World Geography Study GuidePhysical Geography

Balkan Peninsula - mountainous peninsula in SE Europe, separated groups developed their own

cultures separately, refused to be annexed under a common banner and constantly fight with

one another

Outback - Relatively uninhabited area of Australia, huge desert with bordering grasslands, home

to great biological diversity

Sahara - Largest desert in world, occupies almost all of northern Africa, only residents are

nomads, oases in middle of desert, little natural resources and no rainfall have completely

prevented any development.

Sahel - narrow band of grassland turning into desert because of overgrazing, over farming, wood

harvesting and slash and burn agricultural practices, as well as improper land usage,

conservation and reuse.

River valleys - many civilizations have flourished around river valleys due to the abundant supply

of fresh water, allowing for reliable agriculture and a source of drinking water. Rivers also provide

trade routes for semi-developed civilizations as well as a link to the ocean.

Earthquakes - a type of natural calamity that occurs when pent up energy is released from a

faultline caused by a transform boundary.

Volcanoes/Volcanic Activity - Volcanoes are usually located in subduction zones along

convergent plate boundaries between an oceanic plate and a continental plate, although weak

spots in the earths crust can allow magma to escape and form volcanic islands

Plate Tectonics

Convergent boundaries - forms mountains (both underwater and above)

Divergent boundaries - form rift valleys or underwater ridges

Transform boundaries - form fault lines along which earthquakes may occur

Himalayan Mountains - This mountain range is located along the Northern border of India and

also borders Nepal and China. It is caused by the convergence of the Indian and Eurasian Plate.

The Indian Plate continues to move into the Eurasian plate, causing a slight growth of the

Mountains every year. This Mountain range is also home to the tallest terrestrial mountain, Mt.

Everest and the second tallest mountain, K2.

Ring of Fire - geographic area near Pacific tectonic plate boundary, many earthquakes and

volcanoes occur in this ring

Climographs - an example of a climograph can be seen here

the bars represent precipitation per month while the red line and dots represent the average

temperature per month

Continentality - the land in the interior of continents is usually very volatile due to the stabilizing

effect of the ocean not being present. The weather in these areas is usually determined by area

of high and low pressure which cause frontal precipitation.

Monsoons - he winds blow away from the land mass in the winter, creating dry winters.

However, during the summer, the prevailing winds blow towards the landmass bringing summer

storms and wetter climates. This change in prevailing winds and climate variation is called a

monsoon.

General Patterns of Landforms

Africa

Highlands throughout with coastal plains on the edges.

Europe

Mountains to the south, north, and west, with plains in between.

Northern Eurasia

Far western plains, mountains to the west, highlands to the east and southeast, plains between

the mountains and highlands.

Southwest Asia

Mountains to the north with river valleys and a peninsula to the south.

South Asia

Mountains to the north, large plateau to the south, alluvial plains in between.

East Asia

Mountains and plateaus to the west and river plains to the east.

SE Asia

Mainland - Mountains to north and behind coastal plains, central plain

Sumatra - Mountains to west, plain in other areas

Java - mountains to south, plain in other areas

Borneo - mountains to NE, all other flat

Australia

Mountains to east, plains in center, plateau to west

Oceania - either low coral islands/atolls or high volcanic islands

River navigation in Africa - Most of the rivers in Africa are unnavigable because they contain

many rapids and large waterfalls. Other rivers meander and are not direct links to the places of

interest. This inhibits trade by increasing the amount of time that is needed to transport goods

around Africa.

Himalayas - the Himalayas have helped to isolate the Nepalese, Bhutanese and Tibetan cultures

and protect them from acculturation and as well as limiting their cultural diffusion.

Atoll - an atoll is formed when a volcanic islands sinks below sea level, and the ring of coral that

surrounded the island remains. Civilizations that exist on atolls are very basic due to the lack of

arable land.

