World Geography Exam Review

Europe

Vocabulary (define)

  1. Dikes- Large banks of earth and stone that hold back water.
  2. Polder- Drained area of land-Windmills are used to extract water, Dikes are used to hold back the water. Regained land is used for farming.
  3. Fjord-Narrow, steep sided inlets carved out by glaciers.
  4. Loess- A fine mineral-rich soil deposited by the wind.
  5. Timberline- The elevation above which trees cannot grow.
  6. Permafrost- soil permanently frozen below the surface.
  7. Ethnic group- people who share ancestry, language, customs, and often religion.
  8. Ethnic Cleansing- The expelling of an ethnic group from a particular area.
  9. Refugee- Person who flees a country for safety.
  10. Urbanization- The concentrations of populations in town and cities.
  11. Cultural diffusion- The sharing and spreading of ideas and culture to other countries-give an example of western culture in Europe. (McDonald’s-Western Culture in Europe).

Questions (answer the questions fully):

  1. Why is Europe called a "peninsula of peninsulas"? –It is one large Peninsula-surrounded by many smaller peninsulas.
  2. Why does Western Europe have a generally milder climate than other locations in the world at the same latitude? The Atlantic Ocean’s Gulf Stream and its northern part, the North Atlantic Drift, bring warm waters to Western Europe. The prevailing winds that blow with these currents bring warm, moist air across Europe. Because of this phenomenon, Western Europe is warmer compared to other places in the world. For Example Boston, Massachusetts has the same latitude but is much colder.

a. What type of climate does Western Europe have? Western Europe has a marine west coast

climate, with mild winters, cool summers, and adequate rainfall.

b. What type of vegetation grows there? Deciduous trees, Coniferous trees grow in Alpine areas

to the timberline. The Alps have a highlands climate. Sudden weather changes can occur

when dry winds called Foehns blow down the mountains into the valleys.

  1. Why does most of southern Europe have a Mediterranean climate? The Alps block winds from the

Atlantic. As a result, southern Europe receives less precipitation than northwestern Europe.

a. How do the Alps Mistral and Africa’s Sirocco winds impact this? The Mistral, a strong north

wind from the Alps, sends gusts of cold air into southern France. Siroccos, dry south winds

from North Africa, sometimes bring hot temperatures to the region

b. What type of vegetation grows there? Chaparral, shrubs, and small trees.

  1. Why do temperatures in eastern and northern Europe vary more widely than in other parts of

Europe? These areas are not affected by warm Atlantic currents within the continent

.a. What types of vegetation grows there? Eastern Europe: deciduous and coniferous trees.

Eastern Europe: Grasslands. Northern Europe: subarctic and Tundra Climates have

permafrost. Vegetation in Northern Europe: includes mosses, shrubs, and wildflowers.

  1. What are the climates of Iceland? The island lies in the path of the North Atlantic Current, which makes the climate of the island more temperate than would be expected for its latitude just south of the Arctic Circle. Marine West Coast climate exists in the Southern Region and Tundra in the Northern Region.
  2. What are the sources of energy for Iceland? Volcanism- Geothermal
  3. What is the capital of Iceland? Reykjavik
  4. What river is Western Europe's busiest River? The Rhine
  5. What is Eastern Europe's major river? Danube
  6. What is the importance of the Danube canal? The Rhine and The Danube were connected by canal-linking the North Sea to the Black Sea
  7. What country in Europe has the longest life expectancy? Andorra Where is it located? Between France and Spain-within the Pyrenees Mountains.
  8. What is the cause of diversity in European countries? Migration, cultural diffusion, conflict, and changing borders.
  9. How many ethnic groups does Europe have? 160
  10. Europe is the world's second smallest continent in land area, but its population density is greater than all other continents except for Asia.

What features do the higher than average population density areas share? Favorable climates, plains,

fertile soil, mineral resources, and inland waterways.

