1. AP Human Geography Models

2. Demographic Transition Model
Geographer: Warren Thompson
Main Ideas: The process of change in a society’s population.
Visual:
Real Life Example:
Denmark is in stage 4 of the DTM

3. Gravity Model Geographer: Based off of Newton’s Laws
Main Ideas: The movement of people, information, and commodities between two places can be predicted
Visual:
Real Life Example: New York and London have a large “attraction”

4. Rostow’s Stages of Growth
Geographer: W.W. Rostow
Main Ideas: As a country develops it moves through a series of stages.
Visual:
Ex:
U.S.=
Stage 5

5. Concentric Zone Model Geographer: E.W. Burgess
Main Ideas: A city grows outward in a series of rings
Visual:
Real Life Example:
Chicago

6. Hoyt Sector Model Geographer: Homer Hoyt
Main Ideas: A city develops in a series of sectors
Visual:
Real Life Example:
Charlotte, NC

7. Multiple Nuclei Model Geographer: Harris &Ullman
Main Ideas: A city is a complex structure that includes more than one center or node.
Visual:
Real Life Example:
Los Angeles

8. Central Place Theory Geographer: Walter Christaller
Main Ideas: Services are distributed in a regular pattern around settlements that serve as market centers.
Visual:
Real Life Example:
Chic-fil-A locations
around Charlotte

9. Model of Industrial Location
Geographer: Alfred Weber
Main Ideas: Predicts where industries will locate based on the least cost to them.
Visual:
Real Life Example:
Soda bottling is near
the market to save
money on transportation
costs.

10. Agricultural Model Geographer: J.H. Von Thunen
Main Ideas: A pattern of 4 rings of agricultural activity would develop around a city.
Visual:
Real Life Example:
Intensive agricultural
activities are located closer
to the city.

11. Epidemiological Transition Model
Geographer: Abdel Omran (not important)
Main Ideas: There is a pattern of the causes of death as your move through the DTM
Visual:
Real Life Example: Cholera is a big killer is stage 2

12. World Systems Theory Geographer: Immanuel Wallerstein
Main Ideas: Describes the spatial distribution of world development
Visual:
Real Life Example:
Core: MDCs
Semi-Periphery:
Asian Dragons, India, China
Periphery: LDCs

13. Domino Theory
Geographer: Promoted by the U.S. Gov (Eisenhower first to use)
Main Ideas: If one country falls to communism, the others around it would too
Visual:
Real Life Example:
U.S. used this idea
to help justify
involvement
in the Vietnam war

14. Heartland &Rimland Theories
Geographer: Mackinder (H) &Spykman (R)
Main Ideas: H~ Control over land would be the key to power, specifically E. Europe/ Eurasia. R~ whoever was in control of the periphery of Eurasia would be able to dominate the world
Visual:
Real Life Example:
H~ Communists wanted
to dominate E. Europe & the U.S.
Wanted to contain them
R~ Vietnam & Korean Wars
Were fought over control of
rimland areas

15. Malthusian & Neo-Malthusian
Geographer: Thomas Malthus
Main Ideas: The population would eventually become too big to be sustained by the world’s food supply/ resources
Visual:
Real Life Example:
Neo-Malthusians like Paul
Ehrlich are concerned
about current carrying
capacity.

16. Bid-Rent Theory Geographer: n/a
Main Ideas: As the distance from the CBD increases in the concentric zone model, the price of land decreases.
Visual:
Real Life Example:
A factory would not locate in
the CBD

17. Rank-size Rule Geographer: n/a
Main Ideas: Acountry’s x largest settlement is 1/x of the population of the largest settlement.
Visual:
Real Life Example:
U.S.– NYC, LA,
Chicago, etc.

18. Hearths: Agricultural & Religious
Main Ideas: Buddhism & Hinduism= S. Asia, Christianity & Islam= SW Asia.
Vegetative Planting= SE Asia
Seed Agriculture= W. India,
N. China, Ethiopia, SW Asia,
S. Mexico, N. Peru
Visual:
Real Life Example:
The hearth of wheat and
Barley is SW Asia

19. Ravenstein’s Laws of Migration
Geographer: Ernest Ravenstein
Main Ideas: In the 19th century, Ravenstein wrote laws to help geographers study migration based on the reasons why people move, the distance they move, and their characteristics.
Visual:
Real Life Example:
The majority of migrants
travel a short distance

20. Renfrew’s Theory of Language Diffusion
Geographer: Colin Renfrew
Main Ideas: The diffusion of the Indo-European language family came from Anatolia, which is where modern day Turkey is now located. From there, the language family diffused into Europe and South Asia with the spread of new agricultural technology from the 1st agricultural revolution.
Visual:
Real Life Example:
The Indo-European
language has diffused
to 48 countries.

21. Agricultural Revolutions:
First Agricultural Revolution/Neolithic Revolution - The domestication of plants and animals around 12,000 BC

22. Second Agricultural Revolution -- improved methods of cultivation, harvesting, and storage of farm produce stemming from the Industrial Revolution

23. Third Agricultural Revolution/ Green Revolution- international effort that was planned to eliminate hunger by improving crop performance. Development of genetically engineered crops (GE) or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) It began in the 1960s when a combination of technologies was made available to Mexico and countries in Asia in an effort to improve the diets of people in those regions.