Archipelago - a group {or chain} of islands in a defined area

ex. Indonesia, Hawaii

General pattern of climate and factors affecting climate

Europe - Mediterranean climate in southern Europe, highland in Alps, marine west coast in

northwest, humid subtropical near Balkans and Austria/Hungary, humid continental to east,

subarctic and arctic in far north Scandinavia

Factors - High latitudes contribute to fairly low temps, altitude in Alps and in Scandinavia has

slight cooling effect, prevailing westerlies help bring warmer equatorial temperatures to west

coast, slight continentality in Russia, Norwegian current brings warmer waters to west coast,

very slight orographic effect in Iberian Peninsula

Northern Eurasia - Mediterranean in far south, desert around Aral Sea/Kazakhstan, semiarid

around desert, highlands in far southeast, humid continental in northwest and far east, subarctic

to east, tundra at far north of Russia

Factors - fairly high latitudes mean cooler temps, fairly flat except for plateaus to east and south,

prevailing winds bring slight moisture, continentality means frontal weather plays big part in

Russian weather, cool ocean currents to north and east, no orographic effects

Africa - climate zones are mirrored across the equator (tropical wet, tropical wet and dry,

semi-arid, desert, then Mediterranean

Factors:

Latitude tropical and warm because the continent lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the

Tropic of Capricorn. Deserts lie in between 15o and 30o north or south of the Equator. All the

deserts in Africa, including the Kalahari, Namib, and Sahara lie in between these latitudes.

Altitude mountains are cold, but it is mostly flat and warm. Its overall raised elevation,

theoretically making it colder, is nullified by the extra sun it gets, because it is in the tropics.

Prevailing winds blow west and bring hurricanes (from West Africa)

Continentality the large landmass of Africa should theoretically make many of its land locked

countries have volatile climates but this theoretical volatility is nullified because of tropical setting

Ocean currents The currents that pass by the coast of Africa are mostly warm and make the

climate more warm.

Southwest Asia - Arabian peninsula complete desert with small section of semiarid in southwest,

Afghanistan, Iran, northern Iraq, and eastern Turkey is semiarid, mediterranean near coasts

Factors - Arabian Peninsula lies in between 15o and 30o north of the equator, resulting in a desert

climate, while directly above and below lies semiarid regions. Most places between bodies of

water receive additional rainfall. Slight highlands in Northeast Afghanistan decrease temps

slightly, but do not result in any orographic effect. All ocean currents near SWA are warm ocean

currents, contributing to the fact that some deserts are directly adjacent to the ocean.

South Asia - Desert to the West and tropical wet and dry in the East and South. As you move

north towards the highland the climate becomes colder and drier rather than the hot, humid

climate that is present in most of the southern cities.

Factors:

Latitude - As most of South Asia lies in between the Tropic of Cancer and the equator, the

climate is quite warm and wet.

Altitude - The southern part of the South Asia has plateaus and mountains to the East and West,

As you move to the North, the altitude increases, decreasing humidity and overall temperature.

Prevailing Winds - the winds blow away from South Asia in the winter, creating dry winters.

However, during the summer, the prevailing winds blow towards the landmass bringing summer

storms and wetter climates. This change in prevailing winds and climate variation is called a

monsoon.

Distance to the Ocean - Its literally a peninsula that protrudes into the ocean.

Ocean currents - They are neutral and do not warm or cool the overall climate.

Great Mountain Ranges - the Western and Eastern Ghats prevent rain from dispersing out of the

landmass of South Asia. Also, the Himalayas to the North create the same effect.

East Asia - Semiarid in north west, Desert below semiarid and above highland, highland to

southwest, humid subtropical in southeast, humid continental in northeast, subarctic in far north

Factors - Latitude helps to determine climates, altitude in Himalayas causes varied climates but

mostly cooler, major continentality and lack of ocean humidity means inland China and Mongolia

are very dry, warm ocean current on southeast coast heats landmass but cool ocean current on

northeast coast cools northern Japan, orographic effect means Tibetan Plateau is very dry, trade

winds bring moisture to southeast China

Australia/SE Asia/Oceania -

Australia - desert in center with semiarid surrounding, mediterranean on south coast, tropical

wet and dry on north coast, humid subtropical to on northeast coast, marine west coast on

southeast coast

SE Asia - Indonesia either highland or tropical wet, Philippines is tropical wet, malaysia is tropical

wet, most of Indochinese peninsula is tropical wet and dry with humid subtropical north.

