World Geography A Answer Key
Unit 1 .................................................................................................................................................... 1
Where are we? - 5 pts ....................................................................................................................... 1
T - 5 pts ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Unit 2 .................................................................................................................................................... 4
P - 10 pts ........................................................................................................................................... 4
W– 5pts ............................................................................................................................................ 5
V – 10pts .......................................................................................................................................... 5
Unit 3 .................................................................................................................................................... 8
T – 10pts ........................................................................................................................................... 8
C – 5pts........................................................................................................................................... 10
Unit 4 .................................................................................................................................................. 12
S – 10pts ......................................................................................................................................... 12
G – 10pts ........................................................................................................................................ 12
Unit 1
Where are we? - 5 pts
Sample student submission:
Assignment: Where are we?
Find the absolute location for the following cities:
Beijing, China – 39 degrees North, 116 degrees East
Brasilia, Brazil – 15 degrees South, 47 degrees West
Cairo, Egypt – 30 degrees North, 31 degrees East
Canberra, Australia – 35 degrees South, 149 degrees East
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 3 degrees North, 101 degrees East
Lagos, Nigeria – 6 degrees North, 3 degrees East
Madrid, Spain – 40 degrees North, 3 degrees West
Tokyo, Japan – 35 degrees North, 139 degrees East
Denver, Colorado – 39 degrees North, 104 degrees West
Find out which capital goes with the following latitude and longitudes.
35.31° S, 149.04°E - Canberra, Australia
38.90° N, 76.96°W – Washington D.C.
30.08° N, 31.26°E – Cairo, Egypt
Describe how each of these is used as a location marker.
Equator – The Equator divides the Earth into two equal halves. Serves as a horizontal line for Latitude to
‘start’ from.
Prime Meridian – The Prime Meridian, like the Equator, divides the Earth into two equal halves. Serves
as a vertical line for Longitude to ‘start’ from.
Tropic of Cancer – The Tropic of Cancer is a line of Latitude that helps to mark where the tropics begin
and end. Lies in the northern hemisphere. The land in between it and the Tropic of Capricorn are known
simply as the Tropics.
Antarctic Circle – The line of latitude that serves to mark the beginning of the Antarctic region. Covers
the Southern pole of the Earth.
Tropic of Capricorn – The Tropic of Capricorn serves the same purpose as the Tropic of Cancer, but is
the southern hemisphere.
Arctic Circle – Much the same as the Antarctic Circle, but laying in the Northern hemisphere rather than
the Southern.
North Pole – The point in the Northern hemisphere were the axis of the planet’s rotation meets the
surface. Is considered to be the ‘top’ of the planet.
International Date Line – A line opposite to the Prime Meridian that is used calculate the different times
as one moves East or West across it.
Location, Location - 5 pts
Research a city of your choice in the United States and find out about stuff you're interested in (the
music scene, plays, the nightlife, dining, whatever you enjoy.)
Now do similar research about Hong Kong.
Answer the following:
1. Describe the absolute and relative locations of your city and Hong Kong
2. Describe which city would you be most interested in visiting (if cost wasn't an issue.) Be
sure to defend your answer with your research information.
3. Explain why you'd prefer visiting one more than the other.
Sample student submission:
Denver
-Denver has a very popular Jazz and Classical music scene
-The Denver center for the performing arts holds lots of shows and events including Cats,
Legally Blonde, Mary Poppins, Fiddler on the Roof, and Shrek the Musical. Events such as
VIP evenings.
-Lumber Baron Murder Mystery dinner theatre is an exciting nightlife event
- The Coyote Ugly Saloon, Funky Buddha Lounge, Kazmo’s, Lucky Strike Lanes are all
popular eating places.
- The Denver Stock show is held in January and includes showing stock, Rodeo events,
equestrian events, and shopping.
Hong Kong
-The music is mostly played in Restaurants such as All Night Long, Hard Rock Café, and
Lobby Lounge, this is live music. Other places to listen to music include Bars, Lounges, and
Clubs; The Fringe Club plays a large variety of music.
