Review Sheet- World Geography Final Exam (Fall-2014)
Geographer’s Craft/ Fundamentals
1.
What are the two main types of location that geographers use? Describe each one.
ABSOLUTE: Use latitude and longitude to find a specific place (exact)
RELATIVE: Where something is relative to (or compared to) another place.
2.
Why are maps useful for geographers? Maps may be able to show you certain information better than written words, statistics, or other information .
3.
What is the purpose of studying history? Learn about what a place may have been like in the past .
4.
What line divides the Earth into Northern & Southern Hemispheres? EQUATOR (0° latitude)
Eastern & Western? PRIME MERIDIAN (0° longitude)
5.
Where are the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle? (give degrees)
Arctic Circle: 66.5°N
Antarctic Circle: 66.5°S
6.
What is the grid system and why is it important? The lines of latitude and longitude that cross one another…helps us to determine absolute location
. What “lines” make up this system? ANY line of latitude or longitude .
7.
What is a large scale map? A map that shows a small area with a large amount of detail
8.
What is the name given to the study of connections between people and their environment? Human-
Environmental Interaction
9.
What is the difference between a functional & perceptual region?
Functional: A city and its surrounding area (suburbs) that are united through newspapers, radio stations, broadcasting
—
HOUSTON!
(we live in a suburb but we can get 104 KRBE,
96.5, etc.)
Perceptual: A region defined by feelings and sentiments, but with no defined border
( example: THE SOUTH . We have a general idea of what we mean, but there is no border on a map that separates “The South” from “The North”). Dixie, The Midwest, The Northeast, etc.
10.
Why would geographers study political science? To look at how places around the world are governed…political systems, etc.
How about economics? To look at how places manage scarcity, how they manage their resources, etc .
11.
What is the impact that migrants have on long-established societies they go to? They will change the place they go to…This is an example of “diffusion”. Example, many people from Mexico live in
Texas…We have “TEX MEX” food…they have had an impact on us here.
NOTE: There are some general questions on the test that assess your general understanding of how geography can be used in real-world situations.

Our Planet Earth/Physical Systems
12.
Define deforestation and clear-cutting and describe how these actions harm the environment
Deforestation is the intentional cutting down of trees (very much seen in the Amazon Rainforest) and Clear-cutting occurs when trees are cut down in a specific area
Result of both is that the soil dries up and can cause erosion, flooding, destruction of forests, and endangerment of wildlife
13.
What is the highest point on Earth? Mount Everest Lowest point? Mariana Trench
14.
What are the three layers of the Earth? Describe each one.
CORE:
 Inner- Solid ball of super-hot metal

Outer- Super hot liquid metal that spins around the inner core.
MANTLE: “biggest” layer; hot-molten rock (magma) that is constantly rising and falling
(convection); it is what the tectonic plates are “floating on top of”.
CRUST: The thin outer shell; includes the ocean floors; broken into large plates that are still moving.
15.
What is the difference between “erosion” and “weathering”? Give examples of each.

Weathering- The process of breaking down rock into smaller pieces (physical and chemical) o Chemical weathering: Statue of Liberty turning green o Physical weathering: water freezing in cracks of a rock

rock breaks

Erosion- The wearing away of the earth’s surface by wind, glaciers, and moving water.
16.
Describe the water cycle. Make sure to list the phases, as well as what happens in each phase.
Evaporation: Started by the sun; sun heats the water, turns into a vapor, rises up into atmosphere.
Condensation: As water vapor rises, it cools…regains a more physical form (clouds)…
Precipitation: Atmosphere has too much moisture in it…atmosphere is saturated with condensation…gets too “heavy”…falls back to Earth as rain, sleet, snow, or hail.
- seeps into ground (groundwater) or goes back into the large bodies of water to start up again.
17.
What is the difference between “landforms” and “bodies of water”?
Landforms- things we see on the Earth’s surface like mountains, canyons, etc. These are typically those things that we see above sea level…there are “landforms”, however, under the water like underwater mountains, volcanoes, valleys, etc.
Bodies of Water- The watery stuff…oceans, gulfs, bays, rivers, streams, lakes, etc.
18.
What do scientists believe about the Earth’s continents (think historically)?
They were once joined together as one large supercontinent called PANGAEA…then broke apart, and slowly “drifted”
(Continental Drift) to what we see today…they are still moving!
19.
What are the three layers of the earth? Crust, mantle, core
20.
What is magma and where will you find it? Magma is the molten/liquid rock found in the mantle .
How is it different from lava? Lava is “magma” that has broken through the crust (it is what WE
SEE)