Oceania - tropical wet on equator, tropical wet and dry to north and south, New Zealand marine

west coast

Factors - being near equator means hot and humid fairly year round, Australias large land mass

contributes to lack of moisture in center, warm ocean current on Australian east coast brings

moisture to coast, cold ocean current on west coast limits moisture, Great Dividing Range

causes rain shadow

Serengeti and animal migrations - located in Kenya and Tanzania savannah of Africa in the

tropical wet and dry climate, home to great biological diversity, wildebeests migrate to/from here,

bringing predators with, along with nomadic hunters

African Rain Forest - slowly being diminished due to slash and burn agriculture, fertile soil

resulted in a diversity of plants and as a result, animals

Human Environment Interaction

Aral Sea

What is happening? - the sea is drying up also fish are dying because of pollution (in Northern

Eurasia)

What was the problem? - taking water from the tributaries was reducing the amount flowing into

the sea as well as runoff from fertilizers, raw sewage, and pesticides and herbicides.

What are the consequences? - loss of jobs (mostly fishing industry), poor health (respiratory

problems etc.), dead fish and plants

Polders - A construction that involves building a wall to hold back the sea and creating a windmill

to drain low lying plains, allowing for population and agriculture.

Venice - city that is slowly sinking into Mediterranean due to both global warming and shoddy

construction, steps are being taken by Italian government to prevent loss of city area

Desertification in Africa - result of poor land use (slash and burn) for quick profit, damaging land

and preventing regrowth of plants

Sahel - narrow band of grassland turning into desert because of overgrazing and wood

harvesting

Salinization - increased salt content of body of water which results in diminishing cultural

diversity and neighboring soil quality

Terracing - conserves soil, makes irrigation easier and allows planting on slopes

Strategic commodity - a commodity over which countries will go to war to ensure supply (oil)

OPEC - Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries which tries to control world oil prices by

deciding on the amount of oil to produce.

The Green Revolution - using genetically engineered super seeds to increase yields as well

as an increase in the use of artificial fertilizers, water, and insecticides. This also increase the

gap between rich and poor, as only the rich can purchase the materials and resources needed

for a higher yield crop.

Technology and agricultural production - advances in agricultural technology have allowed

for less workers, however agricultural industrialization is not present in many developing

countries. In Japan this allow for the older generation to continue farming and produce enough

rice for the population of Japan.

Mesopotamia and Fertile Crescent - birthplace of several civilizations and religions (culture

hearth between the Tigris and Euphrates)

Maasai - The Maasai tribe is a semi-nomadic people of East Africa that hunt as well as herd

cattle.

Linguistic Patterns and Distribution in SWA

Arabic - Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, United Arab Emirates

Farsi - Iran

Hebrew - Israel

Turkish - Turkey

Pashtun - Afghanistan

Uluru - Ayers rock - giant reddish rock in Outback of Australia, sacred to Aborigines

Australian Aborigines - arrived 40,000 years ago from SE Asia, badly mistreated by British

colonials, culture contains didgeridoos(cylindrical instrument), face paint, and pointillist art

Their land was taken away by Terra Nullis which stated that since the land was not being used,

it belonged to whoever claimed it

Maori - indigenous people of New Zealand, group of farmers that developed agriculture to a point

in which they had spare hands to go to war, invaded nearby islands (Moriori in Chathams),

known for tattoo-like symbols on their face

Nation - A group of people with a common ancestry and culture

ex. The Sioux Nation

State - a country that is internationally recognized with full sovereignty.

ex. any country ever

Nation-state - When a nations homeland corresponds to a states territory

ex. Japan

Stateless Nation - A cultural or ethnic group that does not have its own territory

Palestinians - forced out of former Palestine state by Israeli government

Kurds - based in South West Asia in Iran, Iraq and Turkey; no state to speak of, heavily divided

and shunned

Basques - located to west of Pyrenees in Spain, mostly left alone to self-govern by Spanish

government, but still officially part of Spain

Multinational State - A country that has many different cultural groups.

ex. The United States of America

Russian Orthodox Church - branch of Christianity with a religious structure that has an

onion-shaped dome, heavily shunned by Communism

Mosque/Minaret - Muslim worship structure(Mosque) with towers that are shouted

from(minarets)

Kabba(Mecca) - burial place of Mohammed, pilgrimage to this place is one of the five pillars of

Islam (hajj)

Potala Palace - the place where the Dalai Lama resides (figurehead of Buddhism)

Torii Gate - A gate that separates the real world from the Kami. Kami is a divine spirit found in

all things. The Kami can exist in natural objects as well as in ancestors and people.

