World Geography Final Exam Review

Fall 2014

What two factors affect climate?

• Latitude• Distance from the

ocean

What is cultural diffusion? Give an example.

• Spread of ideas, inventions or patterns of behavior from one culture to another

• Ex: Architecture, restaurant chains

How has global diffusion of advanced computer and communications technology affected peoples’

access to the following?

• Higher Education– Increased access

• Pop Culture– Increased access

How can a more diverse culture be created when new immigrant groups move into existing local

cultures? • By keeping some

ideas of the original culture, while incorporating some of the local culture

What indicators are used to determine a country’s level of development? How would a developed

country’s indicators look? Developed

• Low infant mortality• Longer life

expectations• High literacy rates Underdeveloped

• High infant mortality• Shorter life

expectations• Low literacy rates

How do people maintain their culture? Give an example.

• By passing ideas down from generation to generation

• Parents/grandparents teaching stories, recipes and way of living to their children/grandchildren

Define Urban & Rural

• Urban - of, relating to, or designating a city or town.

• Rural - of, relating to, or characteristic of the country, country life, or country people; rustic:

Different stages of population

What are the effects of the Industrial Revolution in

the United States in the mid-nineteenth century? • Early 1800s -

Europeans immigrated to the US for economic and job opportunities in the Northeast

• 1860 – 1900 –

about 14 million Europeans arrived to work in the US

What is subsistence agriculture? Where can it

still be found in Latin America today?

• Growing just enough food to feed family

• Still practiced in rural areas, like Incan settlements in Peru

Why is the US political system so stable?

• Citizens are allowed to elect government officials

• If not happy with officials’ performance, citizens will not re-elect him or her

Why did population in California change so

drastically from 1848-1849? • News of the

discovery of gold in California

• People from all over the world migrated to search for their share

How did Europeans settle the US? What general

direction did population expand from there? • Started in northeast• Moved west with

westward expansion

In which province of Canada do most people speak French? What other language is also

spoken? • Quebec – French• Everywhere else -

English

Which sub region of the United States has the

highest population density? • Northeast

The spark the triggered the Great Depression was the

stock market crash in October 1929 On October 29, 1929 (Black

Tuesday) the stock market crashed

People rushed to sell, stock prices dropped, and investors lost a total of $30 billion

Speculators who bought on the

margin, could not pay off their debts

Analyze how homesteading effected population growth? What

area in the US did it impact the most?

• Congress passed a law in the late 1800’s that allowed people to claim public land and convert it to private through homesteading

• This impacted the Great Plains the most

Recognize the most important river system in the United States

• Large river systems, such as the Mississippi River System shown above, are geographically important because they serve as natural drainage systems.

The Great Migration during WWI led to a concentration of African Americans in northern cities

Explain the main reason for increased US involvement in the Middle East after September 11,

2001?

• The need to wage war against global terrorism

What areas does the Latin America region cover?

• Areas of the western hemisphere, south of the United States

Describe religion of Latin America.

• Largest practiced religion in Latin America is Roman Catholic

What are the causes for destruction of the Amazon

rain forest? • Poverty• Abuse of natural

resources• Clearing land for

ranching• Large national debt

What are the advantages of terraced farming

techniques? • Reduces soil

erosion• Allows steep land to

be cultivated

Identify the largest rainforest in the world.

The Amazon Rainforest is the largest in the world.

What two cultural influences combined to reflect

Central American culture today?

• Spanish• Native American

– (Mestizo people)

What do the Aztec and Mayan calendars and the use of “zero” indicate about pre-Colombian

people?

• They both made advances in math and science

List several problems that occur when tropical rainforests, such as the Amazon, rapidly

disappear. • Animal habitats

destroyed for human use

• Less trees to absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen

• Destruction of medicinal plants that heal and cure disease

Why is African influence present in Brazilian culture?