21.
During which months does the Northern Hemisphere experience summer? June-September (June
21= summer solstice, the official first day of summer) The Southern Hemisphere? December-March
(December 21 = summer solstice in the southern hemisphere, the official first day of summer)
22.
The sun’s direct rays are on which line of latitude during an equinox?
The equator
23.
Where will you find the world’s coldest climates? (which latitude zone?)
High latitudes (above the
Arctic Cirlcle—66.5°N and below the Antarctic Circle—66.5°S)
24.
What is the role of ocean currents? To distribute heat evenly throughout the entire world
Cultural Systems
25.
What is the difference between “subsistence” farming and “commercial” farming?

Commercial Farming: When people grow crops with the purpose of selling it (not just growing for local use…looking to get an economic benefit from it.)

Subsistence Farming: When you grow crops in order to survive; the goal is NOT to make money; it is to feed your family, and maybe your community .
26.
What is the “death rate”? What is the “birth rate”?
 Death rate = number of deaths per 1,000 in population

Birth rate= number of live births per 1,000 in population
27.
What is the difference between a “natural increase” and “negative population growth”?

Natural Increase is when the BIRTH rate is higher than the DEATH rate.

Negative population growth is when the DEATH rate is higher than the BIRTH rate.
28.
What is a ‘city and its surrounding area’ called?
Metropolitan Area
29.
What is urban sprawl? What are some benefits of this? Some cons? Urban sprawl is the rapid spread of cities & suburbs
PROS

homes are cheaper (built on new lands), new job opportunities, more money is spent on LOCAL stores (i.e.; not Wal-Mart!) and property taxes bring money to school districts
CONS

usually poorly planned (created quickly!), higher levels of pollution (reliance on cars to get to the inner core for work), wildlife is destroyed from building houses & roads, taxes rise in previously rural areas
30.
Why must countries trade with one another? Not every country has the same access to resources as all other countries (example, we don’t produce all the oil we need)…Therefore, every country has some degree of SCARCITY. Trade helps countries to get things they can’t produce themselves
.
The United States and Canada
31.
Why does the Great Plains region have drastically different seasons? They are further away from oceans or other large bodies of water, so they do not receive warm winds in the winter & cooler winds in the summer! (unlike here in Houston, where we’re cooler than Dallas in the summertime and warmer in the winter—winds come in from the Gulf to keep us pretty mild year-round)
32.
How did the Pacific Ranges form? What mountains make up the Pacific Ranges?

They formed as a result of collisions between tectonic plates.

They include the Sierra Nevada, Cascade Range, the Coast Range, and the Alaska Range

33.
Most of Canada experiences which type of climate? What does this have to do with population distribution? 2/3 of Canada is subarctic; therefore, most people live along the U.S.-Canada border
(where there is a Humid Continental climate)
34.
Rain from the Pacific Ocean rarely reaches what area? Why? Death Valley/ Mojave Desert (Rain
Shadow Effect)
35.
Where will you find the Rocky Mountains? Western portion of the US (not all the way west) What about the Appalachian Mountains? Eastern portion of the US .
36.
How did the Great Lakes form? Slow moving glaciers carved them out .
37.
What is a timberline?
The “line” above which it is too cold for trees to grow
.
38.
What type of climate does Hawaii have? Tropical Rainforest
39.
What is the difference between the Continental Divide and the “fall line”?

Continental Divide- The line that runs across the top of the Rocky Mountains; it determines the direction that rivers will flow (rivers to the east of the line flow towards the Atlantic,
Mississippi River, Gulf of Mexico)…(rivers to the west flow towards the Pacific Ocean).

