State of the World Atlas Activity
Directions: Use the atlas and analyze the data to best answer the
questions below.
Before you begin – note that most of the questions will be focused on our
units of study: China, India, Japan, and Africa. One of these, Africa,
will be more difficult to compare since it is a continent made up of many
countries, while the others are separate nations. So the different African
nations will have various statistics and data. You will have to answer in
generalizations, such as –
-most of northern Africa has …, while southern African countries are
mostly …
A. Population (pgs 22-23)
1. Why are the countries shaped and sized the way they are on this
map?
The size of the circles represents how large the population is.
2. What are the three most populated countries in the world?
China, India, USA
B. Political Systems (pgs 76-77)
1. Which two of the nations we will be studying have established
democracies?
India and Japan
2. What is China’s government described as?
One party rule ( the Communist Party )
C. The States of the World (pgs 20-21)
1. Most of Africa obtained its independence during which time period?
1945-1989 in the color key – more specifically the 1960s
2. Most of the African countries got their independence from
_______Britain__________ or ________France_____.
3. What are the names of the three African nations which most recently
gained their independence?
South Sudan, Eritrea, Namibia
4. Among India, Japan, and China, which nation most recently gained
their sovereignty?
India
D. Religious Rights (pgs 78-79)
Make a generalization about the freedom of religion in –
1. China- like many Communist countries, China’s official position is
that they are an atheist nation and they interfere with free practice of
religion
2. Japan- full freedom of religion and all are accepted
3. India- Hinduism is favored and there are some limitations on others
4. Africa- many northern countries favor Islam, while many in subSaharan Africa tolerate all religions
E. Quality of Life (pgs 42-43)
1. What three factors determine the Human Development Index?
National income, education level, life expectancy
2. Which is the only one of the countries we will study this year
whose score is considered “very high” on the HDI scale?
Japan
3. India and China’s HDI rating is ______________.
medium
F. Income (pg 38-39)
1. Compare the countries of Africa to China, India, and Japan in
terms of gross national income?
Japan is significantly higher than the rest and is in the top category
(over $25,000 per year). China is above India . Most African
countries are equal to India, but some are below them in the lowest
category ($less than $1000 per year). A few African nations rank
above China.
G. Literacy (pgs 30-31)
1. Explain gender differences in terms of illiteracy rates.
Women worldwide are less likely to receive an education, so there
are more illiterate women in the world than men.
2. Thinking about the previous map and this one, explain the
relationship between wealth and literacy.
Countries with the best literacy rates are the wealthiest ones, as they
have money to spend on education. The poorest countries may have
to have children work, so they get less education and illiteracy will be
higher.
3. Of the countries/continents which we are going to study this year
(China, India, Africa, Japan), has the highest enrollment
percentages throughout the levels of education?
Japan
H. Refugees (pgs 68-69)
1. There are eight major refugee populations around the world. Which
three of these are African countries?
Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan
I. Children’s rights (pgs 82-83)
1. What percentage of children ages 5 to 14 in sub-Saharan Africa have
to / are forced to work?
28%
2. What is the overall world percent of children not in school?
12%
3. Which two regions of the world are above that percent?
Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
J. Malnutrition (pgs 90-91)
1. Of the countries we will study, who has the least amount of
malnourished citizens?
Japan
2. What do you notice about northern Africa compared to the rest of the
continent?
Northern Africa is in much better shape in terms of having food for its
people. Malnourishment is a larger problem in sub-Saharan Africa.
K. HIV/AIDS (pgs 98-99)
1. Which section of Africa has been hardest hit by the AIDS crisis?
Southern