Angkor Wat - Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia (originally built as a Hindu temple)

Socialist Realism - style of art that was used to represent Communist ideals

Effect of Soviet rule on culture and religion - the Communist Party disproved of religion and

outlawed artists that did not work in the official style

Cultural contributions of Northern Eurasia - Communism, instrumental in motivating USA to

take part in space race/nuclear race

Stolen Generation - mixed-race children taken and given to white families to make them

civilized

Major world religions (origin, diffusion, current distribution, beliefs)

Islam

Origin based on the teachings of Muhammad, who lived part of his life in the

city of Mecca

Diffusion armies of Bedouin fighters moved across the desert, they put Muslim

leaders in control, spreading Arabic language and Islamic teachings

current distribution SWA and Northern Africa

Basic beliefs (Five Pillars, Hajj, Ramadan) declaration of faith (there is no God

but Allah and Muhammed is his prophet), pray 5 times a day facing Mecca, give money to

the poor, fast during Ramadan, Hajj (take a pilgrimage to Mecca once during your life if

you are able)

Main day of worship - Friday

Place of worship Mosque

Major holidays Ramadan (the month Allah revealed the Quran to Mohammed)

Name of God - Allah

Religious rites/practices no pork, no alcohol, wash hands and face before

worship, no images of Allah, prayer, Sharia (Islamic law)

Sects Sunni and Shiite (or Shia)

Mosque - holy building

Minaret tower of the mosque from which people are called to prayer

Mecca holiest city in the Islamic faith; city where Muhammad lived

Dome of the Rock a shrine in Jerusalem where Muslims believe the Prophet

Muhammad rose into heaven

ka'bah a shrine in Mecca that all Muslims pray to

Sunni-Shi'ite split after Muhammads death, there were disagreements as to

who would be his successor; the majority of Muslims are Sunni

Sharia law the religious law of Islam

Hinduism

origin - ethnic religion that evolved in the Indian subcontinent

diffusion - basically none due to it being an ethnic religion

current distribution - India, Sri Lanka and Bali

beliefs - Hindus believe that is an all pervasive consciousness called Brahman.

The purpose of Hinduism is to gain the Knowledge of Brahman and become one with it.

Christianity

origin - Southwest Asia

diffusion - universalizing so basically everywhere

current distribution - concentrated in Americas and Europe, slight spread to

Asia and Africa due to missionaries

beliefs -

Judaism

origin - SWA

diffusion - ethnic religion so mostly Israel and some immigrants to West

current distribution - Israel/small pockets in USA

beliefs - Adonai is supreme being, prophet has not yet come (Old Testament of

Bible)

Buddhism

origin The teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who was a prince who turned to a

life of self exploration and became enlightened. Buddhism is the teachings of Siddhartha

Gautama, or his name after reaching enlightenment, Buddha.

diffusion - to Eastern Asia

current distribution - Eastern and Southern Asia

beliefs - Noble Eightfold path - Life is suffering

Sikhism

origin - Guru Nanak Dev

diffusion - mainly none

current distribution - Punjab region (possibly the scattered across the US)

beliefs - one god, all are equal, earn an honest living, share with others,

remember God, always wear a turban, 5 Ks

Daoism/Taoism

origin - founded by Lao Tse

diffusion - none (stayed in China)

current distribution - China

beliefs - the individual should try to act in harmony with the tao (the sum total of

all things) and follow principles of passive non-resistance(wu-wei); ying and yang (things exist in

balance); feng shui (positioning objects to maintain a flow of chi)

Confucianism

origin - founded in China by Kongfuzi

diffusion - no real spread (stayed in China)

current distribution - China (big surprise)

beliefs - hierarchical society (the idea of filial obedience to your superiors which

smoothed the way for communism)

Cottage Industries - businesses run out of the home; making crafts at home for sale

Glocalization - the process of conducting business with both global and local considerations

Cultural Diffusion - movement of cultural values to another region

High Island - formed by volcanoes; tend to have denser populations, more innovations and

natural resources; more warlike because of competition, more space for farming so people no

longer have to worry about finding food and can specialize

Low Island - opposite of above (simple tools, hunter-gatherer societies)

U.S.S.R - the nation created in 1922 by the Communist Party, which collapsed in 1991 (led by

Vladimir Lenin, then Joseph Stalin, then eventually Gorbachev)

Satellite Nations - parts of the world that used to be controlled or heavily influenced by the

Soviet Union (Germany, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia etc.)

