SUMMER READING AND MAPPING ASSIGNMENTS
AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
Dear Students and Parents:
Welcome to the AP Human Geography class at Zachary High School. I look forward to our year together
as we both enter our journey into the discovery of how human beings use this space called Earth. It is
my hope that not only will you get a grade of 5 on the AP exam next May, but that you will also develop
a love and passion for geography and gain an understanding of how geography affects so much of what
we understand about how the world works.
Part of enrolling in an AP course is an assumption of high levels of background knowledge and
foundational skills. With this in mind, the course requires the completion of a summer assignment. Your
summer assignment has two interrelated parts: a book study of Why Geography Matters by Harm de Blij
and a series of maps that need to be completed prior to the beginning of school. You must complete
both parts of the assignment, which are due on the first day of class. Please review both assignments
and be prepared to take a formal assessment during the first week of school relating to Why Geography
Matters. Please keep in mind that the assignment has been designed to preclude students who leave
the assignment until the last few days of summer break. So, my advice is to begin immediately and do a
little each day.
The book may be purchased from most book stores in the area. You might want to purchase it online
using one of the following websites.
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Geography-Matters-More-Than/dp/0199913749 - Amazon
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/why-geography-matters-more-than-ever-harm-deblij/1107887623?ean=9780199913749 – Barnes & Noble
During my summer break, I am available to help students via email. Students and parents may feel free
to email me at: [email protected]. I will usually have access to my email. I will be out
of town for several stints during the break, so if you don’t hear back immediately, please try to be
patient. If you email, please be specific about who you are and what exactly you need help with. Also,
feel free to check out my website over the summer to get a feel for what we will be covering in class. I
still making changes to it, so it is a work on progress. You can find it at http://aphgzhs.weebly.com/ . I
am looking forward to meeting you in August!
Sincerely,
Justin Thompson
ApHuG
Reading Assignment
You are required to write a reflection paper on Why Geography Matters? based on the following rubric.
Your paper should be typed, using no larger than 12 font, Times New Roman, Double-Spaced. Point
deductions will be taken off if this format is not followed. With regard to length of response, three-four
pages typed in total would be considered appropriate. Please use the following rubric as a guide in
organizing your paper:
I. Introduction/Description (5 points)
 Author’s Name,
 place of publication,
 date of publication,
 number of pages in book
II. Summary of Book (20 points)
 Important points brought out, highlights, etc).
III. Analysis (30 points)
 Author’s objectives – What did the author intend for the reader in writing this book? (10 Points)
 Universal Lessons – Provide examples from the book of lessons that would apply any place or
time. These lessons should deal, if possible, with threads of humanity or the universal
condition. If you do not feel there is any lesson to be learned from your book, explain why. (Use
passages to support your answer)(20 points)
IV. Appraisal (15 points)
 Did you like/dislike the book and why? (10 points)
 What is missing? (5 points)
V. Themes of Geography (20 points)
 Please integrate, where applicable, the 5 geographic themes of location, movement, place,
human/environment interaction, and region. If you are unsure of the definitions of these
terms, you will find them in any dictionary or web inquiry related to the Five Themes of
Geography. You do not have to address them all, just the ones that apply to the book.

Ten points are reserved for the overall paper. (10 points)
The Book Review is worth a total of 100 points.
*ALL work should be your own. If you have found summaries and explanations online, I have found
them also. I want to know your own insights into what the author has conveyed and what you learned
from it.
Mapping Assignment
Goal: To identify and label major political regions and physical features throughout the world in order to
make relevant spatial and locational connections. Your maps will also serve as valuable reference tools
to use throughout the year.
Directions: Using the lists provided, identify and label all physical features on the physical maps and all
locations (countries and cities) on the political maps. Additionally, create a map key that shows a symbol
of your choice for the following items: capitals, cities, oceans, rivers, mountain ranges, and deserts. Use
color to differentiate bodies of water (oceans, rivers & lakes, etc.), mountain ranges, deserts, etc. Please
carefully select the colors you use to reflect the natural landscape. Draw all features to relative scale.
