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.
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.
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.
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!
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:
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.
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.
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.
Boko Haram, an extremist Islamic jihadist group, has been terrorizing the people of Nigeria for several years. On January 3rd they committed their largest atrocity when the moved into the town of Baga in the northeastern part of the country and opened fire with machine guns and grenade launchers. They had no specific targets and it appears that their objective was simply to kill as many people as possible, unfortunately they were successful. So many were killed that an accurate body count has been impossible to ascertain since Boko Haram is still operating in the area. Current casualty estimates vary from several hundred to over 2000.
While the western world mourned those killed last week during the terrorist attack in Paris it continued to ignore the mass violence taking place in western Africa. It reminded me of a problem I encounter constantly while teaching Human Geography, if something happens in Africa nobody cares. The most interest western media has shown in the current Nigeria crisis took place in May when social media was trending with: “#BringBackOurGirls” in response to Boko Haram kidnapping 273 girls from a school. It’s 9 months later and the girls have not been returned nor has any information about their status been received. One would think that such horrendous crimes would receive continuous attention and that media and the public would place pressure on our leaders to help bring the crisis to an end, but it’s Africa. There are no votes to be gained for politicians, dollars to be made for big business, or ratings to be increased for media so they ignore it, the public ignores it, and Boko Haram continues to kill indiscriminately.
On December 17, 2014 President Obama announced a prisoner exchange and the establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba. While my students understood that it was a “big deal” I could tell that they didn’t fully understand it from a historical perspective. Then it hit me, they had no reason to. Unlike me they were not the children of Cuban immigrants that had fled Fidel Castro’s regime decades earlier. They didn’t grow up with a nuclear fallout shelter in their school or learning nuclear bomb drills from “Bert the Turtle” that were somehow simultaneously terrifying and comical. For your viewing entertainment:
I’m 34 years old and my Cold War memories are the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. To make a movie analogy that would be like starting to watch “The Wizard of Oz” from the moment Dorothy throws the bucket of water at the witch. If I felt detached having lived through the tail end of it and having a strong family connection my current students, mostly born in 2000, have almost no concept of Cold War global politics.
Since I teach primarily ninth graders that have yet to take World or US History I often find myself making teaching points about historical events that they have never heard of. To make it easier to understand these concepts I’ve created “The Five Minute Ghetto Fabulous History Lesson” in which I teach them a topic that could be a year long college course as quickly as possible.
The following timeline is an intentionally brief overview of the Cold War with a few key notes and critical Human Geography references in bold.
1945 – The United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union work together to bring about the defeat of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.
Despite being Allies the US and UK did not like or trust the Soviets, the feeling was mutual.
The US, UK, France, and Soviet Union agree to divide Germany into 4 zones and do the same with Berlin.
The Soviet Union begins to establish permanent dominance over Eastern Europe.
Winston Churchill would later refer to this as the “Iron Curtain.”
The US established itself as the dominant global power by using nuclear weapons to defeat Japan.
1948 – The Soviet Union closed off all access to Berlin hoping the US would give up on the city.
The US and British kept the city from starving by flying in planes with supplies constantly.
This was known as the Berlin Airlift.
1949 – The Western European countries create a military alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Their goal was to prevent the spread of Soviet Communism.
1949 – China’s Communist leaders declare victory and establish control over the entire country.
The US supported Nationalist government fled to Taiwan, creating a hostile relationship that still exists to this day.
The Western powers freaked out as the world’s largest population had gone “Red.”
1949 – The Soviet Union created and tested their own nuclear weapon.
This started a nuclear arms race that would last until 1991.
1950 – Communist North Korea invades South Korea starting a war that would last 3 years and kill over a million people.
The final outcome of the war was basically to pretend it had never happened.
1954 – The French are defeated in Vietnam paving the way for an independent and Communist government to be established.
This would become highly complicated as eventually the US would try to prevent this from happening, and fail.
1955 – The Eastern European countries create their own military alliance under the guidance of the Soviet Union called the Warsaw Pact.
This was an attempt by the Soviets to maintain balance of power with the western democracies.
1959 -Fidel Castro and his rebels overthrow the government of Cuba.
While he had not declared himself a Communist aligned with the Soviet Union he would establish that relationship in the following years.
In the last few years he has handed over control of the government to his brother Raul Castro. This is the same government that still rules over the island.
1961 – The US cuts diplomatic relations with Cuba.
These are the same relations that would be reestablished last month by President Obama.
1961 – A CIA supported group of 1300 Cuban exiles attempt to invade Cuba and overthrow Fidel Castro’s government.
Known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
Failed miserably as they had expected US air support that never arrived and spies among them had alerted the Cuban military.
1961 – The Soviet Union builds a wall and creates a physical divide between West and Soviet dominated East Berlin.
Their main objective had been to prevent people from escaping to West Berlin.
1962 – The Cuban Missile Crisis puts the US and Soviet Union on the brink of nuclear war.
Surprisingly, the US did not like having Soviet nuclear missiles 90 miles off its shore.
Nuclear war was only avoided because both sides realized, nobody wins a nuclear war.
1964 – President Lyndon B. Johnson gets Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorizing him to do anything he wants with the military in Vietnam.
This was the start of what would become the longest war in US history. (Since surpassed by the war in Afghanistan)
Over the course of the next 9 years 60,000 American soldiers and over a million Vietnamese would die in this war.
1972 – President Richard Nixon visits China in an attempt to begin normalizing diplomatic relations with them.
