AP Human Geography
Map Terms and Map Packet—2015-16
Part of AP Human Geography is having a sense of the map of the world. Included in this packet is a list of countries and physical features you will be expected to know on a series of quizzes and tests given throughout the first semester. The schedule for these assessments is listed below. While you are not required to re-create, color, or label any maps, that strategy is encouraged if you know that you learn best by doing that type of work. The Arizona Geographic Alliance has a nice selection of outline maps available for you to print out and use for practice at home. You can find them on the website:
http://geoalliance.asu.edu/maps. There is a tab for “Regions” that you should find helpful.
Use your Merriam-Webster’s Student Atlas as your primary resource to identify the locations of the countries and physical features. It is important to familiarize yourself with the following map elements as you study for these assessments.
Title of Map (Ex: United States—Political; United States—Physical) Type of Map
o Reference—locating countries/physical features
o Thematic—displaying data using colors, line, proportional symbols Legend/Key
Symbols
Colors (Political vs. Physical features based on type of map) Orientation (direction/compass rose)
Scale (local, regional, national)
Map Scale (ratio of life sized to map sized—large vs. small scale—graphic/bar, written, ratio) Projection type
Students are responsible for properly identifying any countries or physical features listed on the
following pages. You will need to create any of your own study materials beyond what is found on these pages.
First 9 Weeks North America
o United States and Canada
o Political sub-units including states, provinces, and territories
o Physical features
Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean o Countries/Physical features South America o Countries/Physical features Western Europe o Countries/Physical features Eastern Europe o Countries/Physical features States formerly known as the Soviet Union
o Countries/Physical features
Second 9 Weeks
Africa (Countries and Physical Features) o Northern and Central
o Western
o Eastern and Southern
Asia (Countries and Physical Features) o East Asia
o South Central Asia o Southeast Asia o Southwest Asia Australia and Oceania
o Countries o Physical features
The United States, Canada, and Greenland 1. Political features
a. Two countries (USA and Canada) and one territory (Greenland is a territory of Denmark) 2. Political Sub-units
a. United States—fifty states and their capitals b. Canada—ten provinces and three territories 3. Physical features
a. Appalachian Mountains b. Cascade Range
c. Rocky Mountains
d. Sierra Nevada Mountains e. Death Valley
F. Great Basin Desert g. Mojave Desert h. Mississippi River I. Missouri River j. Rio Grande k. Ohio River l. St. Lawrence River m. Atlantic Ocean n. Pacific Ocean o. Hudson Bay p. The Great Lakes
i. Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior (HOMES) q. The Great Salt Lake (Utah)
Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean 1. Political features (Countries)
a. The Bahamas b. Belize c. Costa Rica d. Cuba e. Dominican Republic f. El Salvador g. Guatemala h. Haiti i. Honduras j. Jamaica k. Mexico l. Nicaragua m. Panama 2. Physical Features
a. Baja California (peninsula) b. Yucatan Peninsula c. Caribbean Sea d. Gulf of Mexico e. Gulf of California f. Atlantic Ocean g. Pacific Ocean h. Panama Canal i. Rio Grande
j. Identify the two major island chains (archipelagos) of the Caribbean i. Greater Antilles
South America 1. Political Features a. Argentina b. Bolivia c. Brazil d. Chile e. Columbia f. Ecuador g. Guyana h. Suriname i. Paraguay j. Peru k. Uruguay l. Venezuela
2. Political Sub-units—Territories (identify who controls these territories) a. French Guiana
b. The Falkland Islands c. The Galapagos Islands d. South Georgia Island 3. Physical Features a. Andes Mountains b. Atacama Desert c. Brazilian Highlands d. The Pampas e. Patagonia
f. Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn g. Amazon River
h. Atlantic Ocean i. Caribbean Sea j. Pacific Ocean k. Lake Titicaca
Western Europe 1. Political features a. Andorra b. Austria c. Belgium d. Denmark e. Finland f. France g. Germany h. Greece i. Iceland j. Ireland k. Italy l. Luxembourg m. Netherlands n. Norway o. Portugal p. Spain q. Sweden r. Switzerland s. United Kingdom
