Geography Exam Review

Front 1

North America

Back 1

<b>Climate:</b>
Marine west coast (NW), Mediterranean (SW), Humid Subtropical (SE), Humid Continental (NE), Subarctic (N)

<b>Physical Geography:</b>
Coastal plains, Ozark Mountains, Appalachian Mountains (E); Great Plains (MidW); Cascade Mountains, Rocky Mountains (W); Great Lakes, Columbia, Mississippi, Missouri Rivers

<b>Environmental Issues:</b>
Deforestation, depletion of fossil water, air pollution

<b>Human Geography:</b>
Canada (English and French), US (multicultural), denser population in the East; European and Asian immigration

<b>Dominant Language:</b>
English

<b>Economy:</b>:
Industrial (E), agricultural (MidW), natural metal and mineral resources, NAFTA

<b>Dominant Religion:</b>
Christian (Catholic, Protestant)

<b>Development:</b>
Highly Developed

Front 2

Latin America

Back 2

<b>Climate:</b>
Tropical wet (N), Tropical Savanna (Mid), Humid Subtropical (SE), Steppe (S), Marine West Coast (S)

<b>Physical Geography:</b>
Andes Mountains (W); Amazon Basin (N); Brazilian Shield (MidE); Pampas (SE); Patagonia Shield (S), Orinoco, Amazon, Parana Rivers

<b>Environmental Issues:</b>
Deforestation, desertification, coastal pollution, air pollution

<b>Human Geography:</b>
Indigenous peoples located in Andes, population settled around coasts, European and Asian immigration

<b>Dominant Language:</b>
Spanish, Portuguese

<b>Economy:</b>:
Dependent on N America (exports to N America), vulnerable to fluctuations in global market, mineral ores and tropical lumber, CAFTA

<b>Dominant Religion:</b>
Christian (Catholic), Mayan influences

<b>Development:</b>
Under developed (blame on European capitalism)

Front 3

Caribbean

Back 3

<b>Climate:</b>
Tropical Wet and Tropical Savanna, hurricanes

<b>Physical Geography:</b>
Rimland (Belize to French Guiana); Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola); Lesser Antilles (Virgin Islands to Trinidad)

<b>Environmental Issues:</b>
Soil overused, coastal pollution

<b>Human Geography:</b>
European, African, and Asian descent, Caribbean diaspora

<b>Dominant Language:</b>
Spanish, French, English, Dutch

<b>Economy:</b>:
Dependent on tourism from N America and Europe, offshore banking (Bahamas), CCCM

<b>Dominant Religion:</b>
Christian (Catholic), African religions, Voodoo

<b>Development:</b>
Under developed (small islands with little resources or land for agriculture)

Front 4

Africa

Back 4

<b>Climate:</b>
Tropical and Subtropical Desert, Steppe (Sahel, S), Tropical Wet and Tropical Savanna (Mid)

<b>Physical Geography:</b>
The Great Escarpment (SE), Atlas Mountains (NW), Rift Valley (SE), Savannas, African Plateau (Narrow coastal plains), Nile, Congo, Niger, Zambezi Rivers

<b>Environmental Issues:</b>
Deforestation, desertification, coastal pollution, drought, poaching

<b>Human Geography:</b>
Sparsely populated, large family preference, HIV/AIDS, high mortality rate, high illiteracy, brain drain, tropical diseases

<b>Dominant Language:</b>
800 languages (Swahili—lingua franca)

<b>Economy:</b>:
Plantation agriculture

<b>Dominant Religion:</b>
Islam (north), Christian, Animism

<b>Development:</b>
Extremely under developed (colonization, corruption, physical geography)

Front 5

Middle East

Back 5

<b>Climate:</b>
Tropical and Subtropical Desert (Sahara), Tropical and Subtropical Steppe (Iranian Pleateau), Mediterranean (Coasts of Mediterranean Sea, Turkey)

<b>Physical Geography:</b>
Maghreb, Levant, Arabian Peninsula, Tri-Continental junction, Oasis River Valleys, Nile, Euphrates, Tigris, Jordan rivers

<b>Environmental Issues:</b>
Desertification, coastal pollution, salinization

<b>Human Geography:</b>
Population settled near coasts, along rivers, and bodies of water (overcrowding), sparsely populated

<b>Dominant Language:</b>
Arabic, Hebrew (Israel), Berber (W), Persian (Iranian Plateau), Kurdish (N Iraq, NW Iran, E Turkey)

<b>Economy:</b>:
Oil and natural gas exports, OPEC

<b>Dominant Religion:</b>
Islam (Sunni, Shia), Judaism, Christianity

<b>Development:</b>
Low development (shatterbelt region, conflict between ethnic and religious groups)

Front 6

Europe

Back 6

<b>Climate:</b>
Marine West Coast (Atlantic), Mediterranean (Mediterannean), Humid Continental (inland, Baltic Sea), Subarctic and Tundra (N)

<b>Physical Geography:</b>
European lowlands, Alpine mountain system, Central Uplands, Western Uplands, lacks continentality; large coal and iron fields, Seine, Loire, Rhine, Elbe, Vistula, Danube rivers

<b>Environmental Issues:</b>
Acid rain, coastal pollution, polluted rivers, air pollution

<b>Human Geography:</b>
Slow natural growth, death rate > birth rate, E Europe a shatterbelt, resists immigration (desires to retain cultural distinctiveness)