Fall Line- Where the higher land of the Piedmont drops to the lower land of the Atlantic
Coastal Plain….
40.
In which type of landform will you find rich coal and mineral deposits? Mountains
41.
Why are towns in Appalachia struggling economically?
People used to mine coal, but since it’s expensive to use, nobody is using it anymore

loss of jobs

people become poor
42.
What are the main variables/factors that impact climate regions? Elevation (height above sea level) and Latitude (how far you are from the Equator).
43.
What has been the main factor in causing the growth of the population in North America?
Immigration
44.
Where will you find most population clusters located in the US and Canada? Along the coastlines and inland waterways .
45.
How would you describe the socioeconomic status of people living in North America? Both the US
& Canada are developed countries—people have a high standard of living! (some of the best in the world)
46.
¾ of North Americans are employed in this industry: SERVICE industry/TERTIARY (tourism, teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc.)
47.
Why does Canada have a trade surplus? Smaller population

less people for the country to support

don’t have to buy as much stuff from other countries

48.
Why were inland and coastal waterways important to America during the 1700s and 1800s? They provided shipping and trade routes; they provided resources for the fishing industry; They provided transportation for the growing cities; they provided hydroelectric power for manufacturing .
49.
If a slave made it to Canada, what happened to them? They were protected and not sent back to the
USA
50.
What led to the industrialization of American cities? Great mineral resources, technological inventions, and immigrants seeking jobs .
51.
After 1776, how did the American colonies rule themselves? As a republic .
52.
What was the Louisiana Purchase? Which country sold this land to us? The HUGE tract of land west of the Mississippi River that helped the US expand westward; it was sold to us by FRANCE .
Latin America
53.
What “areas” make up the region we call “Latin America”?
Central America, the Caribbean, South
America…etc. This includes Mexico, even though “technically” Mexico is part of the continent of
North America .
54.
What mountains are found on the western edge of South America? Andes Mountains .
55.
What determines the “highland” climate zones?
Elevation (Tierra Fria, Tierra Templada, and
Tierra Caliente)
56.
Describe the Atacama Desert. How did it form? One of the driest places on Earth that was formed as a result of the Rain Shadow Effect .
57.
List the groups interested in settling in the Amazon Rainforest. Which of these groups would support development Which would be against it?
Environmentalists: AGAINST development—want to study the rainforest
Native Amazonians: AGAINST development—want to preserve their culture and land
Rubber Tappers: AGAINST development—can make money without hurting environment
Loggers: FOR development—say they have made billions of dollars for Brazil to help pay off its debts
Cattle Ranchers: FOR development—have made money from the USA especially from exports
Settlers: FOR development—need more land, and loggers’ activities would do so
58.
What is the Panama Canal? What does it do? The Panama Canal is a man-made canal in Panama
(Central America) that connects the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean—makes trading easier among many countries!
59.
Why is there a tropical climate in the Amazon Basin? Its location (near Equator) as well as prevailing wind patterns that bring moisture .
60.
Where will you find Patagonia? Southern part of South America
61.
What is the Western Hemisphere’s longest river?
Amazon River

