Geography
Other Essay Topics


How has a region’s geography
shaped its history?
How has man adapted his
environment to shape his needs?
Typical Multiple Choice Questions




Location of countries/physical features –
England, India, Vietnam, Japan, Suez
Canal, Andes Mountains, Mediterranean
Sea etc.
Types of maps – cartographic, physical,
political
Geographic feature – archipelago,
peninsula, strait, canals, savannah, tundra
Interpreting Maps – trade, migration
Which letter identifies the
peninsula that is home to
Mecca, the religious center of
Islam?
(1) A (3) C
(2) B (4) D
46 Which letter identifies the
peninsula that was the site of the
Vietnam conflict and the
atrocities of Pol Pot?
(1) A (3) C
(2) B (4) D
Which of these nations is located
closet to the Philippines, Malaysia,
and Indonesia?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Korea
Vietnam
Somalia
Pakistan
Which feature would most likely
appear on a physical map?
(1) population densities
(2) land usage patterns
(3) climatic patterns
(4) mountain ranges
A geographic similarity between Italy
and India is that both of these
countries are located
(1) on peninsulas
(2) on archipelagos
(3) between two oceans
(4) south of the equator

Which geographic factor has often
made Korea a key region for those
seeking to control East Asia?
(1) long coastline
(3) mountains
(2) location
(4) climate

11 Which statement
about the trip
taken by Emperor
Mansa Musa is
accurate?
(1) The trip extended
beyond North
African trade
routes.
(2) Mansa Musa used
the Mediterranean
Sea to reach
Mecca.
(3) The route
primarily followed
major rivers.
(4) Mansa Musa
traveled to Fez on
his way to Mecca.
12 Which conclusion about trade is best supported by the
information on this map?
(1) Timbuktu was a center of trade in West Africa.
(2) The Sahara Desert prevented trade.
(3) Cairo and Mecca were trading partners.
(4) West African gold and salt were traded along the Zaire River.
Egypt
Key Terms for Essay on Egypt



Deserts – “Red Lands” – Nubian, Libyan,
and Sahara
Nile River – “Black Lands” surround w/silt;
floods annually – need to build irrigation,
has cataracts (waterfalls), delta
(tributaries protect)
Impact – protects, stability of dynasties,
need for strong central authority, culture
based on Nile “Land of Living” vs. “Land of
Dead”, architecture of sandstone, papyrus
for books; build Aswan High Dam (no oil);
Suez Canal built to capitalize on strategic
location btw Mediterranean and Red seas.
Which geographic feature had the
greatest influence on the
development of ancient
civilizations?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Dense forests
Mountain passes
Smooth coastlines
River valleys
The Suez Canal, the Strait of Hormuz, and
the Strait of Gibraltar are important
because they
1.
2.
3.
4.
prevent attacks on bordering nations
control access to vital trade routes
limit Russian access to warm-water
points
prohibit the movement of ships carrying
nuclear weapons
Mesopotamia
Key Term for Mesopotamia



Fertile Crescent – two rivers: Tigris
and Euphrates
Flood erratically – need to build
dams and dykes
Easy to navigate rivers – lots of
invasions, cultural diffusion, political
instability
China
Key Terms for China



ETHNOCENTRISM – caused by geographic
barriers – Gobi Desert, Tien Shen Mts.,
Himalayas, Pacific Ocean
Rivers – Yellow (Huange-He) “River of
Sorrow” – heavy silt, cut deep into mts;
Yangtze – both rivers flow west to east
Adaptations – Silk Road, Great Wall,
Grand Canal, terrace farming along Yellow
Which statement best describes an impact
of geography on the history of the
Korean peninsula?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Large deserts have led to isolation
Location has led to invasion and
occupation by other nations
Lack of rivers has limited food
production.
Lack of natural resources has prevented
development of manufacturing.
India
Key Terms on India








Sub-continent of Asia
Peninsula
Monsoons
Indus River – navigable (similar to Tigris)
Hindu-Kush mts and Himalayas protect
and isolate
Deccan plateau – center – inhospitable
Lots of trade in Indian Ocean
Railroad handy to unite large landmass

1.
2.
3.
4.
In India, Bangladesh and much of
Southeast Asia, agricultural
productivity is most affected by the
Seasonal monsoons
Unnavigable rivers
Numerous deserts
Cold climates
Which generalization is best
supported by the information
on this map?
(1) No trade occurred between
East Africa and the Persian Gulf
region.
(2) The monsoon winds
influenced trade between East
Africa and India.
(3) Trading states developed
primarily in the interior of East
Africa.
(4) Trade encouraged the spread
of Islam from East Africa to
Arabia.
Greece
Key Terms on Greece





Polis/Poleis will be divided by mountains
Great natural harbors for fishing and
trade; strength of military is triremes for
Athens not hoplites
Few natural rivers/springs – need to
import food – colonies
Volcanic area – angry gods (land and sea
– Zeus/Poseidon)
Rich volcanic soil good for olives and
grapes

