AP history, government and social science · 34 cards · sources listed below

AP Human Geography Flashcards: Models, Theories and Key Terms

This starter set covers the models, theories and key terms that AP Human Geography uses across its seven units, including Von Thunen, Christaller, Burgess, Hoyt, Harris and Ullman, Rostow, Wallerstein and the demographic transition. Unit names and the named models in the course description (Von Thunen, Christaller, Burgess, Hoyt, Harris and Ullman, Rostow, Wallerstein, Ravenstein) were checked against it; other cards were written from standard course content. It is an independent study aid, not a full course: map skills and case studies come from your class.

No signup needed. Hand-written and checked against the sources listed on this page.

Open flashcard with a classical column, scroll, globe, ballot box and brain

Free AP Human Geography flashcards: 34-card starter set

No signup needed. Progress saves in your browser, and in your account if you sign in. Reviewed 2026-10-17.

Unit 1: Thinking geographically (5)

Absolute vs relative location

Absolute location uses an exact position, such as latitude and longitude. Relative location describes a place in relation to other places.

Formal vs functional vs vernacular regions

Formal: uniform characteristic (such as a language area). Functional: organized around a node (such as a city's service area). Vernacular: based on people's perception (such as "the South").

What is time-space compression?

The shrinking of the effective distance between places because transportation and communication technology reduce travel and contact times.

What is distance decay?

The decline of interaction or influence as distance from a place increases.

Why does the Mercator projection mislead?

It keeps compass directions straight but greatly exaggerates the area of places near the poles, such as Greenland.

Units 2 to 4: Population, culture and political patterns (14)

Demographic transition model: the stages

Stage 1: high birth and death rates. Stage 2: death rates fall, rapid growth. Stage 3: birth rates fall. Stage 4: low birth and death rates, slow growth. Some versions add a fifth stage with declining population.

Malthus vs Boserup

Malthus predicted population grows faster than food supply, causing crises. Boserup argued population pressure drives agricultural innovation.

What is the total fertility rate (TFR), and what is replacement level?

The average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime. Replacement level is about 2.1 in developed countries.

Push factors vs pull factors

Push factors drive people away from a place (war, poverty). Pull factors attract them to another (jobs, safety).

Ravenstein's laws of migration

Observations such as: most migrants move short distances, migrate in steps, and flows tend to be balanced by counterflows.

What is a gravity model?

Interaction between two places increases with their sizes and decreases with the distance between them.

Refugee vs internally displaced person

A refugee has crossed an international border to flee persecution or conflict. An internally displaced person flees but stays within their own country.

Contagious vs hierarchical diffusion

Contagious spreads outward from a source through nearby contact. Hierarchical spreads from important people or places to others, skipping areas in between.

Universalizing vs ethnic religions

Universalizing religions (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism) actively seek converts. Ethnic religions (Hinduism, Judaism) are tied to a people or place.

Nation vs state

A nation is a group with shared identity. A state is a political unit with defined territory and sovereignty. A nation-state matches the two.

Centrifugal vs centripetal forces

Centrifugal forces divide a state (ethnic conflict). Centripetal forces unify it (shared national identity).

Gerrymandering: packing and cracking

Drawing electoral districts to favor a group. Packing puts opponents into a few districts; cracking spreads them across many.

What is irredentism?

A country's attempt to annex or regain territory in a neighboring state where people with ethnic ties to that country live.

UNCLOS: territorial sea and EEZ

A coastal state has sovereignty over a 12 nautical mile territorial sea and exclusive economic rights to resources within 200 nautical miles.

Units 5 and 6: Agriculture and cities (9)

Von Thunen model: rings around the market

From the center out: dairy and market gardens, forest (fuel), grains, then livestock ranching. Land costs and transport costs determine the pattern.

What was the Green Revolution?

Mid-20th-century adoption of high-yield seeds, fertilizers and irrigation that raised grain yields in developing countries, though with environmental and cost issues.

Subsistence vs commercial agriculture

Subsistence agriculture feeds the farmer's own household. Commercial agriculture produces for sale and profit.

Christaller's central place theory

Settlements are spaced in a hexagonal pattern based on threshold (minimum market) and range (how far people will travel for a good).

Burgess concentric zone model

The city grows in rings around a central business district (CBD): transition zone, working-class housing, middle-class housing, then commuter zone.

Hoyt sector model

The city grows in wedge-shaped sectors along transport routes, with land uses such as industry or high-income housing extending outward from the center.

Harris and Ullman multiple nuclei model

The city develops around several separate centers (such as a port, industrial area or university), not one CBD.

