Name: ______________________
Period: ____________
Date: ___________
Fall Semester World Geography Exam Notes (Part 1)
Basic Landforms
• Island – land area, smaller than a continent surrounded by water
• Archipelago – a group or chain of islands
• Plain - area of land, usually at low elevation and often covered with grasses
• Plateau – area of flat or rolling land at high elevation
Plate Tectonics
• The process of continental drift and magma flow that creates the Earth physical features
•
•
Subduction (or Convergent Plates)
– Heavier sea plates dive under lighter continental plates
• Creates volcanic mountains
– Results in earthquakes and tsunamis
Faults
– Occurs when plates grind past each other
• As the plates slide, earthquakes acre created
1
Name: ______________________
Period: ____________
Date: ___________
“Ring of Fire”
 The Pacific ”Ring of Fire” (or just The Ring of Fire) is an area where large numbers of earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean (responsible for creating places such as the
Hawaiian islands).
Mountain Ranges of North America
 The Rocky Mountains stretch from Texas up to Canada. The Appalachian Mountains are mostly In the
United States (the northern portion extends into Canada). The Appalachian Mountains are older than
the Rocky Mountains.
Ural Mountains
• The Ural Mountain range separates Europe from Asia.
Orographic (Rain Shadow Effect)
 The higher the elevation, the temperature gets cooler. Rising air cools and condenses and creates
precipitation.
Landforms
• Delta: A delta is an area of land in which a river divides into smaller rivers and empties into a larger
body of water.
2
Name: ______________________
Period: ____________
•
Date: ___________
A tropical hurricane is caused by the very rapid evaporation of warm ocean water in the late summer
months.
Eight Factors That Affect Climate (LAMECOWS)
L - Latitude
A - Air Pressure
M - Mountain Barriers
E - Elevation
C - Continental location
O - Ocean Currents
W - Wind Currents
S - Storms
Climate Factors
• In the map below, the major influencing climatic factor are mountain barriers (i.e., coastal ranges,
Sierra Nevada mountains). Remember, mountain barriers is one of the factors in LAMECOWS.
The Seasons


The seasons occur because of the tilt of the earth and our revolution around the sun.
Due to tilt of earth, not all places receive same amount of light at one time.

Definition: Axial tilt is the inclination angle of a planet's rotational axis in relation to its orbital plane

What would happen If the earth’s tilt changed? Answer: The seasons would change
Tilt
3
Name: ______________________
Period: ____________
Date: ___________
Population Pyramids

Remember, countries with pyramid shapes, such as the Philippines, are less developed, whereas,
countries with “honey-combed” shapes are more developed.
Less Developed
More Developed
X and Y Axis of Human Pyramid
In the population pyramids below, you can see that in 1950 Japan had a high birth rate and high death rate
(i.e. developing country); in the 2007 population pyramid, Japan’s pyramid looks like a honey comb, which
signifies a developed country with lower birth rates and lower death rates. In 2050, Japan is projected to have
an even lower birth rate and high life expectancies for the elder populations…i.e. Japan will be a country of
mostly old people, and few young people.
4
Name: ______________________
Period: ____________
Date: ___________
North Africa
(See below) As everyone can see, population density are in clusters, since this is North Africa, located in the
Sahara desert, settlements are found in areas with reliable sources of water.
Also, since the northern area of Africa receives less than 10 inches of annual rainfall, this area would be
defined as a Desert.
Region Characteristics
• In the South American country of Brazil, the official language is Portuguese, which comes from
Portugal.
This thematic map would be most useful to a —
•
For these kinds of questions, use your common sense. For example, since the thematic map above
shows the average amount of rain in California, it can be inferred that a farmer would find this
information more useful.
Urban Buildup
With the rise of the Industrial Revolution (i.e. factories, industrial facilities, etc.) an increased labor force in
urban areas was needed in order to operate the factories/industry. This increase in human population
in the cities has created what is now known as “urban sprawl.”
Economics
 High tech industry, service and manufacturing industries are an example of Market oriented economy
 The European Union (EU) consists of countries that are physically located in Europe.
 Subsistence Farming: Farmers grow just enough food crops to feed their own families.
 Commercial Farming: Farmers grow food crops in order to sell and make a profit.
5
Name: ______________________
Period: ____________
Subsistence Agriculture
Small Scale
Family
produced
Low Level of
technology
Both
Date: ___________
Commercial Agriculture
Type of
Agriculture
Depends on supply and
demand; Common in
developed countries;
Farmers raise goods that
give the most profit
•As In a market economy, supply and demand determines the prices of goods and services.
Traditional Economy
 Early form, very primitive and basic
 Economic decisions based on customs and beliefs
 Passed from one generation to the next by family, etc.
 Economic system where people produce what they need to survive
 Often centered around hunting and gathering, subsistence farming, or herding
 Example: A primitive tribe
Communism
 A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and citizens, claiming to
make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people
 A major goal of communism is to have a classless society
Three types of Regions
 Formal, Functional, and Perceptual
Formal (uniform) – defined by a common characteristics such as a product produced there or climate
experienced there
 The Corn Belt – Iowa-Illinois area in the US
o Common Characteristic?
 Islamic World – Middle East
o Common Characteristic?
Functional - a central place and the surrounding area linked to it
– Group of places that help each other function
Examples:
• Regional airport of Dallas/Fort Worth
• Trade area of city
Perceptual - defined by popular feelings and images rather than by objective data
• “Heartland”
• It’s what YOU think an area is
• Hollywood!
6
Name: ______________________
Period: ____________
Date: ___________
Part II
7