2. Political Sub-units—Territories (Identify who controls them) a. Balearic Islands
b. Sardinia and Sicily c. Corsica
3. Physical Features
a. The Alps Mountains b. The Pyrenees c. Danube River d. Elbe River e. Loire River f. Rhine River g. Rhone River h. Seine River i. Adriatic Sea j. Aegean Sea k. Arctic Ocean l. Atlantic Ocean m. Baltic Sea n. Bay of Biscay o. English Channel p. Mediterranean Sea q. North Sea r. Strait of Gibraltar
Eastern Europe 1. Political Features
a. Albania
b. Bosnia and Herzegovina c. Bulgaria d. Croatia e. Czech Republic f. Hungary g. Macedonia h. Poland i. Slovakia j. Slovenia k. Romania
l. Sub-units of the former Yugoslavia i. Kosovo ii. Serbia iii. Montenegro 2. Physical Features a. Balkan Mountains b. Carpathian Mountains c. Caucasus Mountains d. Danube River e. Adriatic Sea f. Aegean Sea g. Baltic Sea h. Black Sea
The Former Soviet Union 1. Political Features a. Armenia b. Azerbaijan c. Belarus d. Estonia e. Georgia f. Kazakhstan g. Kyrgyzstan h. Latvia i. Lithuania j. Moldova k. Russia l. Tajikistan m. Turkmenistan n. Ukraine o. Uzbekistan 2. Physical Features a. Caucasus Mountains b. Ural Mountains c. Ural River d. Volga River e. Baltic Sea f. Barents Sea g. Bering Sea h. Black Sea i. Caspian Sea
Northern and Central Africa 1. Political Features
a. Algeria b. Cameroon c. Chad
d. Central African Republic e. Democratic Republic of Congo f. Egypt g. Equatorial Guinea h. Gabon i. Libya j. Morocco k. Republic of Congo l. Tunisia m. Western Sahara
2. Political Sub-units—Territories (identify who controls them) a. Canary Islands 3. Physical Features a. Atlas Mountains b. Sahara Desert c. Sinai Peninsula d. Atlantic Ocean e. Lake Nasser f. Mediterranean Sea g. Nile Delta h. Nile River i. Red Sea j. Strait of Gibraltar k. Suez Canal l. Congo River m. Lake Chad n. Lake Tanganyika o. The “Sahel”
West Africa 1. Political Features a. Benin b. Burkina Faso c. Cote d’Ivoire d. Gambia e. Ghana f. Guinea g. Guinea Bissau h. Liberia i. Mali j. Mauritania k. Niger l. Nigeria m. Senegal n. Sierra Leone o. Togo 2. Physical Features a. Sahara Desert b. The “Sahel” c. Lake Chad d. Atlantic Ocean
Eastern and Southern Africa 1. Political Features a. Angola b. Botswana c. Burundi d. Djibouti e. Eritrea f. Ethiopia g. Kenya h. Lesotho i. Madagascar j. Malawi k. Mozambique l. Namibia m. Rwanda n. Somalia o. South Africa p. South Sudan q. Sudan r. Swaziland s. Tanzania t. Uganda u. Zambia v. Zimbabwe 2. Physical Features a. Kalahari Desert b. Serengeti Plain c. Sahara Desert d. The “Sahel” e. Atlantic Ocean f. Indian Ocean g. Nile River h. Zambezi River i. Mozambique Channel j. Lake Malawi k. Lake Tanganyika l. Lake Victoria
East Asia 1. Political Features a. China b. Japan c. Mongolia d. North Korea e. South Korea f. Taiwan 2. Physical Features a. Gobi Desert b. Himalaya Mountains c. Huang He (Yellow) River d. Yangtze River
e. Gulf of Tonkin f. Pacific Ocean g. Sea of Japan h. South China Sea
South Central Asia 1. Political features a. Afghanistan b. Bangladesh c. Bhutan d. India e. Nepal f. Pakistan g. Sri Lanka 2. Physical Features a. Deccan Plateau b. Himalaya Mountains c. Hindu Kush Mountains d. Khyber Pass e. Ganges River f. Indus River g. Arabian Sea h. Bay of Bengal i. Indian Ocean
Southwest Asia 1. Political Features a. Bahrain b. Cyprus c. Iran d. Iraq e. Israel f. Jordan g. Kuwait h. Lebanon i. Oman j. Qatar k. Saudi Arabia l. Syria m. Turkey
n. United Arab Emirates o. Yemen
2. Physical Features
a. “The Fertile Crescent” (Also known as “Mesopotamia”) b. Euphrates River c. Tigris River d. Black Sea e. Bosporus Strait f. Caspian Sea g. The Dardanelles h. Gulf of Aden i. Gulf of Oman j. Persian Gulf k. Red Sea l. Strait of Hormuz
Southeast Asia 1. Political Features a. Brunei b. Cambodia c. Indonesia d. Laos e. Malaysia
f. Myanmar (Formerly Burma) g. Philippines h. Singapore i. Thailand j. Vietnam 2. Physical Features a. Malay Peninsula b. Mekong River c. Mekong Delta d. Indian Ocean e. Pacific Ocean f. South China
Australia and Oceania 1. Political features
a. Australia b. New Zealand 2. Physical Features
a. Great Barrier Reef b. Great Dividing Range c. Great Sandy Desert d. Great Victoria Desert