UNCLOS (Law of the Sea)

Caspian Sea - the world's largest lake; there is conflict over oil, if it is a sea each country

would get its own small section, while if it is listed as a lake it will be a joint territory and allows all

countries to have access to the underground oil reserves, not just the ones that have oil in their

boundaries.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) - a zone that extends 200 miles off the coast of every country

in which they alone have mineral and fishing rights (but other vessels may pass through)

Median Line Principle - if countries have overlapping 12 or 200 mile zones, a boundary will be

set that splits the territory 50/50

Territorial Sea - a 12 mile zone of a country's coast in which a country has total economic

control and through which no other country's vessels may travel without permission

Berlin Conference - a meeting of 14 European nations over how to divide Africa; an European

country could claim land as long as they told other nations of their claims and could control the

area. This created rifts between similar ethnic groups, as well as grouping hostile ethnic groups

together.

West Bank Wall/Israeli Wall - to keep out terrorist attacks (and possible take Arab lands by

venturing beyond the Green Line)

Partition of India - division of British India into India (Hindu) and East and West Pakistan

(Muslim) at the end of British rule in 1947; in 1971 East Pakistan won its independence and

Bangladesh with help from India

Antarctica - 18 countries have claims, but have agreed not to mine it and so the only residents

are scientists

Al Qaeda - terrorist organization that has radical views of Muslim teachings

Taliban - political movement in Iraq and Afghanistan toward a more strict interpretation of

Muslim teachings

Theocracy (and Iran) - religious leader has most of power but president has some political

influence

Secular State - separation of church and state

Fundamentalist - religious laws/influence in government

Centripetal forces - Communism, military force of Russian Federation, Dagestan case study

Centrifugal forces - cultural differences

Distance Decay - long distances between places make communication and transportation

difficult

Breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 (effects of) - Eastern European countries move

towards democracy, development increases

Legacies of Colonialism

(Economic, Social, Political, Environmental)

Zionism a movement for Jews to move back to Palestine after they were expunged by the

Romans and then persecuted throughout Europe.

Right of Return- The Palestinians belief that they have the right to return to their native land.

Balkanization - the break up of a region into small, mutually hostile units

Breakup of Yugoslavia - Yugoslavia was formed after WW1 (which was sparked by the

assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian empire by a Serb nationalist) and

combined many different ethnic groups; Josip Broz Tito (came to power to fight the Nazis in

1945 and had been forcing all the ethnic groups to coexist, but when he died Yugoslavia broke up

Genocide - trying to exterminate an ethnic group

ethnic cleansing - Serbia (Slobodan Milesovic, a Serb nationalist took charge of Yugoslavia and

proposed Greater Serbia, a nation-state for Serbs; he invaded any country that seceded and

contained ethnic Serbs; killed non-Serbs to get them to leave)

Religious Conflict in Africa (Where? Why?)The Sudanese government supported military

fighters (Janjaweed) are killing people, specifically black Muslims, and driving them off their land

because of a drought. Black Muslims want independence and equal treatment and fight back.

Rwanda (Hutus and Tutsis) The Hutus were the majority ethnic group that persecuted Tutsis,

then when the colonizers put the Tutsis in power they committed genocide and started killing the

Hutus.

Conflict in Kashmir - land claimed by India and Pakistan, but India owns it (though it is 75%

Muslim)

Push/Pull factors for migration - pull factors (jobs, economic opportunities), push factors (lack

of the former, natural disasters, little religious freedom etc.)hi akshay

Guest Workers - foreign workers that fill the higher paying jobs because a lack of an educated

work force in the country with the resources (in SWA its people coming to work in the oil

industry and in Africa its higher level jobs in mining etc.)

