, it can even create a majority for a party that has a small minority. Although using the term “correctly” to describe something that intentionally deceives seems wrong in itself. The bottom line is that it does not create a true representation of the real voting patterns of the American public.

Recently a Facebook user named “Steven Nass” created a chart that made gerrymandering easier to understand than any other visual I have ever come across. He titled it “How to Steal an Election.” The Washington Post adapted it to show the different ways to skew election results. Below you will find a link to the Washington Post’s article with the diagram as well as a detailed explanation.

Gerrymandering is a topic that has come up numerous times on the AP® Human Geography Exam. This past year it was even made into a full blown free response question. For many students taking the exam understanding gerrymandering was the difference between passing and failing the AP® Human Geography Exam.

The Washington Post’s Breakdown of Gerrymandering

Folk and Pop Culture, Religion

Mecca: The Hajj and the Big Hotel

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A few weeks ago it was announced that a new hotel will be built in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. New hotels are announced and built on a seemingly endless basis, what makes this one special? Size.

Developers are planning on making it the world’s largest hotel with over 10,000 rooms. A full 3,000 more than the current leader, the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

While it may seem a daunting task to fill such a large hotel there is one time a year that there should be no problem at all, the annual hajj. The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, requiring Muslims to make one trip in their lifetime to the birthplace of the religion’s founder Mohammed. This pilgrimage happens once a year during the final month of the Muslim calendar.

Millions of Muslim from around the world come to share in the ceremony. So many Muslims arrive that it is considered the largest annual gathering of people on the planet. Come the annual hajj, the reality is that even with 10,000 rooms, the problem they will face is not too many rooms, but still not enough to accommodate everybody in attendance.

This sacred trip taken by Muslims is a theme that comes up repeatedly in Human Geography. It is the most well known pilgrimage taken by believers among the major religions and is commonly used as an example on tests and exams. Being able to identify the hajj, or using it as an example on an essay, might be the difference between failing and passing  the AP® Human Geography Exam.

The Human Geo Guy Recommends

Review Book Recommendation

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As the AP® Human Geography Exam approaches I often get asked what review book I recommend. There are lots of great products out there but the one I use in my class is Kaplan AP Human Geography 2015. I feel that it does the best job of breaking down the material into its most basic concepts. It help students that might feel overwhelmed by such a large amount of information, especially if they are a ninth grader taking their first AP® Exam. At the same time it covers almost every imaginable piece of information that can be asked about so it doesn’t neglect the student pushing for a perfect score of 5.

Here is a quick link to:

Kaplan AP Human Geography 2015 by Kelly Swanson

Migration

Migration Patterns in the US

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Living in Florida for the past 23 years I’ve come to a conclusion, everybody here is from somewhere else. I include myself in this number as I was born in New Jersey and lived there until the age of 13. Last summer the New York Times released an interactive map proving me wrong, only 64% were born somewhere else. The greatest proportion of non-native Floridians came from outside of the United States, not surprising in a state known for having a large influx of Hispanic immigrants. Also, many in Florida are originally from the Northeast, particularly New York. This goes with two patterns that are critical to Human Geography: 1. Retirees are drawn to warm weather environments as has been previously discussed on this site. 2. A recent shift of the population to the Sun Belt as people pursue better weather and growing job opportunities. Other patterns emerge on a national level:
1. When compared to maps from 1900 and 1950 people today are much more likely to live in a state other than where they were born.
2. Besides Florida the only other states with a native born population under 40% are Arizona and Nevada. Both fit the same profile a Florida, with large retiree and Hispanic populations.

New York
Large cities like New York attract international migrants as well as people from around the United States.


3. The Southwest as a whole has a large percentage of people born outside of the United States due to its proximity to Mexico.
4. California has the greatest percentage of people that were born in another country. This is due to them drawing in large numbers of migrants from both Latin America as well as Asia.

5. New York has the second highest percentage of people born outside of the U.S. at 25%. Migrants tend to flock towards large urban centers and New York City fits this pattern perfectly.To check out the map and see where people in your state are from follow this link.

