Geography 7 World Regional Geography Spring 2015
Wednesdays 7-9:50 p.m., Dr. M. Renfrew, L.A. Harbor College SCC 109
Geography 7 is an opportunity to travel the world in a semester!
Required: De Blij, Muller & Nijman, GEOGRAPHY: Realms, Regions, &
Concepts, John Wiley, 15th Edition, 2012. ISBN: 978-1-118-09360-3 (Buy online.)
Tentative Course Calendar and Required Text Reading: We have a test, map quiz,
and/or homework due almost every class, so if you can catch the rhythm, you’ll learn a lot!
When we finish one region, start right away learning maps and studying the next chapter.
2/11-2/18 Introduction, Europe: Study Intro. Chapter & 1A, 1B as soon as you get textbook.
2/18 Europe Map Quiz. Bring your textbooks! World Geographic Patterns (in Introduction
chapter), Europe Highlights, Study Questions. 2/25 Europe & Introduction Test 1.
2/25, 3/4 Russia (Chapter 2): Study questions due. Shorter Russia Test 2 includes map, 3/4.
3/4-3/18 Middle and South America (Chapters 4-5) 3/4 or 3/11 Middle America Map Quiz.
Shared regional and country characteristics, Project. Middle & South America Test 3 3/18 or 25.
3/25, 4/1 Africa as a continent, Subsaharan Africa (Chap. 6) (4/8 is spring break.) Quiz 4/1,
Test 4 at end of 4/8 (or beginning of 4/15) will include map.
4/8-4/15 North Africa/SW Asia (‘Middle East’) Chap. 7. Test 5 will have map, Date TBA.
4/22-4/29 S, SE & E Asia (‘Monsoon Asia’) maps, shared characteristics and contrasts.
5/6-5/13 South + Southeast Asia, Ch. 8, 10. Map Quiz 5/6; South & SE Asia Test 6 5/13
5/20-5/27 East Asia Chapter 9. East Asia Test 7 5/27, All Asia homework due.
6/3 Final Exam: World Overview includes world maps of major countries, cities, population
density, climates, physical features, economic patterns (crops, industrialized areas, etc.).
MAPS AND TOPICS YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR EACH REGION:
1. Physical features: Range of latitude (determines sun angle), climates, natural vegetation,
relative land size, shape of coastline, major mountain ranges, major rivers, islands, etc.
2. Countries and large cities, regional names and associations.
3. Population density areas – Which areas are crowded and sparsely settled, and why?
4. Major economic activities – What are major crops, industries, specialized services or
livelihoods that these regions/countries are known for? Comparative average income?
5. Major patterns of religions and languages
6. Everything gone over in class, + required videos, study questions and homework.
Dr. Renfrew’s Office Hours: SCC 107/109 TTh 12:35-1, 4:15—5:15, W 5:30-7, & by appointment.
renfremp@lahc.edu. 310-233-4557. Email or leave a message if you are sick or have an emergency.
Required Materials: pencils, eraser, 24 colored pencils (no markers or crayons), portable
pencil sharpener, 10-11 883 Scantrons (with 15 matching on back), access to Internet, printer.
Grading and Policies: 90-100%=A, 80-89%=B, 67-79%= C, 60-66%=D, < 59% = F.
7 Tests @ 30-60 points, Map Quizzes, Final Exam, Homework (study questions, projects).
1. Participation in class activities, respect, effort, improvement also count toward your grade
in a qualitative way (not specific points, but can influence a letter grade if on the border).
2. No make-up tests or quizzes, but about 40 points are dropped from the final total to be
equal to dropping approximately one test.
3. Extra credit will only count if you show improvement and earn C’s or above on tests and the
final. First priorities are textbook & maps.
Student Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of Geography 7, students will be able to:
(1) Compare and contrast world physical features with world population distribution.
(2) Evaluate key geographical characteristics that differentiate 8-10 major world realms from
each other.
(3) Demonstrate map knowledge about how tropical, temperate (mid-latitude), and high
latitude (near Arctic) and mountain environments, climates and livelihoods differ.
(4) Compare world realms with their involvement in the world economy, in primary,
secondary, tertiary and quaternary economic activities.
Levels and examples of economic activities: For each region, pay attention to how
people make a living: economic activities which provide jobs, what they grow, make, & do.
1. Primary economic activities involve extraction of natural resources (specific food or
cash crops, types of farming, minerals, fishing, logging). Some are raw materials for:
2. Secondary activity is manufacturing into finished products (e.g., iron into steel, and
then with plastics, upholstery and other materials into Volkswagen automobiles; cacao [cocoa]
beans, milk, and sugar into Swiss chocolate). We think of this as “industry,” factories,
machines, but the word “manufacture” originally meant, “make by hand.”
3. Tertiary activities involve the distribution of goods and services, the “service sector,”
which includes trade, sales, transportation, communication, government, medical, financial,
legal, and other services, recreation, education, etc.
4. Quaternary activities involve information processing: the high-technology management
of “data” (facts, information), including advanced computer processing, research and
development (“R & D”), and silicon chip production.
Latitude and Longitude:
N-S Latitude (measured with parallels) and E-W longitude (measured with meridians)
form a grid system for finding specific locations on Earth with coordinates. GPS (Global
Positioning Systems) locate with L & L: Los Angeles = 34°N latitude, 118°W longitude.
A. Latitude measures 0°-90° North & South of 0° equator, the line of Earth’s maximum
rotation (which divides all meridians [longitude lines] in half).
• Latitude lines are parallels: they go E-W across map & show positions N & S of equator.
• Climates are based on latitude because the most intense sun is in the “low latitudes,” 0°-30°
N & S: Direct sunlight falls in the “tropics” between 23.5° N (Tropic of Cancer, June 21
solstice) & 23.5° S (Tropic of Capricorn, Dec. 21 solstice). Fall and spring equinoxes occur
when sun’s direct rays are on the equator, when all places on Earth have equal day & night.
• 30°-60° N & S = Mid-latitudes have seasons and more varied weather (where we live).
• 60°-90° N & S = High latitudes (near poles) include Arctic and Antarctic Circles, 66.5° N & S.
B. Longitude measures 0°-180° E & W of 0° Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England (U.K.).
• Longitude lines are meridians & are not parallel, but converge at the poles.
• Meridians go N-S on the map, but measure East & West longitude increasing from 0°-180°.
• World time zones are based on longitude, centered on GMT, Greenwich Meridian Time (also
called Zulu or UTC – Universal Time Coordinated). Hours to the East are written as + (later
than Greenwich/London), & hours in Western hemisphere are written as – (earlier than GMT).
• The International Date Line zigzags near 180° meridian in Pacific Ocean: Earth’s new day
starts at midnight there. If you cross it going Westward (California to Asia), add a date (go to
‘tomorrow’), and if going East (Asia to Americas), go back to the day before.
C. On your world map, label Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, Arctic & Antarctic Circles
(note each has 2 ‘c’s’ in English), equator, Prime Meridian, & 180° meridian. At the map edge,
bracket and label Low 0°-30° N & S, Middle 30°-60° N & S, and High latitudes 60°-90° N & S.
D. Memorize this latitude & longitude system, because many people mix the two up. We need
to be smart.:-)