Assignment Value: 100 points
Assignment Guidelines and Helpful Hints:
 A large part of this assignment tests your ability to formulate solutions for complex problems. In
short, I want to know how you solve problems. Be creative in presenting and displaying your
maps.
 I highly suggest making copies of your maps in case of a major goof-up (White-out can be your
friend as long as it’s not used extensively!)
 Your maps should be printed on standard size printer paper (8 ½ x 11 inch.)
 Please take notice of the attached rubric. This is how you will your work will be assessed.
 Great resources for printing out blank regional/world maps:
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/index.html
https://geography.byu.edu/pages/resources/outlinemaps.aspx
o If you find a better resource for locating blank outline maps, feel free to use those
instead.
 For Lines of Latitude and Longitude and “other”, use a world (continental borders only) map.
 You do NOT need to draw any borders or other boundaries. It is my preference that you print
off blank political maps with country borders already drawn in.
o However, if you can’t locate physical maps with rivers, mountain ranges, and other
landforms already drawn, then you will need to draw those features neatly.
You should have 6 political maps:
1. North America
2. United States
3. Latin America (Central and South America)
4. Europe
5. Africa
6. Asia and Oceania
You should have 6 physical maps:
1. North America
2. Latin America (Central and South America)
3. Europe
4. Africa
5. Asia and Oceania
6. World Continents/Latitude and Longitude
 You do NOT need to color your political maps unless some element in your key/legend indicates
a specific color concept – and please don’t color every square inch of the page.
Be mindful that this assignment was not meant to be completed in a day (or at 2 AM the day before
school starts). You should work progressively on this task throughout the summer. Study these maps
over the summer. You will be tested on these locations throughout the year by quizzes.
*NOTE: My instructions are purely intended as a guideline. If you can formulate a more logical
organization for your mapping assignment, I am certainly open to your ideas. This is a college-level
course, so I always encourage students to find ways of doing assignments that play to their strengths. In
short, if you think you can do it better by deviating from my instructions, go for it! My only concern is
that you accurately learn the countries, major cities, and landforms.
North Africa, The Middle East, &
South Asia
North Africa:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Algeria
Chad
Egypt
Libya
Mali
Southwest Asia:
12.
Cyprus
13.
Israel
14.
Jordan
15.
Lebanon
16.
Syria
17.
Turkey
18.
Iran
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Mauritania
Morocco
Niger
Sudan
Tunisia
Western Sahara
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
Iraq
Bahrain
Kuwait
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
South Asia:
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
Maldives
Nepal
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
4.
5.
6.
7.
Mongolia
North Korea
South Korea
Taiwan
Southeast Asia:
8.
Brunei
9.
Cambodia
10.
East Timor
11.
Indonesia
12.
Laos
13.
Malaysia
14.
Myanmar (Burma)
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Vietnam Oceania:
Australia
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Melanesia:
22.
23.
24.
25.
Solomon Islands
Vanuatu
27.
28.
Nauru
Palau
32.
33.
34.
Tonga
Tuvalu
Western Samoa
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
India
East Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania
East Asia:
1.
2.
3.
Micronesia:
26.
Polynesia:
29.
30.
31.
China
Japan
Macao
Fiji
New Caledonia
Kiribati
Cook Islands
Easter Island
French Polynesia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Western Africa:
1.
Benin
2.
Burkina Faso
3.
Cape Verde
4.
Gambia
5.
Ghana
6.
Guinea
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Guinea-Bissau
Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Liberia
Nigeria
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Togo
Central Africa:
14.
15.
16.
17.
Angola
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Congo
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Sao Tome and Principe
Zambia
Burundi
Comoros
Djibouti
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Kenya
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
Mayotte
Rwanda
Seychelles
Somalia
South Sudan
Tanzania
Uganda
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
Mozambique
Namibia
South Africa
Swaziland
Zimbabwe
Eastern Africa:
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
Southern Africa:
36.