-There is a Hong Kong Museum of History
-Mongkok is a great place for shopping
-There is a Hong Kong Disney land
-Hong Kong has a huge nightlife including Clubs, markets, and Music.
-Hong Kong has a huge variety of restaurants it just depends on what you want and how
much you want to pay.
1. Describe the absolute and relative locations of your city and Hong Kong
Denver is located in Colorado neat the Rocky Mountains is absolute location is 39 degrees north
and 104 degrees west.
Hong Kong is located in China along the Southeast coast and is bordered by the Deep Bay, Mirs
Bay, and the South China Sea. Its absolute location is 22 degrees North and 114 degrees east
2. Describe which city would you be most interested in visiting (if cost wasn't an issue.)
Be sure to defend your answer with your research information.
I would be most interested in visiting Denver because I don’t like to travel very long distances.
Denver’s only and hour away from where I live, Hong Kong is a lot longer.
3. Explain why you'd prefer visiting one more than the other.
I’d prefer visiting Denver because it’s closer, I know the language most commonly
spoken, I’ve been to Denver before and know how to get around. I would also like to
visit Denver because it is one of the big and known cities of the United States it’s the
main city in Colorado. Hong Kong is too far away the language is different, and I would
be lost because I wouldn’t know my way around like I know Denver.
Olympic - 15 pts
Note: This mystery is worth big points, so give it a lot of effort. You will need facts and figures, but
only use those facts and figures to support your solutions to the questions asked. For example,
saying that '5 new stadiums were built' doesn't explain anything. But saying that '5 new stadiums
created the largest sports arena in Beijing that will continue to bring in other international sports
competitions long after the Olympics are over' adds meaning to your facts.
Find clues to answer the mysteries of the Beijing Olympics:
1. Why was Beijing selected?
2. How good a job did they do?
3. How did China benefit from hosting the Olympics?
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Your information must be factual and presented in an interesting and convincing manner.
Use graphs, maps, diagrams, or other visual aids to supplement the presentation of your
ideas. Do not just cut and paste these from online, create your own!
Ideas to consider and answer:
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Which other cities did Beijing compete against in hosting the 2008 Olympics?
Where were these finalist cities located?
What factors improved Beijing's chances of being selected?
What various transportation networks (air,rail,road,subway,etc) were used and improved for
the Olympic events?
What other infrastructures where added and improved? (buildings, sidewalks, sewage,
water, electric)
How much did everything cost?
Considering what the cartoon above is saying about China, what impact do you think the
Olympics will have in the long run?
After analyzing all your gathered clues, make recommendations on additions or
modifications that you would have made to handle anticipated Olympic visitors.
Student submission:
Students must answer the questions about the Olympics using graphs, maps, diagrams, or other
visual aids to supplement the presentation.
Unit 2
Crops - 5 pts
Think about the history of agriculture in Japan and in the United States. Consider the impact of
their geography on agricultural production.
Do some research about both countries and answer the following questions:
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What conclusions can you draw about agriculture in the two countries?
What has been the impact of technology and urban (city growth) on agriculture?
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What do you think is the future of agriculture in Japan considering what you have found
out?
Sample student submission
Agriculture is very important in the US and in Japan, even though Japan terraces their land
comparatively to US not. The US and Japan are the top two (US 1 and Japan 2) importers of
agriculture. The impact of technology and urban growth on agriculture has made it so they
import more and grow less because cities take up more room. I think the future of
agriculture in Japan from what I have found out is that it’ll diminish because the landmass
that can be used for agriculture is only 15% and they can’t protect that small area forever
from population increase and from how small they are and their population they’ll
eventually need it.
Asia – 10pts
Create a list of 10 questions that someone studying the topic of Asian cities might ask.
Sample student submission:
1. How do resources such as gemstones on Sri Lanka affect city growth?
2. How do the monsoons affect cities?
3. Could the Green Revolution increase city growth?
4. Why did cities still build themselves despite multiple natural forces destroying them?
(volcanoes, earthquakes)
5. What are the holidays that people in China celebrate that people in India don’t and how do they
celebrate?
