Unit 2: Regions and Places
Lesson 6: Physical Regions
A. Practicing Map Skills
Directions: Use the map-reading skills you have learned so far to
answer to answer the questions below using Map 2-5: The World:
Physical and Map 2-6: Physical Regions of North America.
1. What continent is located at latitude 300S and longitude 1200E?
____________________
2. What continent is located directly north of the continent of
Africa? ____________________
3. What body of water is located at latitude 200N and longitude
600E? ____________________
4. North America is not directly north of South America. What term
best describes the direction you would travel in going from the
Brazilian Highlands to the Great Plains? ____________________
5. Which physical region of North America runs the greatest
distance from north to south? ____________________
6. Which physical region of North America is located immediately to
the east of the Western Interior Mountains and Basins in the
United States? ____________________
7. Based on the map of physical regions of North America, where
would you expect to find more low, flat land: along the east coast
of the Unites States, or along the west coast? Why?
__________________________________________________
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Unit 2: Regions and Places
Lesson 7: Cultural Regions
A. Recalling Facts
Directions: Use the reading to help you answer these questions.
1. What is a political region? ____________________
2. Name all the political regions of which your city or town is a part.
____________________
B. Practicing Map Skills
Directions: The Arab League was formed to help unify the Arab
world. It tries to strengthen cultural ties in the region, which are
based on a common Islamic cultural heritage. The countries of the
Arab League form a political region. A list of Arab League countries
follows. Write the name of each country in the proper place on
Map 2-7: The Arab League.
Algeria
Djibouti
Syria
Iraq
Mauritania
Egypt
Jordan
Qatar
Lebanon
Oman
Sudan
Libya
Yemen
Comoros
Somalia
United Arab
Kuwait
Tunisia
Emirates
Morocco
Bahrain
Saudi Arabia
H
Cultural Regions
ave you ever traveled to a place where the people were very different from
you? What made them different? Was it the language they spoke? The clothes
they wore? Did they use money that was strange to you? A people’s way of life is
called culture. Culture includes many things, however, some of the most important
elements of culture are language, religion, government, the use of technology, and
type of economic system.
Elements of Culture
Language is an important element of culture. People who speak the same language
feel that they are part of the same group. Think about how you feel when you hear
people speaking a language you cannot understand. Speaking different languages
keeps people apart. Speaking the same language draws people together.
Geographers sometimes divide the world into regions based on the languages that
people speak. Another element of culture is religion. There are many different
religions in the world. In some countries, most of the people follow one religion. In
other countries there are several religions that different groups of people
practice. The world can be divided into regions based on the religions that people
follow. The type of government a people has is an important part of culture. In
some countries, people make their own laws. In other countries the rulers make the
laws. In Lesson 7 of this unit you saw an example of how the world can be divided
into political regions based on the kind of government people have. In the past,
there were many countries in Europe that had communist forms of government.
Together these countries were called the Communist World. However, great
changes took place in the 1980s and 1990s and communist governments ceased to
exist in some countries. As a result, there is no longer a region called the
Communist World. You have read that technology is the use of tools and skills to
make life easier. In some parts of the world, people use a great deal of technology,
which has led to industrialization. Industrialization is the process in which
countries shift from agriculture to manufacturing. The United States, Canada, and
Japan are examples of such countries. Countries that use a great deal of technology
and are very industrialized are often grouped in a region called developed
countries. Countries that use little technology and have experienced little
industrialization are called developing countries. Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Cambodia
are examples of developing countires.
The way in which people use their resources to satisfy their needs and wants is
called their economic system. In some countries, people are mostly free to decide
for themselves what kind of work they will do. In such countries, a person can own a
business and keep the profits from that business. This kind of economic system is
called free enterprise. The United States is one of the leading free enterprise
countries. In other countries, the government decides what kind of work people will
do. In such countries, the government owns most businesses. This kind of economic
system is called socialism.
