World Geography Final Review

Physical

  • Where do most people on earth tend to live? The rivers or coasts and where it is flat. (Fresh, Flat, and Salty)
  • How are mountain ranges like the Himalayas formed? Convergent tectonic plate boundary
  • What do is a land formation that has water on three sides known as? Peninsula, ex of peninsulas: Arabian, Korean, Italian
  • What type of location would most benefit from desalination plants (converting salt water to fresh water)? Cities in a dry climate near the ocean or sea
  • What phenomenon is impacted by the burning of fossil fuels? The Greenhouse Effect

Cultural

  • How have recent innovations helped humans prepare for natural disasters? Early warning and tracking systems for storms, hurricanes, tsunamis, etc.
  • What has caused many urban areas to explode in the past 50 years? The expansion of international trade
  • What often occurs when a society moves into a new area to preserve its culture? Cultural Divergence
  • What is one of the fastest ways for culture to spread and create new demands? Television and internet
  • Why would someone oppose the construction of a nuclear power plant? The risk of radiation exposure in an accident is too great

Middle East (Southwest Asia)

  • What is the main purpose of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)? It controls the distribution of the natural resource, oil.
  • What type of government is most common in this region? Dictatorship
  • What view would an Israeli have of the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization)? Terrorist group

Africa

  • Which landform dominates northern Africa and has a great impact on those that live there? The Sahara
  • Which climate factor impacts Africa the most? Latitude, 90% of the continent is in the tropical zone of latitude
  • Why is the Suez Canal Zone an area of conflict? It is a vital trade and transportation link.
  • Why do some nations in Africa want to eliminate game preserves? To create more farmland and encourage economic development for their growing populations.

South Asia

  • What is the summer monsoon? – Seasonal wind that is warm and moist and brings lots of rain from the ocean
  • What is the winter monsoon? – Seasonal wind that is dry and cold and brings drought from the Himalayas
  • Why impact does the Ganges River have in South Asia? The Ganges River fertilizes a large agricultural area for India and is sacred to the Hindus living there
  • Describe the religious break down of India: India’s religious makeup is majority Hindu with a large Muslim minority and small Christian, Sikh, and Buddhist minorities.
  • Which nation uses the caste system? India
  • Which religion claims the holy place known as the Golden Temple? Sikhism
  • Why did Pakistan and India separate in 1947? The religious differences between Hindus and Muslims.

East Asia

  • On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being command economy and 10 being free market economy. Where would North Korea fall? Japan? China?
  • North Korea is a total command economy, so a 1.
  • Japan is a free market economy with few restrictions, so a 9-10.
  • China is a socialist state but not total command economy, so a 3-4.
  • Why is North Korea considered isolated? North Korea is a censored country that receives restricted information and limited freedom due to its dictatorship.
  • Why did China construct the Three Gorges Dam? It was built to control flooding and generate hydroelectricity for China
  • China faces numerous problems due to high population density in urban areas. Ex: sanitation, overcrowding, lack of jobs, crime, poverty
  • Where did Chinese civilization begin? Like many early civilizations, China began in the alluvial plains of its river systems much like India, Egypt, Mesopotamia
  • What limits Mongolia’s economic development? Mongolia is limited in an economic sense due to it being landlocked by Russia and China
  • Has received a major impact from European colonialism, excepting Japan as it is the only nation that has never been a colonial holding of Europe
  • What has enabled the recent economic rise in East Asia? They have developed industries that are involved in the global market (factories, Samsung, Apple, Toyota as examples)
  • Why does Japan have a strict building code in place? Because of their location on the Ring of Fire

Southeast Asia, Australia, Oceania

  • What type of landform are Indonesia, Oceania, and Japan? Archipelagos (Chain of islands)
  • What type of climate is the Outback in Australia? Desert and semi-arid
  • What is the red rock located in Australia known as? Uluru to the natives and Ayers Rock to foreigners