6. What kind of political orientation does those who live with in the Japanese government?
7. We all know that every country has different regions, if you had to choose which region would you
pick in India?
8. What do you think the most important water way in India is?
9. Everyone knows the Yangtze River is so important to China but why and how did it become such a
big part of China?
10. How does Japan get food into cities like Tokyo?
Choice – 15pts
Sample student submission:
Part 1
Answer the following questions:
 Get out a map (and consider what you’ve learned about time zones) and explain what will each choice do for
your coverage times assuming that the people working at each location will only work between 5:00 am and
midnight wherever they are?
The South Southeast of the United States would be about a 2 hour distance from Denver. 5:00am in Denver would
mean in the Southeast of the United States it would be 7:00am.
In India it would be the opposite of 5:00am so it would be about 5:00pm. By having one of these different locations
to higher employees our business could be open longer at different times than those working in Denver at the same
time.
 Which location do you think you would select in the southeast United States? Explain why you picked that
location.
I would pick Florida, because Florida is a popular well populated area. It is also a large commuting area for
travelling people, and also a vacation location. By having employees in Florida we could have they would be
working 2 hours longer but they would start later, we could cover that time working.
 Which location do you think you would select in India? Explain why you picked that location.
I would select Mumbai. It is the wealthiest, most popular, and biggest city in India. Most other companies and
businesses also use Mumbai as there location fro business as well.
Part 2
Read each of the 20 statements below.
 For each statement, decide whether it is relevant to your choice.
I believe they are all relevant to my choice.
 For each statement, explain why this does or does not this influence my decision about where to put the center.
Example Statement:
There is steadily improving access to elementary public schools in India.
Below are 2 possible answers:
 Relevant: This means that there are more possible educated workers available to work in the overseas center
 Irrelevant: My company wants more college employees and an elementary education won’t impact who is
hired
Notice that both of these answers are acceptable because they have been supported.
You will decide if each of these is relevant or irrelevant (NOT BOTH) and explain why.
1 Workers in India $60 a week. An equivalent worker in the United States would earn $350.
Relevant. India is a great choice because they are so much cheaper.
2 A teacher in India earns $40 a week
Irrelevant. Doesn’t influence my decision.
3 Bangalore has a population of over 6 million people and is the fastest growing city in Asia
Relevant. More people, more money and employees.
4 Indian call centres are 40% cheaper to run than ones in the United States and Europe
Relevant. Cheaper call centres help lower prices.
5 2 million people a year graduate from Indian universities and technical colleges
Relevant. A lot of educated people means good employees.
6 One third of India’s population lives in absolute poverty
Relevant. I wouldn’t want to be supporting poverty.
7
The Indian center has promised that all employees go through a 4 week training to teach
them to have an English accent
Relevant. This is good if I have employees in India it will help make them more understandable.
8 The Bangalore region is called the ‘byte-basket’ of India. There are 1154 I.T. companies
based there
Relevant. If they have many companies based there it must be a good place for companies.
9 There has been a big drop in infant and child mortality in India in recent decades
Irrelevant. Doesn’t influence my decision.
10 The single biggest cost for a call centre is labor
Irrelevant. Doesn’t influence my decision.
11 India gained independence from Britain nearly 50 years ago
Irrelevant. Doesn’t influence my decision.
12 Workers uses the Internet every day to check what the weather is like in the cities they’re
contacting
Irrelevant. Doesn’t influence my decision.
13 In the last two decades GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in India has grown significantly but
there are higher rates of unemployment
Relevant. GDP growth is a definite plus but unemployment worries me.
13 Indian call centres recruit only university and college graduates
Relevant. This would mean only the educated people would be working for us.
14 Workers in India often have to work through the night
Irrelevant. Doesn’t influence my decision.
16 Call centres in the US are often located in areas of industrial decline and
high unemployment
Irrelevant. Doesn’t influence my decision.
17 The University of Bangalore has 300,000 students and is the largest in Asia
Irrelevant. Doesn’t influence my decision.
