Geography Final Exam Study Guide
Ms. Macko

The Five Themes of Geography:
- Location:
a. Absolute Location - defined by a latitude and longitude address (40 N, 60 E)
b. Relative Location - defined by where something is located in relationship to
something else. Example: The United States is south of Canada
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Place:
a. Human Characteristics - derived from the ideas and actions of people that
result in changes to the environment, such as buildings, roads, clothing, and food
habits.
b. Physical Characteristics - include mountains, rivers, soil, beaches, wildlife,
soil.
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Human – Environmental Interaction:
a. Humans adapt on the environment.
b. Humans modify the environment.
c. Humans depend on the environment.
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Movement
a. People
b. Goods
c. Ideas
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Regions
a. Formal regions - those defined by governmental or administrative boundaries
(i. e., United States, Birmingham, Brazil). These regional boundaries are not open
to dispute, therefore physical regions fall under this category (i. e., The Rockies,
the Great Lakes States).
b. Functional regions - those defined by a function (i. e., TVA, United Airlines
Service area or a newspaper service area). If the function ceases to exists, the
region no longer exists.
c. Vernacular regions - those loosely defined by people's perception (i. e., The
South, The Middle East).

Maps
- Map Key - explains the lines, symbols, and colors used on a map.
- Scale Bar – a measuring line that helps you figure the distance on a map
- Compass Rose – a symbol that tells you where the cardinal directions – north,
south, east, and west – are positioned.
- General Purpose Maps - Maps that show a wide range of general information
about an area.
a. Physical Maps - call out landforms and water features.
b. Political Maps - show the names and boundaries of countries, the location of
cities and other human-made features of a place, and often identify major physical
features.

The United States
- The U.S. is the fourth-largest country in the world.
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The contiguous states have five main physical regions:
a. The Coastal Plains – Atlantic Coastal Plains and the Gulf Coastal Plains
b. The Appalachian Mountains – They run from eastern Canada to Alabama and
are the oldest mountains on the continent.
c. The Interior Plains – The Central Lowland which is east of the Mississippi
River and the Great Plains which is west of the Mississippi River. The Central
Lowlands area is well suited to agriculture, as are western coastal valleys.
d. The Mountains and Plateaus – The Rocky Mountains begin in Alaska and run
south to Mexico. The high Rocky Mountains have a ridge called the Continental
Divide, which separates rivers that flow east from rivers that flow west.
e. The Pacific Coast – The Cascade Range reaches from Washington state south
to California. Along California's eastern side runs the Sierra Nevada. The name
Nevada means "snow covered" in Spanish.
f. Alaska and Hawaii make up two additional reagions.
- Farms in the United States produce about one-half of the world's corn and about
one-tenth of its wheat. American farmers raise about 20 percent of the world's beef,
pork, and lamb. The country exports more food than any other nation.
- Because of many natural resources and an inventive people, the United States has
the world's most productive economy.
- Service industries contribute the most to the American economy, followed by
manufacturing, agriculture, and mining.
- Ethnic groups in America are descendants of five main peoples: Europeans,
Africans, Hispanics, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans.
The Andean Countries
 Columbia
- Colombia is rich in hydroelectric power, gold, and emeralds.
- The government of Colombia is struggling to combat the power of drug dealers
who make huge fortunes from selling cocaine, which comes from the coca plant.
- Most Colombians speak Spanish and follow the Roman Catholic religion.
- Civil war in Colombia is still being fought today.

Peru and Ecuador
- The Inca had a powerful civilization in the area that is now Peru. They developed
a complex system of record keeping.
- Peru's main exports are copper and fish. Many people farm. Ecuador's economy is
focused on agriculture.
- Most people in Peru and Ecuador live along the coast.

Bolivia and Chile
- Bolivia is a poor country consisting mainly of the towering Andes and a high
plateau that is difficult to farm.
- Most of Chile's people speak Spanish and follow the Roman Catholic religion.
- Chile has a diverse economy that includes mining—especially copper and sodium
nitrate—farming, and manufacturing.

Europe – Modern History
- Machinery made it possible to increase productivity, leading to the Industrial
Revolution.
- Competition for markets and resources led to imperialism and friction among
European countries.
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The two World Wars changed the way wars were fought and created new political
power for the United States and the Soviet Union.
After World War II, the democratic United States and the Communist Soviet
Union worked to bring their forms of government to the war-torn nations of
Europe.
Competition between the United States and the Soviet Union started the Cold War.
The Soviet Union made satellites of its surrounding nations.
Berlin became a "hot spot" for conflict between the superpowers, symbolized by
the Berlin Wall.
By 1991 countries in Eastern Europe had thrown off communist rule in favor of
democracy.
In 2002 most EU member countries began using a common currency.
Problems still remain in Europe, including poverty and pollution.
Western Europe Today
 The British Isles
- Ireland is called the Emerald Isle because of its landscape.
- The United Kingdom is a major industrial and trading country.
- The United Kingdom and Ireland are small in size, but their people have had a
great impact on the rest of the world.


