Geography Exam 2

Winter storms with sustained or frequent winds of 35 mph or higher with considerable falling and or blowing snow that frequently reduces villages visibility to 1/4 of a mile or less

Blizzard

What is known as the bread basket of the USA?

Great Plains, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and the Dakotas

Advances and hydraulic fracturing; method to get oil and natural gas out of the ground

Fracking

Amount of natural resource that must meet the following criteria it has been confirmed to exist, it has been extracted with currently available technology, and can be extracted profitably

Proved reserve

The dust bowl

1930s drought and exposed soil

Where was the dust bowl?

Oklahoma panhandle extended into western Kansas, southeastern Colorado, Texas, panhandle and northeastern New Mexico

Country or territory that is totally surrounded by another territory

Enclave

Part of a country that is separated from the main part and surrounded by other countries

Exclave

Oklahoma panhandle

No man’s land; southeastern New Mexico and southeastern Kansas

The great American desert

Place to avoid for settlers

political in military division between Soviet Union controlled eastern Europe, and western Europe during the Cold War

The iron curtain

Large underground aquifer in the central US that stores groundwater across the Great Plains

Ogallala

Water found on earth surface in places like rivers, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs

Surface water

Country or region that attracts foreign business and wealthy people because it has very low or low taxes. Examples are Cayman Islands and Switzerland.

Tax Haven

Where tornadoes are most likely to happen: Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska can be South Dakota and Colorado

Tornado alley

The terrain of the Great Plains region as its name suggests it’s mostly flat what are the exceptions and where?

Rolling Hills, River valleys, and plateaus

in what ways are the weather conditions, and more long-term climate conditions, erratic, and unreliable.

Sudden weather changes, an unpredictable, droughts, or floods

Why is the 30 inch isoyet an important dividing line when it comes to agriculture production

Rain is key to farming; east of the line is more than 30 inches which is good for growing crops, like corn and wheat without much irrigation

what is the 30 inch isohyet

Line separating states that get less than 30 inches to greater than 30 inches of rain

Along with tornadoes, what other weather threats are not uncommon to the Great Plains

Hail, storms, blizzards, drought, severe thunderstorms, and floods

What was the dust bowl?

Combination of drought and exposed soil; caused economic disaster for farm families, and businesses

Where was the dust bowl?

Oklahoma panhandle extended into western Kansas, southeastern Colorado, the Texas panhandle and northeastern New Mexico

Along with a drought, what also caused widespread poverty for farmers in the dust bowl? The great oak migration reading

Low crop prices

The Okies came from not only Oklahoma, but what other states? The great Okie immigration reading

Missouri, Arkansas in Texas

What state was the most favored destination for the Okies? The great Okie immigration reading

California

According to the article 40% of the migrants ended up doing what and then what particular region? The great Okie immigration reading

Immigrants ended up working as farm laborers in California San Joaquin Valley, picking crops like cotton and grapes

How were these immigrants viewed and treated when they arrived to California? The great Okie immigration reading

Viewed his culturally and social inferior, backward and uneducated; California was hostile towards them due to differences in regional culture

Describe the picture, “migrant mother” by Dorothy Lange what did the mother and her children have to do to eat? The great Okie immigration reading

Living on frozen vegetables from surrounding fields and birds, the children killed

If based on wheat production, there are not one but two major wheat producing bread baskets in the USA what two states are the leading wheat producers

North Dakota and Kansas

what state is the number one wheat producer in the winter?

Kansas

Which state is the number one wheat producer in the spring?

North Dakota

According to the notes, what are the crops are grown because they tend to be drought resistant, especially in Kansas

Cotton, rye, millet

What major crops are now extensively cultivated in the Great Plains due to the use of water pumped from the High Plains aquifer

Corn, wheat, cotton, soy beans, sorghum

What percent of all cattle on feed reside in the Great Plains?

About 75%

Why could the widespread and high volume extraction of water from the high Plains aquifer be considered as a mining operation?

Like mining because water is removed faster than it refills

What three states have the most cattle on feed in the USA

Texas, Nebraska, and Kansas

What percent of the High Plains aquifer’s water has been depleted since 1950?

15 to 20%

In what parts of the High plants aquifer has/have water, depletion rates or amounts been the greatest

Western Kansas, Oklahoma Panhandle, Texas panhandle on Eastern New Mexico Mexico

Which state of the USA is the number one producer of coal

Wyoming 40.3% of all coal production

Cold production has declined significantly since it’s peak in 2008 why

Cheap natural gas, environmental rules, and growth of renewable energy

Where is the powder river basin?

Northeastern Wyoming

Why is the call from its mines in the Powder River Basin used by power plants in various parts of the country

Less sulfur

When it comes to natural gas production, where does the USA rank among the world’s countries?

#5

When it comes to crude oil production, where does the USA rank among the world’s countries?

#9

When did natural gas crude oil production begin? It’s extended upwards trend and why

Early 2000s due to fracking, horizontal, drilling, and high energy demand

How would you describe the trends of both wind and solar power production since the beginning of the 21st century

Wind and solar power have increased rapidly since 2000, with solar growing, especially fast after 2010

Two countries in southeastern Europe are among the newest in the world which ones are they?

Kosovo and Montenegro

There are two countries that have a territorial presence in Europe, but also have a majority of their respective land territories in Asia which two countries are they?

Russia and Turkey

Three countries are almost always regarded as being part of Scandinavia which ones are they?

Norway, Sweden, and Denmark

Three other additional countries should be considered as a part of Scandinavia which two are they?

Finland and Iceland

What are the four countries of the UK?

England, Scotland, Wales, and northern Ireland

What is the smallest country in Europe in terms of land area and population

Vatican City with 121 acres

what country controls Gibraltar?

United Kingdom

What does the country insist keeping control over Gibraltar despite the objections of the country that surrounds it?

To protect the Strait of Gibraltar

Where is Riviera?

Mediterranean coast of south eastern France

Cypress has become a bit of a geopolitical mess since it gained independence how so

It got divided into four geopolitical areas Republic of Cyprus, Turkish Republic of Cyprus, green line, and military bases

Which countries are known as the “Benelux” countries

Belgium Netherlands in Luxembourg

What and where was the iron curtain

Between eastern Europe and western Europe

Which six now independent countries of Eastern Europe Europe were once part of the Soviet Union

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova

What and where is Kalingrad?

Russian territory on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania

What is the second highest peak in Europe?

Mount blank

What is the highest peak in all of Europe?

Mount Elbrus

Which state produces the most amount of coal

Wyoming with 40%

What percent of coal is produced by the Great Plains?

50%

What is the best code to have for electricity because it burns fast

Bituminous

What kind of coal is not as good for industrial purposes and favored because it burns cleaner?

Subbituminous

What percent of all production is in the Great Plains?

70%

What state is number one in solar power?

Texas

How many countries does Europe have not including Russia?

40