18 Many Indians speak English well
Relevant. This is good because many of the customers speak English.
19 Call centre staff in India are educated to a higher level than their US counterparts
Relevant. That means our staff if it is in India will be very educated.
20 Workers are allowed to watch US soap operas during their lunch breaks
Irrelevant. Doesn’t influence my decision.
Part 3
Create a short presentation that answers and explains which evidence you used.
 Where will you put your center?
 Why did you make that selection?
 Which pieces of information influenced your choice the most?
 What will be the benefits and problems of your choice on your company?
 What will be the benefits and problems of your choice on the economy of the United States?
 What will be the benefits and problems of your choice on India?
Part 3
Open a new centre in Mumbai India
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I will put my new centre in Mumbai, India.
I selected India because it is cheaper to higher employees in India, I could higher more, and they are educated
and speak English well. I chose the city Mumbai in India because it is the largest city and most populated city
in India and I would have the most choices.
The fact that it would be cheaper for my company to higher and build a new centre influenced my decision the
most.
The benefits will be its cheaper, and the employees will be well educated. The problems are it is far away, and
communication with the company being in India will be difficult.
Most of my benefits and problems in the economy will be in India because that’s were my new company is
going to be. In the United States our company will be wealthier because our employees in India are cheaper.
The choice of putting my new centre in India might help increase poverty since the employees are cheaper and
we are supporting it. The benefit is that more Indians will be required to get a good education which will
educate most of India helping it in the long run.
Unit 3
Control – 15pts
Using the video and maps answer the following questions:
What factors do you think influenced the development of Egypt's early control of this region?
Where did the Hittite Empire emerge (start from)?
How was the emergence of the Israel Empire different from the Egyptian or Hittite Empires?
Why did the Assyrian Empire spread in such a unique pattern into Northern Africa?
Why do you think the Babylonian Empire moved steadily west, rather than north or south?
How were the expansions of the Persian and Macedonian Empires similar and different?
How could you use this video to support the idea that the Roman Empire 'civilized Europe'?
What was the importance of the Mediterranean to the Byzantine Empire?
How was the Caliphate Empire different from all the other groups that controlled this region before and
after? (Hint: Watch the video to look for patterns of empire expansion and then go back to the Middle
Eastern Geographic Regions game to find out about similarities and differences that you see.)
From where did the Sassanid and Seljuk Empires emerge? (These civilizations sprang up just before and
just after the Caliphate Empire.)
What seems to be different about the Crusader Empire compared to the others you've seen?
How can you tell that Saladin was in direct opposition to the Crusaders?
What is so amazing about the Mongolian Empire?
Why do you think the Ottoman Empire was more influential than the Mongols in the Middle East and
Northern Africa?
Why do you think European Colonialism spread to Africa and the Middle East, but not into Eastern
Europe?
What is so unusual about the shape of Israel?
Sample student submission:
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What factors do you think influenced the development of Egypt's early control of this
region? Egypt was and has always been along the coast. This then supplied the early
kingdom with a constant supply of goods and commerce from other parts of the
world/continents that they shared ground on.
Where did the Hittite Empire emerge (start from)? The Hittite Empire emerged from
what is now Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Iran, Turkey, and various islands.
How was the emergence of the Israel Empire different from the Egyptian or Hittite
Empires? The Israel Empire took much less land, and seemed to focus on a very specific
area as it expanded.
Why did the Assyrian Empire spread in such a unique pattern into Northern Africa?
The Assyrian Empire spread into Africa following a valuable resource; the Nile River. They
capture the river and some of the land around it as a means of taking advantage of the
transportation and various supplies it provided.
Why do you think the Babylonian Empire moved steadily west, rather than north or
south? There must have been something of more interest or of more value in the West
than in the North or South.
How were the expansions of the Persian and Macedonian Empires similar and
different? Both the Persian and Macedonian Empires covered vast tracts of land, going
horizontally across the continents rather than vertically. But the Persian Empire went from
the East to the West, while the Macedonians went from the West to the East.