  1. Why is Europe's population decreasing? Low birthrates and a larger aging population
  2. What happened in Yugoslavia in 1990s? Yugoslavia broke up into separate republics in the early 1990’s, several ethnic groups began fighting. Serbian leaders followed a policy of ethnic cleansing. They expelled the rival ethnic groups from Serb-controlled areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the province of Kosovo. Many people became refugees.
  3. Why are people who live in Europe able to think of themselves as Europeans? They share common values: family, commitment to democracy and a free market. They believe that government should provide people with social welfare and should regulate the economy.
  4. What ancient civilizations laid the foundation of Western Civilization? Greece and Rome
  5. What were the Crusades? In the 1000’s, western European armies fought in a series of religious wars to free Palestine, the birthplace of Christianity, from Muslim rule. Although Europeans failed to gain control of the area, they extended trade to the eastern Mediterranean.
  6. What was the Renaissance period? 1300’s AD The 300 year period of discovery and learning known as the Renaissance renewed interest in ancient Greece and Roman culture led to scientific advances. One of the major advances was movable type -this helped spread new ideas more quickly and easily.
  7. What was the Reformation? A religious movement that began with Martin Luther who wrote, the 100 thesis paper and posted on the doors of a local Catholic Church. The Thesis listed the corruptions of the Catholic Church with led to the beginnings of Protestantism. One of the major complaints of corruption was something called Indulgences -people were able to pay the Priest and buy their way into heaven-money was used to build massive cathedrals.
  8. What were the results of explorations by European nations in the 1400's? Their search for new trade routes to Asia led to the conquest of other lands and brought great wealth and power to Western Europe.
  9. What was the Enlightenment? 1600-1700’s educated Europeans began to question long standing traditions and values. Desire for a voice in government led to political revolutions that changed the power of the monarchs. By 1900 most European countries had Constitutions that limited rulers’ powers and gave some political rights to citizens.
  10. What was the Industrial Revolution? power driven machinery changed everyday life
  11. What is Industrial capitalism? An economic system that was born at the same time as the industrial revolution in which business leaders used profits to expand their companies. New social groups emerged: a middle class made up of merchants and factory owners, and a working class made-up of factory workers. The middle class grew wealthy while the working class was poor.
  12. What is communism? Philosophy that called for a society based on economic equality. In this society, workers would control factories and industrial production. In 1917 the Russian Revolution established a communist state called the Soviet Union.
  13. What problems led to the birth of communism in the Mid-1800? The disparity between the wealthy middle class and the poor and unhealthy conditions for workers led to the birth of communism in the Mid-1800.
  14. What was the Holocaust? The mass killing of more than 6 million European Jews by Germany’s Nazi leaders.
  15. What was the Berlin wall? When was it taken down? Why? It was a wall constructed by the German Democratic Republic, in 1961, and completely cut off the city of West Berlin, separating it from East Germany. The life in West Germany was much better than East Germany after 1948. West Germany including West Berlin had received financial help through the Marshall plan from the USA. In East Germany a communist system was established and many people had to suffer under repressions of the Communist party. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defenses. After several weeks of local civil unrest following the erosion of political power of the pro-Soviet governments in nearby Poland and Hungary, the East German government announced on November 9, 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. Over the next few weeks, a euphoric public and souvenir hunters chipped away parts of the wall; the governments later used industrial equipment to remove most of the rest. The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification. It was formally concluded on October 3, 1990.

Its fall marked the End of THE COLD WAR -A POWER STRUGGLE BETWEEN COMMUNIST AND NON-COMUNIST GOVERNMENTS.

  1. How many countries are in the EU? The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 27 member states, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1993 upon the foundations of the European Communities.

The EU has developed a single market through a standardized system of laws which apply in all member states, ensuring the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital. It maintains common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development.

  1. What is the goal of the EU? The goal of the European Union is to form a stronger, more unified Europe in order to have greater stability and strength in global markets.
  2. What is the name of the currency used by the EU? The Euro
  3. How many languages and dialects are in Europe? 50 different languages and more than 100 dialects.
  4. Most Christians in Europe are _Roman Catholics_.
  5. There are conflicts between Roman Catholics and Protestants in __Northern Ireland___.
  6. What are welfare states? Country that offers complete education, health care, and Pension programs to their citizens.
  7. What kinds of industries employ about 60% of workers in Western Europe? Sixty percent of the Workforce in Europe is employed by service industries, including banking and tourism.
  8. More Europeans make a living from farming than any other single economic activity-Why do some Europeans oppose the sale of genetically modified foods? Has not been tested enough to ensure safety.
  9. What has caused the pollution of Eastern Europe's environment? The high concentration of industry and population in Europe has severely damaged the land, air, and water in certain areas.
  10. How have European countries addressed the results of pollution? Preserve wilderness areas; take legal action against countries who do not uphold environmental protection laws, Protect buildings and statues with acid resistant coating, add lime to lakes to reduce acid levels, require large companies to recycle their waste, and all countries requesting to be in the EU must meet environmental standards.

Russia:

Vocabulary (define):

  1. Taiga - Russia’s vast sub-arctic forest that makes up 1/5 of the world’s remaining forests
  2. Tundra- A vast treeless plain
  3. Chernozem- A rich black fertile soil
  4. Sovereignty- The right to rule ones self
  5. Socialism- A belief that calls for greater economic equality
  6. Czar- Supreme Ruler
  7. Serf- An enslaved workforce under the control of a class of nobility.
  8. Cold War - Power struggle between the Soviet-led communist world and the US-led non-communist world.