Botswana
37.
Lesotho
38.
Madagascar
39.
Malawi
40.
Mauritius
Europe
Northern Europe:
1.
Finland
2.
Iceland
3.
4.
5.
Western Europe:
6.
Andorra
7.
Belgium
8.
France
9.
Republic of Ireland (Ireland)
10.
Luxembourg
11.
Monaco
12.
Netherlands
13.
Portugal
14.
Spain
15.
United Kingdom (England, Scotland,
Wales, Northern Ireland)
Central Europe:
16.
Austria
17.
Czech Republic
18.
Germany
19.
Hungary
20.
21.
22.
23.
Liechtenstein
Poland
Slovakia
Switzerland
Southeastern Europe:
24.
Albania
25.
Bulgaria
26.
Greece
27.
Italy
28.
Malta
29.
Romania
37.
Montenegro
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
San Marino
Vatican City
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
Macedonia
Slovenia
Serbia
Eastern Europe:
38.
Estonia
39.
Latvia
40.
Lithuania
41.
Kaliningrad Oblast
(Russian Exclave)
42.
43.
44.
45.
Belarus
Moldova
Ukraine
Russia
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Former Soviet Caucasus and Asian
Republics:
38.
Armenia
39.
Azerbaijan
40.
Georgia
Denmark
Norway
Sweden
Anglo-America
1.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
2.
United States of America
New England
Mid-Atlantic
Midwest
Southeast
Southwest
Pacific
50 U.S. states and capitals
Latin America and the Caribbean
Mexico and Central America:
1.
Belize
2.
Costa Rica
3.
El Salvador
4.
Guatemala
5.
Honduras
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Bahamas
Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)
Greater Antilles:
11.
Cayman Islands (UK)
12.
Cuba
13.
Dominican Republic
14.
15.
16.
Haiti
Jamaica
Puerto Rico (USA)
Lesser Antilles:
17.
Leeward Islands
18.
19.
Windward Islands
Leeward Antilles
South America:
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
Paraguay
Bolivia
Brazil
French Guiana
Suriname
Guyana
Venezuela
Colombia
Ecuador
Peru
Chile
Argentina
Uruguay
Cities in the Americas
New York City
Chicago
Atlanta
Seattle
Havana
Mexico City
Sao Paulo
Houston
Washington D.C.
Los Angeles
Santiago (Chile)
Buenos Aires
Montreal
Quebec City
Toronto
Vancouver
Rio de Janeiro
Caracas
Lima
Bogota
European Cities
London
Edinburgh
Dublin
Paris
Madrid
Gibraltar
Bucharest
Budapest
Naples
Belgrade
Rome
Geneva
Brussels
Amsterdam
Copenhagen
Stockholm
Oslo
Helsinki
Minsk
Prague
Warsaw
Berlin
Lisbon
Vienna
Athens
Moscow
St. Petersburg
Kiev
African Cities
Cairo
Khartoum
Johannesburg
Kinshasa
Mogadishu
Cape Town
Dakar
Lagos
Abuja
Casablanca
Nairobi
Dar el-Salaam
Addis Ababa
Algiers
Tripoli
Tunis
Asian Cities
Tokyo
Seoul
Pyongyang
Hong Kong
Macau
Beijing
Shanghai
Bangkok
Ankara
Amman
Kuala Lumpur
Jakarta
Manila
Dhaka
Karachi
Islamabad
Hanoi
Kabul
Riyadh
Baghdad
Bombay
Calcutta
New Delhi
Jerusalem
Tehran
Mecca
Cities of Australia & Oceania
Brisbane
Canberra
Melbourne
Perth
Sydney
Wellington
Auckland
Lines of Latitude, Longitude &
“other”
North Pole
South Pole
Arctic Circle
Antarctic Circle
Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Capricorn
Equator
Prime Meridian Line
International Date Line
Mountain Ranges
Andes
Atlas
Urals
Caucasus
Pyrenees
Tian Shan
Himalayas
Hindu Kush
Eastern Ghats
Western Ghats
Rocky Mountains
Cascades
Appalachian Mountains
Alps
Great Rift Valley
Great Dividing Range
Mt. Kilimanjaro
Sierra Madre
Zagros
Deserts
Mojave
Arabian
Atacama