Intro to Human Geography

The World You Think You Know

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Mercator Map
A Mercator map projection with extreme distortion near the North and South Poles.

As humans we have an infatuation with straight lines. They are easy to draw and help us maintain order. Often straight lines are quite helpful: architects use them to design structurally sound buildings, cities laid out in a grid tend to have fewer traffic issues, and I have avoided many arguments between my children by cutting a piece of candy perfectly in half. Unfortunately straight lines can cause problems as well, specifically when it comes to creating a global map.

The Mercator map projection is the most commonly used map in the world. It turns the world into one large rectangle that meets perfectly at right angles across the globe. The problem, the world isn’t a giant rectangle, it’s a sphere. The equivalent would be smashing a bowling ball with a sledge hammer and then trying to sort the pieces on the floor. All while trying to make it still look like a bowling ball, physically impossible. Yet, we overwhelmingly use the Mercator map projection for no reason other than it’s easy to print.

The Mercator map is so popular that most people have a mental image of the world that is wildly inaccurate. This problem is caused by map distortion. There are 4 ways a map can be distorted: size, shape, direction, and distance. The two types of distortion most evident in the Mercator projection are size and shape. These problems become greatest near the poles. While placing the sphere on a rectangular map the edges need to be stretched out the most to maintain the straight lines. This causes an optical illusion that makes Russia, Canada, and Greenland (all already quite large in size) seem even larger.

Our friends at Buzzfeed have put together a video showing that the world looks nothing like what we have been programmed to believe. Enjoy!

Alarming Fact, Humans and the Environment

Human Geography: Alarming Fact # 8

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The northern Sweden town of Kiruna is sinking due to the expansion of an iron ore mine. As the mine grows wider and deeper the surrounding land becomes more unstable. Plans are in place to dismantle entire buildings and move them a few miles over to stable soil. The picture above shows the portion of the town that will be moved. All buildings within the red line will either be relocated or allowed to collapse as the ground gives way.

The town has always counted on the mine for its economic survival, but in an ironic twist the mine might bring about its demise. This interplay between the need for natural resources and the environment is one of the key themes of human geography. As the world population grows and standards of living increase more resources are in demand. We ask the Earth to constantly give us more, as a result environmentalists argue that we are “killing the planet.” I counter that the planet is going to be just fine, what we are actually killing is our ability to live on this planet.

CNN: Sweden’s Sinking Town

Humans and the Environment

Overfishing

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In its most recent issue “The Economist” ran a story referencing the problems created by overfishing. The painfully obvious issue, if a species of fish is being caught faster than it can reproduce, the long term survival of that species comes into doubt. The article cites estimates that the population of some fish species may have dropped as much as 90% in the past 60 years. The article suggests that modern technology can be used to try to regulate fishermen. By using GPS to track their position and with stricter enforcement of laws that already exist fisheries might be able to survive.

The article also brings up some critical terms that are used in Human Geography, specifically referencing the application of ocean borders. 12 miles out from a coast is still considered the territory of that country. It also uses the term “Exclusive Economic Zones” that extend 200 miles out from a coast. Any natural resources or fisheries within this EEZ are subject to the laws and regulations of that country, although they can prove to be difficult to enforce.

Most importantly, one of the key themes in Human Geography is the relationship between people and the environment. I teach my students that there are three general attitudes that exist towards the environment:

  1. The planet has unlimited resources that can be used in any way humans want or need and there will be no negative consequences. I generally refer to this theory as the “unicorn theory” because we’d like it to be real, but it’s not.
  2. Humans have trashed the planet beyond repair and all hope is lost.  I find this outlook to be overwhelmingly pessimistic  and disagree with it simply because I don’t want to die as part of some ecological disaster.
  3. Humans have damaged the planet but with increasing awareness and action we can find a sustainable solution to maintain our existence. I hope this one is the correct outlook because if it’s not, the alternatives are remarkably bad.

The Economist: Overfishing

Helping Students Succeed on the AP® Human Geography Exam since 2008.