Rank-size rule vs primate city

Rank-size rule: a city's population is about the largest city divided by its rank. A primate city is disproportionately larger than the next ones.

What is gentrification?

Renovation and rising property values in a lower-income neighborhood by wealthier residents, often displacing long-term residents.

Unit 7: Industrial and economic development (6)

Rostow's stages of economic growth

Traditional society, preconditions for take-off, take-off, drive to maturity, age of high mass consumption.

Wallerstein's world systems theory

The global economy has a core (wealthy, powerful), a periphery (exploited, poorer) and a semi-periphery in between.

What is the dependency ratio?

The number of dependents (people under 15 and over 64) per 100 people of working age (15 to 64); a high ratio puts a heavy burden on the working population.

What does the epidemiological transition explain?

The shift in leading causes of death as societies develop: from infectious and parasitic diseases toward chronic, degenerative diseases such as heart disease and cancer, as sanitation and medicine improve.

What does the Human Development Index measure?

A combined measure of life expectancy, education and income per capita.

Dependency theory in one sentence

Poorer countries stay poor because they depend on exporting raw materials to wealthier countries on unfavorable terms.

What this set covers

Units covered

All seven units, from Thinking Geographically to Industrial and Economic Development.

Card types

Models, theories, definitions and contrasts between easily confused terms.

Best used for

Learning what each model predicts and which unit it belongs to.

Not covered

Map reading, data analysis and real-world case studies. Add your own from class.

How to study this set

Models are the heart of this course, so draw them from memory and then apply them to unfamiliar places and scenarios.

1
Day 1
Draw each model (Von Thunen, Burgess, Hoyt, Harris and Ullman, Christaller) on paper from memory and check against the cards.
2
Days 2-7
Review daily and, for each model, name one strength and one limitation.
3
Week 2
Create cards pairing each model with a real example city or region from your class.
4
Final weeks
Shuffle all units and practice explaining confusable pairs aloud, such as push vs pull and centrifugal vs centripetal.

Spaced repetition schedules each card to come back just before you would forget it, so reviews get shorter as your recall gets stronger. Cards you miss come back sooner.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mixing up the urban models

Burgess is rings, Hoyt is wedges, Harris and Ullman is several nuclei. Draw them side by side.

Memorizing models without applying them

Exam questions ask you to apply a model to a scenario or map. Practice with new examples.

Confusing similar vocabulary

Nation vs state, refugee vs internally displaced person, and contagious vs hierarchical diffusion trip people up. Write one example for each.

Ignoring model limitations

Models simplify reality. Be ready to say when a model does not fit, such as cities outside North America.

Make your own from your notes

A starter set is a head start, not your whole course. Your class notes, slides and textbook are what your teacher actually tests, so turn them into cards too.

Put the model name on the front and its diagram description, creator and unit on the back.
Make contrast cards for easy mix-ups, like Burgess vs Hoyt.
Add one real-world example to every model or term card.
Avoid long definitions copied from textbooks; one idea per card.

Generate cards from a topic or notes Turn a PDF into flashcards

AP Human Geography flashcards: questions

What are the units of AP Human Geography?

The College Board lists seven: Thinking Geographically; Population and Migration; Cultural Patterns; Political Patterns; Agriculture and Rural Land Use; Cities and Urban Land Use; and Industrial and Economic Development.

Which models are most important?

Von Thunen, Christaller, Burgess, Hoyt, Harris and Ullman, Rostow, Wallerstein, Ravenstein and the demographic transition model are the best-known named models in the course description and are used across units.

How do I remember the urban models?

Draw each from memory and label the zones or sectors. Compare them side by side so the differences between rings, wedges and multiple nuclei are clear.

Do I need to know real examples?

Yes. Questions often give a real place or map and ask you to apply a concept, so pair each model with at least one example.

Sources and review

These cards are an independent study aid, not official exam content, and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any exam body or publisher. They were written by hand and checked against the sources below on 2026-10-17. Always confirm details with your course materials and the current official documents.

College Board: AP Human Geography course page — Read to confirm the seven unit names.
College Board: AP Human Geography course and exam description (PDF) — Read to confirm that these models appear in the course: Von Thunen, Christaller, Burgess, Hoyt, Harris and Ullman, Rostow, Wallerstein, Ravenstein, rank-size rule and primate city. Other cards were written from standard course content.

Need a bigger deck than the starter set?

Pro lets you build full decks from your notes and PDFs and import whole chapters. The starter set above stays free.

See what Pro includes