62.
What is a “steppe” climate like? Hot summers, cool winters, and light rainfall
63.
What is so “unique” about Lake Titicaca? It is the world’s highest (in elevation) navigable lake
64.
The Amazon Basin contains the world’s largest ….?
RAIN FOREST
65.
What were the Europeans called that claimed parts of the Americas for Spain? Conquistadors
66.
What are some of the adaptations made by the people living in the Tierra Fria altitudinal zone of the
Andes? They have built houses out of adobe brick, traded with people from other altitudinal zones, worn thicker clothing, and their lungs have naturally expanded (gotten bigger!)
67.
Where will you find the major concentrations of people in South America? The populated rim (the coastal regions)
68.
According to the Aztec, what was the “food of the gods”? Chocolate
69.
Why did the first Africans come to Latin America? Europeans brought them here as slaves .
70.
What is “quipu”?
The system of record-keeping created by the Inca; this was a series of knots and cords used for inventory
71.
Who are the people who are hired to illegally smuggle immigrants into the United States Coyotes
72.
What is NAFTA, and which countries are involved? North American Free Trade Agreement;
Includes Canada, the United States, and Mexico…increases trade between the three by reducing trade barriers .
73.
List the contributions made by the four ancient empires in Latin America
Olmec: i.
known for large stone figures with flat noses, big lips ii.
first Latin American civilization, we don’t know why it ended
Maya i.
Created the 365-day calendar ii.
Advances in math, science
Aztec i.
Creation of chinampas, or floating islands used to grow crops ii.
Many human sacrifices iii.
Grew maize, chocolate (xocoatl—“food of the gods”) iv.
Conquered by Hernan Cortes in 1521
Inca i.
Build extensive/large roads ii.
Main city of Cuzco iii.
System of recordkeeping: quipu iv.
Conquered by Francisco Pizarro, 1532
74.
Who is the current leader of Cuba? Who gave him power? Raul Castro; he was given power by his brother, Fidel
75.
Which Latin American country was the first to gain independence from a European country?
Haiti; gained independence from FRANCE

76.
What are some reasons for Latin American immigration into the United States?

More political freedom in the USA

Escape political conflict/war

Job opportunities in the USA
Europe
77.
What are some resources found in the North European Plain? Agricultural products (soil), coal, and iron ore.
78.
What is loess? A fertile, yellow-brown soil
79.
How does the Netherlands protect its low lying areas? Built dikes (like what we call levees, kind of), which are tall piles or dirt and rock to hold the water back from the seas.
80.
What is the European Union? What are their goals? The European Union is a supranational organization that unites 27 European countries politically, economically & socially. Their goals include environmental and economic reform (making European countries cleaner and richer!)
81.
List the centrifugal & centripetal forces of the European Union
Centripetal forces (BRINGS COUNTRIES TOGETHER):
 supranational government (ONE government over all countries),

All citizens of EU member countries are EU citizens—don’t have to show a passport to go to other EU countries, so they can work wherever they want.

Items traded are cheaper because there are no taxes on items going from one EU countries to another.

They are united socially as well, as their national anthem has no words and they have a united
“Europe Day”
Centrifugal forces (TEARS COUNTRIES APART!):

There are over 20 languages spoken among EU member countries, so communication is difficult & every document that the EU creates must be translated into all of these languages.
 Each member countries have their own issues they’d like to resolve and this can cause competition among countries.

Each member country also must carry out decisions made by the EU government, whether they agree with a policy or not!
82.
What is the active volcano on the Apennine Peninsula? Mount Vesuvius
83.
Where will you find lots of fjords? Scandinavian Peninsula (western side)
84.
Where will you find much of the European population clustered? In areas with rich/fertile farmland and in areas near water.
85.
Who is the politician who united Communist Yugoslavia in 1945? Josip Tito
86.
Who is the Serbian politician who began spreading Serbian nationalist ideas throughout Yugoslavia?
Slobodan Milosevic

Summary of events in Yugoslavia:

Josip Tito creates Communist Yugoslavia in 1945, no nationalism allowed!
o Created six ‘equal’ republics (Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro,
Serbia & Macedonia
 Josip Tito dies in 1980, ethnic tensions begin (without Tito: nobody to tell groups to get along)

Slobodan Milosevic, a Serbian politician is sent to Kosovo (a territory in Serbia) to ease tensions between the Serbs & Albanians in Kosovo o instead, he tells Serbs they’ll be safe against Albanians 
WAR!!!!!!!!

Croatia & Slovenia declare independence: 1991

fighting in Croatia vs. Serbs

Bosnian Genocide happens after they declare independence in 1992 o Muslims & Croats are killed in Bosnia, women raped, snipers sent to Bosnian streets to kill non-Serbs, Muslims & Croats sent to concentration camps o United Nations (including U.S.) didn’t do much to help

Serbian attack on Sarajevo & Srebrenica

peace talks

cease-fire
 Slobodan Milosevic sent to The Hague (International Court in the Netherlands) and charged with war crimes, but dies before he is put on trial