Places (What is it like? / What happened there? / Where is it? / type of landform?):

  1. Socialist Realism- Style of Art that glorified the achievements of Soviet Communism.
  2. Command Economy- Economy were government makes most decisions.
  3. Market Economy- An economy in which businesses are privately owned.
  4. Lake Baikal – Lake in Russia that contains 20% of the world’s surface fresh water. It is threatened by pollution from a nearby paper mill.
  5. Siberia – East of the Ural Mountains. Few people live here because it is very cold for the majority of the year. Much of Russia’s mineral resources are found here in the harsh living conditions.
  6. Chernobyl - Nuclear explosion at a power plant in Ukraine. The citizens were not immediately notified of the problem. Cancer (especially thyroid), and birth defects are a serious problem.
  7. Ural Mountains – Mountain range that historically has been the division between European and Asian Russia. The majority (75%) of all Russians live on the western side of the Urals because the climate on the eastern side is very harsh.
  8. What river is most important for European Russia? The Volga

People (What did this person / group accomplish?):

  1. Ivan the Great- Ivan the Great united many provinces and succeeded in freeing Russia from the Mongols (Tatars). The Grand Dukes of Moscow had been attempting to overthrow the Mongols for many years and even won some battles against them. However the Mongols always retaliated. Ivan the Great first refused to pay the taxes to the Mongols. This set the stage for a battle that never happened. The troops for both sides faced off against each other but no battle was ever fought. Instead, both sides retreated. This was in effect victory for Ivan the Great because he hadn't paid the taxes and taxes were never again demanded. The Russians were free from Mongol lordship. Ivan the Great became the first national sovereign leader of Russia.
  2. Peter the Great- Peter the Great was the Russian czar who transformed Russia from an isolated agricultural society into an Empire on a par with European powers. Peter and his half-brother Ivan were co-czars who served under the regency of Ivan's sister, Sophia. Ivan died and Peter outmaneuvered Sophia to rule alone as czar from 1689. Peter toured Europe (sometimes in disguise to avoid being recognized) and educated himself in western culture and science, then returned to Russia and introduced military, civil and social reforms to make Russia more like Europe (especially Germany). He spent much of his time fighting wars, first against the Turks of the Ottoman Empire, then (from 1700) against the Swedes in the Great Northern War. He succeeded in conquering land on the Baltic Sea, where he founded St. Petersburg. A gateway to Europe, St. Petersburg became the new capital of Russia. Peter was reportedly more than six and a half feet tall and was often in the battlefield, occasionally returning home to address domestic issues and put down revolts. In 1725 he dove in the water to help rescue some drowning sailors; he ended up with a bad cold and died a short time later.
  3. Vladimir Lenin- Vladimir I. Lenin was a driving force behind the Russian Revolution of 1917 and became the first great dictator of the Soviet Union. After his brother was executed in 1887 (for plotting to kill the Czar), Lenin gave up studying law and became a full-time revolutionary. He studied Karl Marx and formed workers' groups, but was arrested and exiled to Siberia in 1895. In 1900 he went to Europe, and in 1903 he led the Bolsheviks in the split of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers' party. When revolution broke out in Russia in 1917, he led the Bolsheviks to control the government. Lenin had complete political control over the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) until his death, and is remembered as the man who put Marx's ideas to practical use.
  4. Catherine the Great - She expanded the empire to include the Black Sea and access to the Mediterranean Sea.
  5. Czar Nicholas the II- The last emperor of Russia, He succeeded his father Alexander III as czar in 1894. Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra were coronated as rulers of Russia in 1896. As Czar he directed the construction of the Trans-Siberian railroad, made peace with France and shared entente with Great Britain (Alexandra was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria). His disastrous war with Japan (1904-05), however, led to the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the creation of the Duma (parliament). The autocratic emperor unwisely took personal charge of the armies during World War I -- replacing his uncle, Grand Duke Nicholas, in 1915 -- and left domestic affairs to Alexandra and her favorite advisor, Rasputin, neither of whom were much interested in social reform. Years of popular discontent with policies at home and abroad led to the Russian Revolution, and Nicholas II abdicated on March 15, 1917. He and his entire family were executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918, the last of the royal Romanov line.
  6. Mikhail Gorbachev - He was the last Soviet Premier. He introduced the reforms of Perestroika, Glasnost, and Demokratzia. These are vocabulary terms.
  7. Boris Yeltsin - He was the first democratically elected president of Russia.
  8. Joseph Stalin - Premier of the USSR after the death of Lenin. He was our ally during WWII. Under his control the USSR had influence over most of Eastern Europe. He was ruthless with his own people.
  9. Karl Marx - 19th century German philosopher that believed that the government should own all the land and the means of production. The citizens should share equally the profits.
  10. Vladimir Putin- was elected president of the Russian Federation in 2000 as the hand-picked successor of Boris Yeltsin. He was the President of the Russian Federation, 2000-2008

Questions (answer the questions fully):