<b>Dominant Language:</b>
Germanic, Romance, Slavic languages, Basque (oldest languages)

<b>Economy:</b>:
Coal and Iron, EU (strengthens economy), Euro industrial, agricultural

<b>Dominant Religion:</b>
Christian (Catholic, Protestant)

<b>Development:</b>
Highly developed (large coastline and navigable rivers provides for trade)

Front 7

Russian Domain

Back 7

<b>Climate:</b>
Humid continental (SW), Subarctic short cool summer (E), Subarctic dry very cold winters (NE), Tundra (N)

<b>Physical Geography:</b>
European plains, Ural mountains, Siberia (permafrost), Caucasus mountains (SW), Fertile Triangle (W), Taiga, Volga rivers (flows into Black Sea), Ob, Yenisey Rivers (flow into Arctic ocean)

<b>Environmental Issues:</b>
Coastal pollution, radioactive contamination, acid rain, forest damage, salinization of Caspian Sea, air pollution

<b>Human Geography:</b>
Majority of population in European Russian, Siberia sparsely populated, death rate > birth rate, Russification

<b>Dominant Language:</b>
Slavic languages

<b>Economy:</b>:
Transition from socialism to capitalism causing struggles and poverty, natural resources hard to access

<b>Dominant Religion:</b>
Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Sunni Muslim (S), Judaism (W), Buddhism (SE)

<b>Development:</b>
Developed (due to exporting energy sources) struggling to transition to capitalism)

Front 8

Central Asia

Back 8

<b>Climate:</b>
Midlatitude Steppe, Midlatitude Desert

<b>Physical Geography:</b>
Land locked, Himalayas, Karakoram, Pamir mountains, Tibetan Plateau in between mountain ranges, grassland plains (N)

<b>Environmental Issues:</b>
Desertification, oil pollution and salinization (Caspian Sea)

<b>Human Geography:</b>
Sparsely populated (harsh extreme climates), population living at base of mountains, rivers, oases

<b>Dominant Language:</b>
Turkic languages (spoken in the ‘stans)

<b>Economy:</b>
Oil and natural gas (attracts western companies), pastoral nomadism, very poor region, SCO

<b>Dominant Religion:</b>
Islam (W, Center), Tibetan Buddhism (Tibet, Mongolia)

<b>Development:</b>
Extremely under-developed (har sh climate, shatterbelt region)

Front 9

South Asia

Back 9

<b>Climate:</b>
Humid Subtthropical (N), Tropical Monsoon (NE, SW), Tropical and Subtropical Desert and Steppe (W)

<b>Physical Geography:</b>
Himalayan mountains (N), Ganges Plain (Ganges river basin), Thar Desert (W), Deccan Plateau (Mid S, S), Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra rivers

<b>Environmental Issues:</b>
Deforestation, desertification, coastal pollution, salinization

<b>Human Geography:</b>
Very densely populated especially in the Ganges River basin, Caste system, importance of cows

<b>Dominant Language:</b>
Dravidian languages (Tamil the most dominant), English the lingua franca

<b>Economy:</b>
Iron ore, rice/wheat production, nuclear power, technology industry (outsourced to India)

<b>Dominant Religion:</b>
Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism

<b>Development:</b>
Developed and undeveloped (technology is booming but also a lot of poverty), some states are advanced, others suffer corruption

Front 10

Southeast Asia

Back 10

<b>Climate:</b>
Mainland SE Asia: Tropical Monsoon (along coasts), Tropical Savanna (inland), Insular SE Asia: Tropical Wet

<b>Physical Geography:</b>
Strait of Malacca, Indonesia on the Ring of Fire (tectonic plates, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis)

<b>Environmental Issues:</b>
Tropical deforestation, coastal pollution, air pollution

<b>Human Geography:</b>
Densely populated, Indonesian transmigration, conflicts between ethnic groups, Indonesia and artificial country (mix of peoples caused by colonialism), Malay (W), Melanesian (E)

<b>Dominant Language:</b>
Mainland SE Asia: Tibeto-Burman, Tai-Kadai, Mon-Khmer, Insular SE, Asia: Austronesian languages

<b>Economy:</b>
Spices, agriculture (volcanic soil), ASEAN

<b>Dominant Religion:</b>
Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Animism

<b>Development:</b>
Under developed, insular SE asia: shatterbelt region (colonial powers control of trade, resources, strait of Malacca)

Front 11

Australia and Oceania

Back 11

<b>Climate:</b>
Australia: Subtropical Desert (Center), Mediterranean (S), Tropical Savanna (N), Humid Subtropical (NE), Marine west coast (se), Oceania: Tropical Monsoon

<b>Physical Geography:</b>
Great Barrier Reef, Outback, Coral Sea, Murray River, hot spots

<b>Environmental Issues:</b>
Tropical deforestation, coastal pollution, rising sea levels.

<b>Human Geography:</b>
Australia: population around coasts, Aborigines live more inland, New Zealand: Maori people, Oceania: native peoples (Polynesians)

<b>Dominant Language:</b>
English (Australia, NZ), Papuan, Austronesian languages

<b>Economy:</b>
APEC, tropical timber, tourism

<b>Dominant Religion:</b>
Christianity, Islam (Papua New Guinea), tribal religions

<b>Development:</b>
Australia: highly developed, Oceania: developed (colonialism, tourism)