How could you use this video to support the idea that the Roman Empire ‘civilized
Europe’? Much of Europe had been left untouched by any civilization. That is, of course,
until the Roman Empire came through and laid claim to an enormous amount of land,
settling its culture and ideals in place of what had before been open land with various
villages.
What was the importance of the Mediterranean to the Byzantine Empire? The
Mediterranean provided many things for the Byzantine Empire. Not only did it allow easier
trade amongst the people in the Empire, but it provided an enormous amount of resources,
both from food and economic growth. As well as those, the Mediterranean provided a
strong sense of maritime protection. Sailing and boats were a large part of the Empire, and
the sea was well guarded. It was almost impossible to launch an attack from the waters.
How was the Caliphate Empire different from all the other groups that controlled this
region before and after? The pattern of how the Caliphate Empire grew is strange. It
came from the South, along the edge of what is today Saudi Arabia, and moved to the
North. On top of that, it also reached into the West, leaving an arm of its influence in the
open away from the mass it controlled.
From where did the Sassanid and Seljuk Empires emerge? The Seljuk Empire emerged
from the Middle East and spread Eastward into the Asian continent, while the Sassanid
Empire came from the Middle East and went Southward, reaching into Northern Africa.
What seems to be different about the Crusader Empire compared to the others
you've seen? The Crusader Empire was relatively small and localized around were the
Kingdom of Israel had been.
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How can you tell that Saladin was in direct opposition to the Crusaders? The Saladin,
essentially, smothered the Crusaders. Not only did they take over the land that the
Crusaders had taken for themselves, but they had gone much farther, most likely to snuff
out any remnants that might have escaped before.
What is so amazing about the Mongolian Empire? The most amazing thing about the
Mongolian Empire is the sheer size of it. Not only is it massive, but it reaches into some of
the least hospitable places in the Northern hemisphere.
Why do you think the Ottoman Empire was more influential than the Mongols in the
Middle East and Northern Africa? The Ottoman Empire was likely more influential
because of the difference in the different climates of the two regions. The Mongolian Empire
was primarily nomadic, cold weather suited peoples. The Ottoman Empire settled in a much
more temperate region, with less room to roam and more focus on fishing, a growing
economy, and other more stationary ideals.
Why do you think European Colonialism spread to Africa and the Middle East, but
not into Eastern Europe? It’s likely that it didn’t spread into the Eastern Europe as either
there was little attraction to that area or there was a conflicting culture/religion/etc.
What is so unusual about the shape of Israel? The country started out very small, and
conflict obviously arose from its existence. It expanded slightly due to an armistice between
warring factions, though some small parts refused it. As a result, Israel has two large
chunks ‘missing’ from it.
GIS – 5pts
Using the Central Africa GIS, answer the following questions:
Why would GIS be a better tool then a graph or chart to help solve some geographic problems?
Why do you think illegal hunting is so hard to control? (Hint: Think about the people and their needs in the
region.)
What do you think is the impact of logging areas on elephant populations?
Assume that you've been asked to support one solution to increase elephant populations in Angola. Given
the GIS data would you support:
Controlling the logging industry?
Controlling city growth?
Creating parks where elephants are protected?
Be sure to explain your answers.
Sample student submission:
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Why would GIS be a better tool then a graph or chart to help solve some geographic
problems? GIS would be a better tool because it visually shows the differences from how
things used to be and how much they have shrunk to what they are now. It also shows
more readily the various diseases and influences that harm the different populations.
Why do you think illegal hunting is so hard to control? Illegal hunting is so hard to
control as the various roads and supply lines that run from one town to the next run all over
grounds that animals need in order to thrive. Not only that, but that land gets smaller and
smaller as our populations grow and require more space to accommodate us. This then
makes dwindling species seen as a nuisance.
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What do you think is the impact of logging areas on elephant populations? Logging
areas have a negative impact on elephant populations as they run right through their
territories. Not only does it bring them closer to human civilization, but it destroys the
environment they live in.
