Geography I World Regions A Political Regions Physical

Geography I. World Regions

A) Political Regions �Physical Regions include- climate, vegetation, political, economic, and cultural regions.

B) Landforms and Physical Regions �Archipelago- A group of islands scattered in an expanse of water. �Bay- A body of water partly enclosed by land, with access to the ocean. �Canyon- A deep and narrow valley with steep sides and a stream of water flowing through it. �Fjord- A narrow, deep inlet of the sea between high, rocky cliffs created by glaciers. �Channel- A natural or artificial course for running water.

Landforms and Physical Regions �Delta- The landform at the mouth of a river created by deposits of sediment. �Gulf- part of the ocean that juts into the land. �Island- A body of land smaller than a continent, that is entirely surrounded by water. �Isthmus- A narrow strip of land with water on both sides that connects two larger bodies of land. �Lake- A body of water surrounded entirely by land �Mountain Range- A chain of connected mountains �Peninsula- A piece of land jutting into the water and almost surrounded by it. �Plain- A broad area of mostly flat land at a low elevation.

Landforms and Physical Regions �Desert- A dry, barren land. �Volcano- An opening in earth's crust through which lava, steam and rock fragments may erupt. �Mesa- A large, flat - topped hill common in the southwest U. S. . �Glacier- A large mass of ice that moves slowly, from higher to lower ground. �Rainforest- Dense forest that receives great amounts of rain.

Landforms and Physical Regions �Plateau- A broad area of mostly flat land at a high elevation. �River- A large stream of water that flows through the land into the lake, a sea, or an ocean. �Sea- A large body of salt water, smaller than an ocean. �Strait- A stretch of water joining two large bodies of water, narrower than a channel. �Tributary- A stream or river that flows into a large stream or river. �Valley- An area of low - lying land between mountains of hills.

C) Vegetation Regions � Tropical Rainforest- near equator, Brazil (amazon), Mid Africa, Indonesian Archipelago � Savanna- directly above/below equator, Africa (think Lion King), some of Australia, India, Eastern South America � Tundra- the North Pole, top of Russia and Canada, Greenland � Boreal Forest (Taiga)- most of Canada and Russia � Mediterranean Shrub land- areas around the MEDITERRANEAN Sea, also part of California and the bottom of South Africa � Mid-latitude Forest- Eastern US, Western Europe, Eastern China � Hot Desert- Western US, top of Africa, some of Australia, Saudi Arabia and some of the Middle East

D) Climate Regions � Tropical Dry � 1. Hot temperatures year-round. � 2. A wet season and a dry season. � Marine West Coast � 1. Cool Summers � 2. Mild Winters � 3. Rain throughout the year � Tropical Wet � 1. Hot temperatures year-round � 2. Rains quite a bit throughout the year. � Subarctic � 1. Cool Summers � 2. Very Cold Winters � Tundra � Humid Subtropical � 1. Cool summers � 1. Hot and humid summers. � 2. Extremely cold winters � 2. Mild winters � 3. Rains throughout the year, but heaviest in the summer months. � Ice Cap- Below freezing throughout the year. � Mediterranean � 1. Hot and dry (little rain) summers � 2. Mild and wet (more rain) winters � Humid Continental � 1. Hot and humid summers � 2. Cold and snowy winters. � 3. Good amount of rain in summer � Arid- Extremely dry (less than 10 inches of rain per year) � Semi-Arid- Pretty dry (10 - 20 inches of rain per year) � High Elevation � 1. Found in areas with mountains. � 2. Cooler temperatures throughout the year. � 3. Temperatures get colder as the elevation gets higher.

Climate Regions �Wind and ocean current are the two things most responsible for our weather and the patterns it creates

E) 5 Themes Of Geography �MR. LIP �Movement- The travel of people, goods, and ideas from one location to another. �Region- area described by its features �Location- Where something is �Interaction- How humans interact with their environment �Place- specific point on earth

Geography II. Africa & the Middle East

A) Physical Geography �Africa is the 2 nd largest after Asia. �Mainly dry desert areas �Birthplace of the three religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. �Africa & the Middle East have the largest Oil deposits in the world. �Sub-Saharan Africa is the least developed area in the world. �Early Civilizations developed here because of the underground water & the rivers (Nile, Euphrates & Tigris)

Physical Geography �Long coastline �Rivers �Waterways constantly need upkeep to allow ships to pass through. (think Silt) �Deserts �Oil deposits

B) Ecosystems of Africa & ME �Two different areas where plants and animals inhabit. �Savanna & rainforest �Savanna- wet & dry lions, giraffes, and elephants (large animals) �Rainforest- snakes, monkeys ect. , tigers

C) Economy �Cocoa �Coffee �Cotton �Peanuts �Palm oil �OTHER NOTES � Apartheid- a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race. �Nelson Mandela ended apartheid.