Sahara
Namib
Kalahari
Taklimakan
Gobi
Great Victorian Desert
Grasslands
Great Plains (US &
Canada)
Bodies of Water/Water
Features
Great Lakes
Hudson Bay
Chesapeake Bay
Gulf of Mexico
Mississippi River
Caribbean Sea
Strait of Magellan
Colorado River
Arctic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Indian Ocean
Southern Ocean
Bering Strait
Panama Canal
Amazon River
Rio Grande
Baltic Sea
North Sea
Mediterranean Sea
Pampas
Kirghiz Steppe
Serengeti Plain (Tanzania)
St. Lawrence River
English Channel
Danube River
Black Sea
Adriatic
Sea
Aegean
Sea
Rhine
River
Volga
River
Seine
River
Po River
Lake Baikal
Aral Sea
Red Sea
Dardanelles Strait
Bosporus Strait
Arabian Sea
Bay of Bengal
South China Sea
East China Sea
Yellow Sea
Caspian Sea
Persian Gulf
Sea of Japan
Tigris River
Euphrates River
Ganges River
Indus River
Yangtze River
Mekong River
Nile River
Congo (Zaire) River
Lake Chad
Niger River
Lake Victoria
Suez Canal
Tasman Sea
Coral Sea
Timor Sea
Map Scoring
Labels –
Accuracy/Text
Size
Map –
Legend/Key
Scale
Color Scheme
Graphics –
Pictures/Releva
nce
Attractiveness
Spelling and
Grammar
14 points
9 points
6 points
3 points
At least
100%90% of
the items are
labeled and
located
correctly.
Legend is easy to
find and contains a
complete set of
symbols.
All features on the
map are drawn to
scale.
80-90% of the
items are labeled
and located
correctly.
79-70% of the
items are labeled
and located
correctly.
Less than 70% of
the items are
labeled and
located correctly.
Legend contains a
complete set of
symbols.
Legend contains
an almost
complete set of
symbols.
Many features on
the map are NOT
drawn to scale.
Legend is absent
or lacks several
symbols.
Student always
uses color
appropriate for
features (e.g. blue
for water; black for
labels, etc.) on
map and text
All graphics &
pictures are
attractive (size and
colors), wellexecuted and
support the
theme/content of
the presentation.
The map is
exceptionally
attractive in terms
of design, layout,
and neatness
There are no
grammatical/mech
anical mistakes on
the map/poster.
Student usually
uses color
appropriate for
features (e.g. blue
for water; black
for labels, etc.) on
map.
A few graphics or
pictures are not
attractive or wellexecuted but all
support the
theme/content of
the presentation.
Many features of
the map are NOT
drawn to scale
AND there is no
attempt represent
shape, size, and
distance
accurately.
Student sometimes Student does not
uses color
use color
appropriate for
appropriately.
features (e.g. blue
for water; black
for labels, etc.) on
map.
All graphics &
Several graphics or
pictures are
pictures are
attractive but a
unattractive or
few do not seem
poorly executed
to support the
AND detract from
theme/content of
the content of the
the presentation.
presentation.
The map is
attractive in
terms of design,
layout and
neatness.
There are 1-2
grammatical/
mechanical
mistakes on the
map/poster.
The map is
acceptably
attractive though it
may be a bit
messy.
There are 3-4
grammatical/
mechanical
mistakes on the
map/poster.
The map is
distractingly
messy or very
poorly designed. It
is not attractive.
There are more
than 4
grammatical/
mechanical
mistakes on the
map/poster.
Most features on
the map are drawn
to scale.