Yoe High School Honors World Geography
Summer Project 2015
Why do I have a summer assignment for World Geography????
Completing this assignment will allow you to:
Consider the importance of geography to human activities and development.
Develop an expertise in one country and its surrounding region.
 Demonstrate that you can meet the rigor of an honors class.
What do I need for my summer assignment?
 ½ inch (or larger if you would like) three ring binder
o Prefer to be done through online binder
 8 Tab Dividers
Assignment: Country Portfolio
Choose one country from the list below.
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Cameroon
China
Colombia
Dem. Rep. of the
Congo
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Ethiopia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
India
Indonesia
Iran
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Libya
Madagascar
Malaysia
Morocco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Pakistan
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
South Sudan
Spain
Sudan
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zimbabwe
After you have chosen your country, title the first part of your binder as: “(Your
Country) Portfolio.”
The first item in your Country Portfolio should be the “CIA World Factbook’s Country
Profile” for your assigned country. The factbook can be found at:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
The printout will be about 9-10 pages long, but will allow you to quickly access
important data for your country during the summer and school year.
Over the summer, you will be expected to locate and read at least EIGHT news articles
pertaining to your country that demonstrate the IMPORTANCE OF GEOGRAPHY to your
country’s development and current situation. The number of potential geographical topics is
virtually limitless, but might include:
Cultural heritage – food,
Agriculture - anything to do
with farming.
sports activities, festivals, etc
Migration and refugees
Natural resources - fossil fuels,
solar power, nuclear power, etc.
Natural disasters
Economic development
Population issues (jobs, stock market, etc.)
overpopulation/underpopulation
Relations & disputes with
neighboring countries or within
that country
Remember that these are just suggested topics.
For each of these articles, you will be required to type two well-developed paragraphs. The first
paragraph should summarize the article (100 words minimum). The second paragraph should
explain how the article illustrates the importance of geography (50 words minimum). Proofread
your work carefully for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Good Sources of International News:
Google “news” link. Type your country in Google then click “News” on the top. You will find
this very useful.
International Herald Tribune: http://www.iht.com
BBC World News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/
The following Washington Post site makes life particularly easy by organizing articles by
country: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/world/search/list/index.html
International newspaper index: http://www.newspaperindex.com/
Do not limit yourself to just these sources. Feel free to research other newspapers and news
organizations associated with your country.
Articles should cover a variety of topics and be equally distributed throughout the summer.
Aim for the following:
June - 2 articles
July - 3 articles
August - 3 articles
Place a copy of each article in your binder. You are also required to have a MLA Works Cited page
with the correct citation for each of your articles. You should place a tab divider between each article.
Your notebook will be due on the first day of school.
I am excited to meet all of my new students and parents, so please feel free to email me with any
comments, questions, or concerns.
World Geography Teacher
@cameronisd.net
Assignment is due the first day of class, Monday, August 25th, 2014.
Failure to complete the assignment will result in a grade reduction
and possible removal from the course.