Also seen as the start of establishing a trade relationship with China.
1972 – The US and Soviet Union begin the “Strategic Arms Limitation Talks” to discuss their nuclear arsenals.
Over the next several years they would agree to limit nuclear missiles at current numbers and to eventually stop the production of new nuclear weapons.
1973 – The last US soldier was pulled out of Vietnam.
While North and South Vietnam had agreed to a cease fire it was only a matter of time before they would start fighting again.
1975 – Saigon and the government of South Vietnam collapse.
Twenty years after they defeated the French and two years after the US pulled out, Vietnam was united, independent, and under Communist rule.
1979 – The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan straining the progress that had been made in the previous decade to improve their relationship with the US.
The US would later smuggle weapons to the rebels that would go on to defeat Soviet rule.
1985 – Mikhail Gorbachev becomes leader of the Soviet Union.
He would become the individual that did the most to bring about the end of the Soviet Union and in turn, the Cold War.
1988 – The Soviet Union announced it would no longe interfere politically or militarily in Eastern Europe.
In the next few months several Eastern European countries overthrew their communist governments.
1989 – The Berlin Wall is brought down.
Opens the door for the reunification of East and West Germany the next year.
1991 – The Soviet Union’s government collapses.
This would mark the official end of 46 years of hostility and nuclear threat between the US and Soviet Union.
Thankfully, the Cold War ended before anybody had to use one of these:
A “Nuclear Fallout Shelter” sign located in a New Jersey public school.
The CDC has reported that this flu season is off to an aggressive start with 22 states reporting unusually high rates. They even went as far as to declare it an “epidemic.” While most flu seasons gain “epidemic” status it is uncommon for it to happen so early in the season. Contributing to this example of contagious diffusion is a flu strand that is more aggressive than usual and a low number of people receiving the flu vaccination.
While most people don’t consider having the flu to be much more than a few days in bed the reality is that it kills thousands of people around the world each year. The worst flu strand on record lasted from 1918-1920 and killed approximately 4% of the world’s population. While it is highly unlikely that this year’s flu would reach global pandemic levels those most vulnerable to the extreme effects of the flu are the elderly, infants, and people with weakened immune systems. So if you haven’t already, get your flu shot. If it keeps you from getting sick or at the very least shortens the duration of the flu it will be a few dollars well spent. In most communities there are locations where they give the shot away for free.
The recent events in Ferguson, Missouri have brought the issue of race and discrimination to national attention once again. Many believe the days of racism are relics of black and white photos where African-Americans were humiliated by signs that read “Whites Only,” but the reality is far different. Racism still exists today but occurs on a more subtle, sometimes subconscious level.
Every year I ask my students the following question: Would you rather live in a society where people openly discriminated against minorities or our modern, more accepting society? They always answer emphatically that now is better because minorities have rights that are protected by the government. I tell them that I agree with them but my next question is, does discrimination still exist? They answer equally as strongly that it does.
The problem is no longer institutionalized racism but a string of small decisions that are made individually. If an African-American applies for a job and never hears back from the employer they have not suffered a humiliating shame, or been denied their basic rights. They just assume that the company decided to hire somebody else. Yet, if this person was denied the job because of their race it creates an economic disadvantage that has much greater long term consequences than somebody yelling a slur at them.
CNN recently posted an article that combines information from multiple studies to tackle the issue of modern racism. It is a worthwhile read that analyzes how we have created a society in which racism obviously still exists, yet few people are branded with the label of racist. Please follow the link below for a breakdown of discrimination in the United States in 2014.
Alarming Fact: 35.8 million people in the world are slaves.
The Human Geo Guy’s Take: The Walk Free Foundation released their annual report called the Global Slavery Index. It defines anybody that is the victim of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and forced marriage or labor. India, the world’s largest democracy, has the largest number at over 14 million slaves. China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia all come in at over one million slaves. Mauritania, Uzbekistan, Haiti, and Qatar are the countries with the highest proportion of its population living in bondage.
In the US we have been trained to believe that slavery is a dark chapter of our past that was swept away by Abraham Lincoln in the 1860s. For millions around the world it is a never ending reality. In an era of modern technology and economic development it is a moral imperative for the free world to combat the evil that is slavery.
Eleven women in the Central Indian state of Chhattisgarh have died after undergoing sterilization procedures over the weekend. Dozens more have been hospitalized with several of these women in critical condition. These women were operated on by a mobile surgical team that treated 83 patients in a five hour span on Saturday.
India’s sterilization policy has been criticized since it was introduced in the 1970s. In an attempt to slow down births in the world’s second most populated country the government instituted a payment system where people that voluntarily get sterilized would receive a cash bonus.
One of the strongest arguments against this policy is that it preys upon the poorest of the Indian population. It serves as a type of class warfare where those desperate to get their hands on a few dollars subject themselves to the procedure. Knowing that their patients are desperate allows for the quality of facilities to be shoddy at best. These traveling surgical teams often lack the sanitary conditions needed to safely treat their patients. If infection develops the proper facilities needed to treat these women often do not exist.
Human rights groups have tried to pressure the Indian government to change the nearly 40 year old policy. If the recent tragedy does not make the Indian government change its payments for sterilization program one can hope that it will force investment in better facilities for women that agree to the procedures. These women deserved better than to have died for a $23 “bonus.”
Helping Students Succeed on the AP® Human Geography Exam since 2008.
