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๐ŸšœAP Human Geography Review

QR code for AP Human Geography practice questions

Malthusian Theory

๐ŸšœAP Human Geography
Review

Malthusian Theory

Written by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโ€ขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025

Resources

In this stream you will learn the intricacies of the Malthusian theory and it's impacts. After a short series of simple questions, we will review the concepts of carrying capacity and the types of population density, both of which are vital concepts to understand in order to make sense of the theory. Then, we will quickly cover the life and times of Thomas Malthus himself to understand what influenced his ideas. Moving forward, we will discuss the theory itself, the context and impacts of it, and why the future it foretold never came to pass. Wrapping up, the topics of neo-Malthusians will be covered followed by a few questions and a lengthy Q & A.