Geography III. Asia

Asia

Asia �Is the largest continent on earth �Most people in the world live here �Many island chains on this continent- archipelagos �Russia is the largest, then China

A) Physical Geography of Asia �Rivers provide most of the areas that are not covered in mountains with fertile soil. �Himalayan mountains in this region are the highest in the world. �Climate in this region ranges from monsoon rains to winter weather. �Depends on the location Russia v Japan �Longitude and latitude dictate

B) Vegetation, Agriculture & Economy �Forest and grassland replaced by farmland �Rainforests being cut down �Tea, cotton, iron, limestone, rice, sugarcane, rubber, iron-ore, coal (China is mainly responsible for these goods)

C)Human & Political Geography �Other religions in the Asian continents are Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Jainism, Christianity, and Sikhism. �Countries like India, Sir Lanka, and Pakistan. �Religion and philosophy helped to create hierarchical society �This was removed by a revolutionary movement, civil war and war with Japan. �Communists ruled with Mao Zedong and the Samurai warriors.

C)Human & Political Geography �India's Economy is private enterprise with state control �China’s Econ is state is dominant, Mao, nationalized all industry and turned farming into a team effort �His successor Deng Xiaoping introduced foreign investment and gave some private ownership. �US unpopular due to Vietnam war and support for Pakistan in the war against India �US wants to use trade as a lever to force China to respect human rights.

Geography IV. Europe

Europe

Europe �Asia is on the same continent as Europe. �Europe was split into east and west known as the Iron Curtain. �Fell at the end of the cold war. �Western Europe and Soviet backed Eastern Europe.

A)The Impact of Geography on Agricultural & Industry �No spot in Europe is less than 300 miles from the coast. �The sea is used for fishing and extracting oil �The sea is the reason for the temperate climate in Europe. �The Great European Plain covers area from Germany to Russia. �Eastern Europe is cold. Very Cold. �Very Mountainous.

B) Cultural & Human Geography � 26 Independent nations in Europe �Site of World War I &II � 2 nd Largest exporter of agricultural goods. �The decline of communism to more democratic governments has caused a break up in Europe �They have joined the EEC & NATO �Closely allied w/ the USA

Geography V. Latin America

Latin America �Most of South America, Mexico and central America � 4 th Largest continent

A) Landforms �Andes Mountains stretch 4, 000 miles here. �Mexico 15% of land is used for farming due to the rugged landscape. �The Amazon River Basin Is located in LA

B) Climate �Most of LA lies in the tropics- 80 Degrees �Sometimes Hurricanes threaten this region �Products that thrive in this climate are cocoa, sugar cane, tobacco, coffee

C) Economic Geography �With the small amount of land that can support farming land is being cleared in the amazon. �Deforestation contributes to Global Warming when carbon dioxide is released when trees ae cut down �Many minerals found in this region copper, oil, tin.

D) Human Geography �Latin America is divide by class rich v poor �Relations with the US are stormy �Since the Monroe Doctrine- document that opposed European colonization �Although the US and certain people view this as US investment many see it as US Imperialism

Geography VI. Canada

Canada � 26 million people live in Canada � 80% live on the border between the US & Canada

A) Physical Geography �Similar to areas of the US �Large prairies, mountains, the great lakes �Weather much like Michigan

B) Natural Vegetation, Resources and Economy �Maritime- Island states or provinces �Canadas resources are things like fish, forestry, wheat, dairy, oil and hydroelectric power. �Hydroelectric – power or electricity made from the movement of water

C)People and Culture �Canada is influenced by the colonization of the French and the British. �Its capital Toronto, is the largest city. �The British Monarchy is still their head of state

D) Relationship with the USA �Canada is completely free of Britain and France but their ties with Britain remain strong �The relations with the US are more important �The USA trade with Canada more than any other country 20% � 70% of all Canadian exports go to the USA �The USA and Canada have had issues as well but resolve them peacefully.

Geography VII. Global Issues

Global Issues �Some of the issues the world faces are nuclear war, pollution, global warming, population rising, continua ting warfare.

A) Environmental pollution �Global warming- the increase in earth temperature �Causes sea levels to rise, melting of the glaciers and ice caps �More extreme weather �Emissions- releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere �Deforestationcutting/burning of trees �Desertification- area turning desert

B) Nuclear Proliferation �Proliferation- rapid increase �The increase in nuclear energy and weapons poses a threat of war �If nuclear were to occur the earth and all who live here will be threatened.

C)Ethnic, Tribal, and religious war �Treaty of Versailles (1919)- created after WWI made new nations from ones that were defeated. �After WWII many of these new nations become product of Soviet-Russia. �After the cold war (not a real war)- the Russian empire fell apart creating even more new nations and more battles. �Ethnic Cleansing – killing or removing people of a different ethnicity