Essay Review Geography Components of the Regents Essay

Essay Review Geography!

Components of the Regents Essay • F – Facts, Evidence & Details (the explanation, specifics and substantiation of the essay) • O – Organization (Introduction, Body Paragraphs & Conclusion) • L – Level of Analysis (the long-range or immediate impact of the information on a society or on history) • D – Development of the Task (the bullets of the task)

The Geography Essay! Task: Select three different geographic features and for each: • Discuss how this geographic feature influenced the historical and/or cultural development of a specific civilization, empire, country, or region.

Essential Information for this Essay!

Deserts • Sahara Desert • Location: Northern Africa • Size: 3, 000 x 1, 500 miles – size of Continental U. S. • Effects: Massive barrier to trade & travel, presents agricultural difficulties, spreading of the desert in Sahel region creates economic difficulties • Gobi Desert • Location: Northern China/Mongolia • Note: This is a rain shadow desert of the Himalaya Mts. • Effects: Historic barrier to trade & travel, terrible desertification occurring and terrible sand storms create problems for China

Mountains • Himalaya Mountains • Location: S. Asia, between India & China • Note: Highest mountain range in the world • Effect: Serious barrier to trade & travel, isolated China – created sense of superiority (ethnocentric), the Middle Kingdom • Andes Mountains • Location: W. coast of S. America • Note: Second highest mountain range in world • Effect: Isolates coast, Incas had to create terrace farming, paved roads and suspension bridges in order to communicate and farm

Oceans/Seas • Indian Ocean • Location: South of Asia • Effects: Historic highway of trade between E. Africa, India, SE Asia & China, created cultural & ethnic diversity in SE Asia because of the volume of trade & diversity of traders • Mediterranean Sea • Location: Between Europe and Africa • Effects: Historic highway of trade for European civilizations – especially Rome, Rome controlled land all around the Med Sea and trade was an important component to Rome’s power & wealth

Rivers • Nile River • Yellow River (Huang-He) • Location: Egypt • Location: China • Effects: Site of Egypt’s • Effects: Sometimes Ancient civilization, the referred to as China’s Nile provided life-giving sorrow, it was the site of water in an otherwise arid China’s Ancient Sahara Desert (also key civilizations, water for irrigation), flooded humans, animals & annually leaving fertile irrigation, flooded silt behind unpredictably (causing destruction), leaving fertile loess behind

Island Location • England/Britain • Location: ~20 miles off the coast of Europe (France) • Effects: Location is close enough to afford contact or isolation, Necessitated development of a navy or merchant ships to trade or for defense • Japan • Location: ~90 miles off the coast of Asia (Korea) • Effects: Location is close enough to afford contact or isolation, Japan borrowed some Chinese culture, but remained largely isolated during Tokugawa Era (1603 -1867), Japanese society is very homogenous