Assume that you've been asked to support one solution to increase elephant
populations in Angola. Given the GIS data would you support:
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Controlling the logging industry? The logging industry is near nonexistent in Angola, and
thus less of a concern. Controlling it would only become a problem if the routes move further
south.
Controlling city growth? City growth would be of mild concern. While it isn’t too crowded yet,
if things persist, some kind of regulation would be required. The majority of Angola is
between being under populated and over populated, leaving enough room for the elephants
and enough room for the citizens as well.
Creating parks where elephants are protected? More parks that cover more tracts of land
would be most preferred. There are so few parks with very little land available, and all seem
clustered around the same place. The elephants’ roaming patterns reach much farther than
the given territories, and thus a little variety/expansion would be required.
Language – 5pts
Sample student submission:
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List each country you had to travel through.
o South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, & Libya
List at least one of the main languages you would have to know to successfully
communicate with most of the people there.
o Swahili, Portuguese, or Arabic
List at least two cultural or historical landmarks on your trip
o 1. Drakensburg Mountains
o 2. Leptis Magna
When you finish your journey, answer the following questions:
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What would be the benefits of being a multilingual speaker? You could more easily
communicate with the natives of the area. Less time and money would be spent on a
translator, and the trip would move more fluidly.
What would be the drawbacks of being a multilingual speaker? By being a multilingual
speaker, your literacy in some languages you learned first may decline. The stress of
learning an entirely new language takes up the time and energy that was before used to
refine and uphold the literacy of your previous language.
What would be the problem with having to travel in a country with a language that didn't
have a written system, like the Niger-Kordofanian and Nilo-Saharan languages? The only
way to learn that language is by going there and learning it from a native speaker. Since
there is no written form, it is very difficult to learn the language on your own. Not only that,
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but it is extremely difficult to know exactly what kind of culture you’re getting yourself into
before hand, as they have no written descriptions of their history.
Why is an understanding of African languages important to the rest of the world? It is widely
believed that the source of mankind started in Africa. As such, the languages there are in a
sense the remnants of our modern day languages. Their culture is very much as important
as our own, and carries a history that belongs to us all. If we do not understand their
languages, we do not understand their people.
Unit 4
Snapshots from the Caribbean – 10pts
You will create snapshots/visual postcards from an imaginary Caribbean vacation.
You will visit 2 island nations of your choice (but you may not use the Antigua sample already
given to you)
Your postcards should be video movies or PowerPoints
Your postcards should either be narrated, or include a variety of text captions
Types of information that should be included:
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Name of the island nation you are "visiting"
Brief history of the country
Main industries
Cultural information (music, art, customs, food, etc.)
Description of the country, including any unique geographical features
Interesting animals or sights
Issues the island faces (environmental, economic, political, or otherwise)
Sample student submission:
Student submission must include all the required information with visual elements.
Regions – 5pts
Considering what you have learned so far in this unit, explain your observations about the following:
Hint: Think about how the GIS assignment in the last unit made you think in terms of how various maps work
together to improve your understanding of an area. Your answers to these questions should refer back to the
information you gathered and the types of maps you used.
Summarize the relationship between geography, population and agriculture, being sure to include the following:
How does the population density (people per square mile) vary throughout South America?
How is population impacted by major cities and capitals?
How do major geographical features (mountains, rivers, etc.) of South America impact populations,
national borders and agriculture?
Sample student submission
Population density varies quite a bit throughout South America. Around the North west
coast is highly populated, as well as the east coast, pretty much the coast of Brazil.
Wherever there’s a major city there’s a blotch of population sometimes where there
otherwise is very little population, such as Sucre, Bolivia. At rivers or water sources are
commonly where each city is located. There’s less population in the center of South
America, perhaps because of rainforest and such.
Challenge – 15pts
Assume that you are an archaeologist. You have been asked to compare the cities of Chichin Itza
and Machu Picchu.
Write your story in the first person, explaining your impressions of the two cities.
You should compare the geography, inhabitants, main structures, building materials, and artifacts
from the cities and explain what you can tell about the societies because of their cities.
Sample student submission
Students must follow the requirements of the assignment.