1.
2.
3.
4.
Which was one cause of the development
of many small independent city-states in
ancient Greece?
Greece and Rome were often at War
The mountainous terrain of Greece
resulted in widely scattered settlements
Military leaders found small Greek
settlements easy to control
The Greek people had many different
languages and religions
Roman Empire
Key Terms for Roman Empire



Italy is Peninsula
Expanded over three continents
around Mediterranean Sea
So large – Roman legions need to
build roads, aqueducts, bridges,
walls
Byzantine Empire
Incan Empire
Key Terms for Inca



Andes Mountains
Incan Trail w/suspension bridges
Terrace farming
Aztec Empire
Chinampas
An effect of a mountainous topography
on Inca and Chinese civilizations
was the development of
1.
2.
3.
4.
industrialization
single-crop economy
desalinization projects
terrace farming
Which generalization about geography of Latin
America is accurate?
1.
2.
3.
4.
geographic features prevented foreign
imperialism
harsh climatic conditions have prevented the
development of large-scale agriculture
the lack of geographic barriers facilitated the
development of transportation and
communication systems
great variations in latitude and landforms
resulted in a diversity of climates
Africa
Key Terms for Africa






Deserts – Sahara (north), Kalahari in
south
Continent is plateau – all rivers (Nile and
Congo) have cataracts
Savannahs – high grasses where animals
live – hard to farm, little urbanization,
dispersed tribes
Rainforest (Congo)
Natural resources – gold, diamonds,
rubber – needs salt
Livingstone will map out country

1.
2.
3.
4.
Which statement about the geography of
Africa is most accurate?
Much of the land in Africa is below sea
level
The variety of geographic barriers had
served to promote cultural diversity
Africa had an irregular coastline with
many natural harbors
Much of the land in Africa is tundra and
forest.
In Africa, an effect of topography and
climate has been to
1.
2.
3.
4.
encourage rapid industrialization of the
interior
prevent the development of kingdoms
promote large-scale trade between
African and Asia
promote the growth of diverse societies
Japan
Key Terms on Japan






Archipelago
Mountains (Fuji) – forced to terrace farm
Volcanic/Tsunami – nature spirits (kami)
worshiped in Shinto religion
Protected by location and kamikaze winds
(Mongols)
Used Korea as landbridge to China
Lacks natural resources – forced to
imperialize to gain resources during Meiji
Restoration
In Japan, a major economic problem
has been the lack of
1.
2.
3.
4.
natural resources
investment capital
skilled labor
experienced management
England
Key Terms on England


Great natural harbors – makes it
prime for naval supremacy (Armada,
WW2), and imperialism
Natural resources – coal, tin, timber
– sparks Industrial Revolution
Russia
Key Terms on Russia






EurAsia – two continents
Lacks warm water port
Blocked by Turkey/Ottomans from Black Sea
entrance to Mediterranean
Cold and Large – difficult to conquer (Napoleon,
Hitler) – center area is vast steppe
Used scorched-earth policy to deter invaders
Lacked sufficient oil and natural resources – build
Tran-Siberian Railroad to get to Asia; fought
Afghanistan War 1979 for oil; refuse to let
Chechnya go because of oil need
Which geographic factor has most
strongly influenced Russia’s foreign
policies and economic
development?
1.
2.
3.
4.
lack of natural resources
vast desert regions
limited access to warm-water ports
extensive mountain ranges

1.
2.
3.
4.
The Russian steppe is most similar
in topography to the
mountains in Switzerland
deserts in the Middle East
rainforests in South America
savannas in Africa
IMPACTS OF MOUNTAINS



DIVIDE PEOPLE – creates cultural
diversity (Andes Mts for Incas,
Greece) even isolation (China)
PROTECTS PEOPLE – Alps for Italy,
Himalayas for China and India,
Andes for Inca
DIFFICULT TO FARM – have to
introduce terrace farming – Japan,
Incan, Yellow River (China)
IMPACTS OF RIVERS



UNITES PEOPLE – unifies cultures,
ease of communication, increases
trade
HELPS FARMING – creates fertile
soils (early river civs – Nile (Egypt),
Mesopotamia, Indus, and Yellow
(China), may need to build
dams/dykes/irrigation
SACRED – Ganges (Hindus)
IMPACTS OF DESERTS


DIVIDES PEOPLE – hard to cross,
creates cultural diversity and
isolation (Sahara in Africa)
LACK OF RESOURCES – no food can
cause famines, need for trade
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE


MONSOONS – India, China, Indonesia
need rains to make food grow – if drought
– famine, if floods – famine (build houses
on stilts to protect from floods) //
monsoon winds also help sailboats to
travel Indian Ocean
COLD – Russian steppes frozen
(permafrost) – can not farm, need special
houses, need access to warm water ports
IMPACTS OF NATURAL
RESOURCES



OIL – needed by many countries like US and
Russia – will have to import from Middle East
(OPEC – Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries) – wars will take place over accessing
oil (Afghanistan War, Iran-Iraq War, Persian Gulf
War, etc), Suez Canal will be used to access
region.
LACKING IT – Japan will have to imperialize
China because lacks natural resources and wants
to industrialize
HAVING IT – England will dominate Industrial
Revolution early on because of access to water,
timber, and coal.