5 Social Studies Topics

Notes

Government: The laws and customs that guide a

political unit

Types of governments *limited government – laws set limits on

how much power government officials can have

*democracy – people vote for leaders *unlimited government – power belongs

to ruler *dictatorship – 1 ruler

Types of governments cont. *absolute monarchy – king or queen,

ruling family *constitutional monarchy – laws limit the

powers of the king or queen *republic – nation with a strong national

government headed by elected leaders

Geography: Study of the Earth’s land, water, plants,

animals (physical geography) and the study of people and their environments (human geography)

*physical characteristics – landforms, features of the land (mountain, river, peninsula)

*human geography – where people live, cities, types of homes, etc.

Culture: Way of life of a group of people that

share similar beliefs and customs *cultural borrowing – large parts of

cultures are “borrowed” from other cultures, this is the adoption of one groups’ cultural traits by another

*cultural diffusion – how a culture spreads (radio, TV, internet)

Economy: The way people and nations meet their

daily needs and produce goods (jobs, money)

Types of economies *traditional economy – based on customs

handed down for years *command economy – government makes all

decisions *market economy – individuals determine what

to produce, who will want it (demand), how much to produce (supply) and how much to charge (price), some government control, also called a free enterprise system

*mixed economy – parts of different economies, most countries have this type

History: The story of the past *tells how past conflicts influence the

present *can teach us important lessons and

guide our behavior in the present