• African slaves were forced to migrate to Brazil, as well as other Latin American regions

Why did favelas expand in the 1970s in Latin

America? • Migrants arriving

from rural areas – Poor people, large

numbers– Could not afford to

settle in city center

What physical features in Latin America have inhibited communication and transportation

systems?

• Mountains• Rain forests• River systems

What were the direct effects of the Columbian

Exchange? • African slavery• European

diseases introduced into Native American populations

• Exchange of animals and plants

How does the Panama Canal help the economy of

Panama? • Opens a trade route

between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans

• Cuts expenses of having to travel around the tip of South America to trade

How did the American Revolution affect Latin America?

• Inspired leaders of Latin America to fight for independence

What are some effects of colonial rule in Latin

America? • Control of power by

few wealthy land owners

• Poverty for everyone else

• Resources were exported, leaving the region economically weakened

What does NAFTA stand for? Which countries are

involved? • North American Free

Trade Agreement– Canada– United States– Mexico

Describe what a fjord is and where in Europe you would find

them.• Geologically, a fjord is a

long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by glacial erosion.

• Coasts having the most pronounced fjords include the west coast of Norway

What is a polder? Explain the process in creating

polders. • Reclaiming land

from the sea by diking and draining

• explains the change in land area along the coast of the Netherlands

How did the Bubonic Plague (Black Death)

spread? • Along the

Mediterranean Sea trade routes

• Travel was faster and easier by sea than by land

What are the origins of democracy?

• Athens, Greece– first society to practice

direct democracy

What happened in Eastern Europe in 1989, and

what changes took place as a result? • Collapse of the Soviet

Union• Moved away from

communism• Eastern Europe was

adopting more democratic ideals through cultural diffusion

How was England changed by the Industrial

Revolution? • Urban areas (cities)

grew as more jobs became available

Between urbanization and the Industrial Revolution, which is the cause, and which is the

effect? • Urbanization is an

effect of the Industrial Revolution

Why did the Jews escape Europe during the 1940s?

• Nazi Germany (Hitler) targeted Jews

• Suffered persecution and discrimination for Jewish religious views

What is the European Union, and what is its major

function? • Economic union of

select European countries

• Share resources, money system, open borders, common market

How did the formation of the European Union

cause a population shift? • Western Europe had

an abundance of employment opportunities

• People from other regions migrated WEST!!!!!

European nation has this.

• (parliament)

Describe what happened on June 6, 1944.

• On June 6, 1944, the Allies crossed the English Channel to begin the liberation of France from Nazi Germany?

Analyze the purpose of NATO? What countries are in NATO?

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization• Members include the US, France, United

Kingdom, and Canada

In 1948, Stalin tried to turn all of Berlin communist &

ordered the Berlin Blockade which shut down all ground

transportation to West Berlin In response, the U.S. began the Berlin Airlift

For 11 months, U.S. & British planes supplies

landed in Berlin to bring food, fuel, &

supplies

List the countries that made up the Iron Curtain.

• Poland, Czechoslovakia and East Germany formed the Iron Curtain (were communist) after WWII

Why type of climate would cause Northern Brazil

to get so much rainfall? • Northern Brazil is

located within the tropical latitudes

Which event had the greatest impact on the culture

of South America? • Spanish conquerors

(conquistadors) arrived and took over

Why were the Spanish able to conquer the Aztecs so easily?

• Spanish conquistadors had much better weapons and military technology

What effects did industrialization have on farming in the

United States?

• Decrease number of people farming, due to industrialized farm equipment

• Increase size of farms to feed bigger population

How are architectural styles, which begin in one cultural region and show up in other cultural

regions, spread throughout the world?

• Cultural diffusion

What are the examples of Human-Environment

Interaction discussed in Chapter 9 Section 3? • Slash-and-burn

farming• Terraced farming• Urbanization• Tourism

What types of agriculture practices did the Inca use that made them an agrarian society?

• Terrace farming• Showed that they

cooperated and planned crop growth