Culture Regions
It is possible to divide the world into regions based on any of the elements
discussed in this lesson, plus many others. Any one country could fit into many
different regions. However, the study of the world would be very confusing if
regions kept changing all the time. One way to make things simpler is to group the
countries of the world into broad regions based on a combination of many elements.
Culture regions are based on the elements discussed in this lesson. Using these
elements, it is possible to group the countries of the world into 10 major culture
regions.
Unit 2: Places and Regions
Lesson 8: Cultural Regions
A. Reviewing Key Terms
Directions: Choose the correct term from the pair in the parentheses
in each sentence. Underline the correct term.
1. A country that uses little technology and has low levels of
industrialization is called a (cultural region, developing country).
2. A country with an economy based more on industry than
agriculture is called a (developed country, developing country).
3. The way in which a country uses its resources to satisfy its
people’s wants and needs is called its (culture region, economic
system).
4. In the free enterprise system, businesses are owned by the
(people, government).
5. The United States is one of the leading countries with a (free
enterprise, communist) system.
B. Practicing Map Skills
Directions: Map 2-8: World Culture Regions shows the world divided
into 10 cultural regions. Below is a list of countries. Write the name of
each country on the list in the correct place on the map.
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
Venezuela
Colombia
United States
France
Ireland
Italy
Spain
United Kingdom
Ukraine
Germany
Poland
Russia
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Saudi Arabia
Ethiopia
Kenya
Nigeria
South Africa
Democratic Republic
of the Congo
India
Pakistan
China
Japan
Taiwan
Philippines
Vietnam
Australia
C. Recalling Facts
Directions: Answer the following questions about Map 2-8.
1. Japan is a part of what cultural region? ____________________
2. Germany is part of what cultural region? ___________________
3. Russia is part of what cultural region? _____________________
4. Mexico is part of what cultural region? ____________________
5. Iraq is part of what cultural region? ______________________
6. This map shows three continents each of which include only one
culture region. What are the names of these three continents? Of
what culture region is each continent a part?
Continent
Cultural Regions
a) _______________: __________, __________, __________
b) _______________: __________, __________, __________
c) _______________: __________, __________, __________
Unit 2: Regions and Places
Lesson 9: Formal Regions
H
Formal Regions
ave you ever walked or driven through a part of a town where most of the
people were from Italy, or Greece, or some other country? Perhaps you have been
on a trip that took you through mile after mile of desert. Or perhaps you have been
to a place where wheat or corn grew in all directions as far as you could see. If you
have been to any such place, you know what a formal region is. A formal region is an
area that has one feature that sets it apart. A formal region can be based on
almost any feature. For example, the Cotton Belt is a part of the United States
where cotton is the main crop. The Sun Belt is the part of the United States where
temperatures are warm most of the year. Miami’s “Little Havana” is where many
people of Cuban descent live.
A. Practicing Map Skills
Directions: Use Map 2-9 and Map 2-10 to answer these questions.
1. What formal region is shown on Map 2-9? ____________________
2. What would you expect to see growing on most farms in Iowa, Illinois, and
Indiana? ____________________
3. What formal region is shown on Map 2-10? ____________________
4. What would you expect to see growing on most farms in Kansas and North
Dakota? ____________________
5. About how many miles does the Corn Belt stretch from east to west?
____________________
6. What is the southernmost state in the Wheat Belt? _____________________
7. How far west does the Wheat Belt extend? _____________________
8. Which states are included in both the Corn Belt and the Wheat Belt?
______________________
Practicing Map Skills
Some countries depend on one product for most of the money they earn from
exports. These countries can be grouped into formal regions according to the
product upon which they depend. Below is a list of such countries in Africa.
Choose a color or shading to represent each product. Then color or shade each
country on Map 2-11: One-Product Countries. Complete the legend to identify
the formal regions.
Oil
Algeria
Angola
Congo
Egypt
Gabon
Libya
Nigeria
Tunisia
Diamonds
Botswana
Guinea
South Africa
Democratic
Republic
of the Congo
Coffee
Burundi
Rwanda
Uganda
Iron Ore
Liberia
Mauritania
Morocco