France and the Benelux Countries
- France and the Benelux countries are important cultural, agricultural, and
manufacturing centers of Europe.
- Paris is a world center of art, learning, and culture.
- Belgium's location has made it an international center for trade.
- Luxembourg is home to many multinational companies.
Germany and the Alpine Countries
- Germany, Switzerland, and Austria are known for their mountain scenery and
prosperous economies.
- The German economy is very strong.
- Switzerland produces high-quality manufactured goods.
- Austria's economy makes use of its mountainous terrain.

The Nordic Nations
- The Nordic countries include Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland.
- Sweden's prosperity comes from forests and iron ore.
- Finnish culture differs from other Nordic countries.

Southern Europe
- The sea has played an important role in southern European countries.
- Spain, Portugal, and Andorra occupy the Iberian Peninsula.
- Italy is one of the world's leading industrial economies.
- Greece consists of a mountainous mainland and 2,000 islands.

Russia and the Eurasian Republics
- Spanning two continents—Europe and Asia—Russia is the world's largest country.
- The western part of Russia is mostly plains. The eastern Siberian region is
covered with mountains and plateaus.
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Inland waterways are important for moving goods through Russia, but many long
rivers drain north into the frigid Arctic Ocean and freeze in winter.
Emperors called czars ruled the Russian Empire from 1480 to 1917.
Under the Communists, Russia became part of the Soviet Union.
In 1991 the Soviet Union broke apart into 15 independent republics.
Russia has many resources but faces challenges in adjusting to a new economic
system.
The change to a free market economy has been a challenge to many Russians as
they face rising unemployment and rising prices.
Moscow, with many industries, is the economic center of Russia.
Ports in the northwest, southwest, and east carry on trade between Russia and
other countries.
Siberia has many resources, but the area is so cold and remote that it is difficult to
tap these resources.
Russia is a federal republic with powers divided between national and regional
governments.
Russia is a huge, populous country with about 100 different ethnic groups.
Russians practice many different faiths, but most are Russian Orthodox Christians.
North Africa and Southwest Asia
 Birthplace of Civilization
- The peoples of Mesopotamia and Egypt were among the first to build civilizations.
- The first civilizations developed in Mesopotamia, which was located in the Fertile
Crescent.
- Early advancements in Mesopotamia, Sumer, and Babylon were in farming,
writing, and government.
- The Egyptians depended on the Nile River for their livelihood.
- Ancient Egypt is known for pharaohs, pyramids, hieroglyphics, and mummies.
- Three of the world's monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—
developed in Southwest Asia.
- Judaism is the world's oldest monotheistic religion. The Jews' belief in one God
was later shared by Christianity and Islam.
- Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God.
- Muslims are followers of Islam. Muslims believe Allah is the one God, and
Muhammad is the messenger.

North Africa Today
- Egypt's Nile River and desert landscape have shaped the lives of the Egyptian
people for hundreds of years.
- About 29 percent of Egypt's people work in agriculture, but industry has grown in
recent years.
- More Egyptians live in rural areas than in cities, but Cairo is the largest city in
Africa.
- North Africa includes Libya and the three countries called the Maghreb—Tunisia,
Algeria, and Morocco.
- These countries are all located on the Mediterranean Sea. Morocco also has a
coast along the Atlantic Ocean.
- Oil, natural gas, and phosphates are among the important resources in these
countries.
- The landscape of this region is mostly desert and mountains.
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
Southwest Asia
- Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan lie at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.
- Turkey is becoming more industrialized, with textiles and clothing as major
industries. Tourism is also a growing industry.
- About 80 percent of Israel's population are Jews. They have moved to Israel from
many countries.
- Israel and its Arab neighbors continue to experience violent conflict over the
issues that divide them.
- Money from oil exports has boosted standards of living in most countries of the
Arabian Peninsula.
- Saudi Arabia is the world's leading oil producer.

The Seven Modern Wonders of the World
- Chichen Itza –Yucatan, Mexico
- Christ the Redeemer –Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Colosseum – Rome, Italy
- Great Wall of China – China
- Machu Picchu – Cuzco, Peru
- Petra – Jordan
- Taj Mahal – Agra, India
- Giza Pyramid Complex – Cairo Egypt (The last remaining wonder of the ancient
world.