Please Grab:
1. Your folder.
2. Writing Utensil.
3. Answer the following question: What
type of government is the United States?


Governments:

Make and enforce laws

Regulate business and trade

Provide aid to people

Help shape the culture and economy of a country as well
as the daily lives of people who live there
Many countries have democratic governments.

A democracy is a form of government in which the
people elect leaders and rule by majority.

Some work to protect the freedoms and rights of their
people.

Others restrict the rights and freedoms of their people.
•
•
•
•
One of the oldest types of government
Ruled directly by a king or queen, the head
of a royal family
In some, power is in the hands of just one
person.
In others, many democratic practices are
used.
•
A single, powerful ruler has total control.
•
Leader is called a dictator.
•
Often rules by force
•
People have few rights and no say in their
own government.
•
•
•
A political system in which the government
owns all property and dominates all
aspects of life in a country
Leaders are chosen by the Communist
Party or by Communist leaders.
People have restricted rights and very little
freedom.



The economy is a system that includes all of the
activities that people and businesses do to earn
a living.
Countries use a mix of different economic
activities and systems.
Geographers divide economic activities into
four levels.
Primary
industry
Secondary
industry
Tertiary
industry
Quaternary
industry
•
People earn a living by providing raw materials or
natural resources to others.
•
Examples include farming, fishing, and mining
•
Use natural resources or raw materials to
manufacture other products
•
Example: automobile manufacturers use steel and
other materials to build cars and trucks.
•
Goods and services are exchanged
•
Includes people who sell the products made in
secondary industries and people who provide
services rather than goods, such as health care
•
Involves the research and distribution of information
•
People work with information rather than goods and
often have specialized knowledge and skills.
Traditional
Economy
Market
Economy
• System in which
people grow their
own food and
make their own
goods
• System based on
private
ownership, free
trade, and
competition
• Trade may take
place through
barter, or the
exchange of
goods without the
use of money.
• Individuals and
businesses are
free to buy and
sell what they
wish.
• Often found in
rural and remote
communities
• Prices determined
by the supply and
demand for goods
• Sometimes called
capitalism
Command
Economy
• System in which
the central
government
makes all
economic
decisions
• Government
decides what
goods to produce,
how much to
produce, and
what prices will
be.
• Communist
governments own
and control most
businesses in
their countries.
•
•
•
•
•
Measures of a country’s wealth used by geographers to
decide if a country is developed or developing
One measure used is gross domestic product
(GDP)—the value of all goods and services produced
within a country in a single year.
Other indicators include a country’s per capita GDP,
level of industrialization, and overall quality of life.
Developed countries have strong economies and a
high quality of life; usually have high per capita GDP
Developing countries have less productive
economies and a lower quality of life; usually have
lower per capita GDP

Please identify three different types of
government we have discussed.