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Pre-AP World Geography Name

Project

COUNTRY BACKGROUND REPORT

Among the responsibilities of a number of geographers who are employed by government agencies and large multinational firms is to prepare brief summaries of regions or countries for major officials who will be visiting that area. Your assignment is to prepare such a report for a country by first providing factual material and then explain why each item is geographically important.

I. Basic Information:

  1. Name of Country:
  2. Capital City:
  3. Country Population:
  4. Largest City:

Population:

Second Largest City:

Population:

II. Physical Environment: (put these items on political/physical map)

A. Area: sq. mi; sq. km.

B.  Elevation

1. lowest location:

______meters; feet.

  1. highest location:

______meters; feet.

C.  Major Physical features
  1. Largest river
  2. Mountain Ranges ______
  3. Other significant features (large lakes, volcanoes, etc.) ______

III. Cultural Environment:

A. Population Data

  1. birth rate
  2. death rate
  3. annual growth rate
  4. life expectancy years
  5. literacy rate percent

Population pyramids to be used in essay, about 2” tall (one current, one 50 yrs into the future)

B. Cultural Traits
  1. Dominant ethnic groups (over 5% of total population)

Name Percent

  1. Dominant religions (over 5% of total population)

Name Percent

  1. Dominant languages (over 5% of total population)

Name Percent

IV. Economy:

A. Gross domestic (national) product $

B. Per capita income $

C. Percent of population in agriculture %

D. Major agricultural products

E. Percent of population in manufacturing %

F. Major manufactured products ______

G. Steel production in tons/year ______

H. Major mineral resources ______

I. Major exports ______

J. Major imports ______

V.  Political System:

A. Type of government

B. Major political parties

VI. Current Issues: (used for the third page ESPN) (You must use SCOOP.IT)

A.  Economics

B.  Social

C.  Political

D.  Nature

*These three pages are your working copy and are not to be re-typed. Make sure you fill it out completely so you are able to glean the information to help write your essay. These sheets will be turned in with your project. (See rubric)

VII. Essay/Report (typed on attached sheets)

• Format: 3 pages (2 data, 1 ESPN) double-spaced; 1-inch margins (sides/top/bottom), left justified.

• 12 font in Times New Roman;

• The two population pyramids should be placed after the population data. No more than two inches tall.

• No bold except for title – title no more than 14 font

VIII. Cultural Icon Poster Board
  1. Make sure you have thoroughly researched your country and the culture of your country.
  2. Design the best icon or icons that represent your country. It must be on a half-sheet of poster board. No full sheets of poster board.
  3. You may use any type of mixed media you wish, but no cut out pictures. This is not to be a collage. Think about the design of your poster and how you want to present the icon(s). (Remember the U-Hauls and how the icons were represented.)
  4. Poster should not have the country’s name on the front. We should be able to figure out which country it is by the icon(s) that were chosen. In other words, do not put your country’s name on the front of the poster.
  5. On the back of your poster you must explain why the icon best represents your country. Describe the icon(s) and an explanation for its use.

1 paragraph minimum (5-8 sentences). SS Format.

  1. Make sure your name and period are on the back of the poster! Your name is NOT to be on the front of your poster.

7.  NO FLAGS or COATS of ARMS or PEOPLE or BIRDS

IX. MAPS

A.  Make an outline map of the country on a piece of 8.5 x 11 paper. Make six more separate outline maps. (total of seven outline maps) These maps will show the following:

1.  Physical and Political (use the ones from your data)

2.  Population Density

3.  Annual Precipitation

4.  Climates

5.  Natural vegetation

6.  Economy (mineral resources and land use)

X. Order for Your Paper

Staple all of the papers together in the upper left hand corner. Do not put into a binder, plastic cover, etc.

  1. Cover sheet (refer to the boxed information on the first page – must be typed)
  2. The Country Report paper that is your working copy.
  3. Photocopy map of region
  4. Your six maps – use the order that is listed in the instructions (top of page 2)
  5. Your essay (must be typed – follow directions in format section IV.)
  6. Work-cited page. No work-citied page is an automatic zero.
  7. Use Easybib.com
  8. Failure to follow instructions will result in a lower grade.

XI. Small sample of websites USING WIKIPEDIA WILL BE A ZERO`

www.cia.gov (great information- updated every couple of months – very current)

www.countryreport.org (username: haltom password: library)

www.d-maps.com (great outline maps)

http://online.culturegrams.com/world/index.php

www.census.gov (good to find population pyramids projections)

http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/ (HDI Reports)

http://www.usembassy.gov

www.scoop.it (user name: Password: Buffalos1)

Newspapers and magazines (periodicals)

COUNTRY REPORT RUBRIC

Pre-AP© World Geography

Rubric

Name Period

Country

  1. Factual Material – Working Copy (20)
  2. Map – Physical and Political (7)
  3. Map – Population Density (7)
  4. Map – Annual Precipitation (7)
  5. Map – Climates (7)
  6. Map – Natural Vegetation (7)
  7. Map – Economy (Mineral Resources and Land Use) (7)
  8. Order of Package (3)
  9. Essay (35)

(Must include 2 population pyramids showing growth

Now and 2050 – projected)

  1. Work-Cited page (having the wrong number and type

of citations will lower your grade)

Grade

*Remember a “big” part of any grade is: did you follow the directions? Refer to the order on the rubric and that is the order of your paper. Make sure you include a cover sheet with the information from the project assignment paper on; (the info in the boxed area). Your work-cited page (bibliography) will be the very last paper in the packet. Having no work-cited page will result in a ZERO.

Haltom High 6 weeks project