Complete Unit LibraryAP Human Geography12-17% of AP exam

Unit 7: Industrial and Economic Development

Eight lessons covering all College Board CED topics for AP Human Geography Unit 7. The Industrial Revolution, the five economic sectors, Weber's least-cost theory, measures of development (GDP, GNI, HDI, GII), gender and microloans, four theories of development (Rostow, Wallerstein, dependency, commodity dependence), global trade and free-trade agreements, SEZs and deindustrialization, and sustainable development.

Lessons8 of 8Complete CED coverage

Total Time~8 hoursCED pacing: 14-15 days

CED Topics Covered7.1 - 7.8All 8 unit topics

AP Exam Weight12-17%Major exam unit

Lesson Sequence

The 8 lessons in order

7.1

The Industrial Revolution

Origins in late-1700s Britain, diffusion to Continental Europe and beyond, new technologies and natural resources, social transformation, and the link to colonialism and imperialism.

EU SPS-7LO SPS-7.ASkill 4.D~ 60 min

7.2

Economic Sectors and Patterns

Primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary, and quinary sectors; Weber's least-cost theory; break-of-bulk points; containerization; core, semiperiphery, and periphery locations.

EU SPS-7LO SPS-7.BSkill 2.B~ 55 min

7.3

Measures of Development

GDP, GNP, GNI per capita, formal and informal economy, income distribution, fertility, infant mortality, literacy, Gender Inequality Index (GII), and the Human Development Index (HDI).

EU SPS-7LO SPS-7.CSkill 3.F~ 60 min

7.4

Women and Economic Development

Shifting roles of women as economies develop, rising workforce participation, persistent wage and opportunity gaps, and microloans as a path to local small-business ownership.

EU SPS-7LO SPS-7.DSkill 3.D~ 55 min

7.5

Theories of Development

Rostow's Stages of Economic Growth, Wallerstein's World System Theory, dependency theory, and commodity dependence as alternative explanations for global development patterns.

EU SPS-7LO SPS-7.ESkill 1.E~ 60 min

7.6

Trade and the World Economy

Complementarity and comparative advantage; neoliberal free trade agreements (EU, WTO, Mercosur, OPEC); tariffs; debt crises and the IMF; microlending as a development strategy.

EU PSO-7LO PSO-7.ASkill 5.B~ 60 min

7.7

Changes as a Result of the World Economy

Outsourcing and deindustrialization; Special Economic Zones, Free-Trade Zones, and Export-Processing Zones; international division of labor; post-Fordism, just-in-time delivery, agglomeration, and growth poles.

EU PSO-7LO PSO-7.ASkill 4.F~ 65 min

7.8

Sustainable Development

Natural-resource depletion, mass consumption, pollution, and climate change as industrialization problems; ecotourism; the UN Sustainable Development Goals; and scale-effectiveness analysis.

EU IMP-7LO IMP-7.ASkill 5.D~ 60 min

CED Topic Index

7.1The Industrial Revolution

7.2Economic Sectors and Patterns

7.3Measures of Development

7.4Women and Economic Development

7.5Theories of Development

7.6Trade and the World Economy

7.7Changes as a Result of the World Economy

7.8Sustainable Development

Enduring Understandings

SPS-7

Both past and present industrialization has lifted standards of living while also producing geographically uneven development.

PSO-7

Economic and social development unfolds at different times and at different paces depending on the place.

IMP-7

Strategies for sustainable development can address the environmental problems generated by industrialization.

Exam Tips

Tip 1

The four theories in Topic 7.5 (Rostow, Wallerstein, dependency, commodity dependence) are among the most frequently tested FRQ content in Unit 7. Know the strength, weakness, and limitation of each per Skill 1.E.

Tip 2

EK SPS-7.B.2 names Weber's least-cost theory, break-of-bulk, containerization, and core-semiperiphery-periphery. MCQs pair these with specific location scenarios.