Regional differences in development

Africa - The colonists decided not to industrialize Africa, and so their infrastructure is

developed towards the quick and cheap export of raw materials. Africa has little to no

industrialization outside of the major cities.

Europe - Western Europe is more developed than Eastern Europe (because of the

USSR's influence); Mediterranean countries are less developed than Northern or Western

Northern Eurasia - Russia is more developed due to being the center of the former

USSR

Southwest Asia - Israel is more developed

South Asia - India is more developed (along with Sri Lanka and the Maldives)

East Asia - China has low human development due to communism, but reasonable

economic development, Japan is highly developed, NK is underdeveloped while SK and Taiwan

are well developed due to booming trade

Australia/Oceania/Southeast Asia - Australia and New Zealand, then Southeast Asia,

then Oceania

Positive and negative correlations - positive is when both statistics go up, negative is when

one goes up and the other goes down

Communist - the government makes all the decisions

Free Enterprise - the individual makes all the decisions

Socialist - citizens pay high taxes in exchange for government services

Comparing economic systems

Command/Communism - where all the decisions are made by the government

Free Market - where all the decisions are made by individuals

Mixed - a combination of the above

Transition from Communism to Free Market - fairly rough, but usually beneficial

"One Commodity Countries" - countries based around the production or extraction of only one

resource

Economic Diversification - key to development because stabilized economy is able to

withstand blows to one of its sectors

Resource curse/why resources don't bring prosperity (Africa) - money is quickly

evaporated from corruption/reinvestment into extraction of natural resources

"Dutch Disease" - exploitation of natural resources results in lack of manufacturing

development

Subsistence Agriculture - producing farm products only for self

European Union - created to form a unified European economy to rival US and Japan; created

by the Maastricht Treaty; eliminates trade tariffs, most countries use the euro, EU citizens can

live and work freely in any member country, EU promotes the development of its poorer regions

NAFTA - a trade organization between Canada, the US and Mexico to promote free trade

Turkey and the EU - Turkey wants to join, which would allow trade with Asia, but it could also

allow terrorists in (so it probably won't join)

Special Economic Zones -

Containerized shipping - standard size containers speed up shipping, loading and unloading

(and reduce shipping costs)

Global production chain - interconnected groups working together to connect people and

services around the world (US and Western Europe develop the ideas, South America and

Africa provide natural resources and East Asia provides the manufacturing and cheap labor; if

one Link fails everybody goes down)

Singapore - has good infrastructure and is surrounded by cheap labor such as Indonesia,

Malaysia and Thailand

Entrept - somewhere you can unload freight without paying tariffs (used to switch ships

and send goods elsewhere)

Strait of Malacca - the best location between East and West trade

Western Europe - highly developed region with huge influence (both cultural and economic)

Mediterranean Economies - mainly agricultural because of the long growing season and

moderate climate

Location of economic activities

Primary - near natural resource

Secondary - fairly near primary economic activities

Tertiary - near market

Quarternary and Quinary - near tertiary and highly developed areas

Raw resources mined in Africa, product produced in Asia, sold in Europe and Americas

Patterns of population distribution

Africa - along water sources

Europe - close to the coasts and along rivers; on the fertile plain to the north and

clustered around sources of oil

N. Eurasia - along rivers, the farther west the higher the population density

SW Asia - along water and near oil

S. Asia - coasts and rivers

E. Asia - near coasts

Australia/Oceania/SE Asia - along the coast

Analyzing population pyramids

Chinese in SE Asia - highest concentration is in Singapore

Modern European Migrations - moving to Eastern Europe for cheaper labor

-effect of the EU - allows easier movement among member countries

Brain Drain - educated/smart people move to more developed countries in search of job

opportunities

Guest Workers - foreign workers that fill the higher paying jobs because a lack of an educated

work force in the country with the resources (in SWA its people coming to work in the oil

industry and in Africa its higher level jobs in mining etc.)

China's One Child Policy - each family gets one kid. its not that hard

Isoline

Time Zones

Cartogram

Choropleth

Climographs

by Akshay and Rachel