world geography

Facts

  • Earth’s diameter: 8,000 miles

  • Hemispheres: halves of the earth

  • Latitude and longitude: two lines that divide the earth

Land Terms

  • Plain: flat land

  • Plateau: elevated plain

  • Canyons: deep narrow valleys with steep sides

  • mountains, measured by height above sea level; have a peak or summit

  • Desert: an area that receives little precipitation

  • Volcanoes: a rupture in the earth’s crust that vents lava or gases on the earth; active, dormant, or extinct

Climate

  1. Latitude: distance from the equator affects temperature and length of days

  2. Altitude: affects the temperature and agriculture

  3. Distance from the ocean: affects weather patterns, agriculture, and temp

  1. Torrid zone: hottest places on earth

  2. Temperate zone: cooler, seasonal zones; both sides of the equator

  3. Frigid zones: North and South Pole

The Water of the Earth

  1. 70%: Water takes up how much of the earth’s surface

  2. Pacific: largest ocean, 1/3 of the earth’s surface

  3. Atlantic Ocean: half the size of the Pacific

  4. Indian: 1/3 size of Pacific, warmest

  5. Arctic: coldest, surrounds the North Pole

  6. Sea: large inland body of saltwater

  7. Gulf: part of an ocean that reaches inland

  8. Bay: smaller body of water reaching inland

  9. Lake: inland body of freshwater

  10. Strait: a narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water

  11. Channel: wider than a strait, a narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water

  12. Canal: a man-made channel

  13. sound: wider than a channel, sometimes separating an island from the mainland

  14. River: must have a source, may have branches or tributaries that flow into it

  15. River basin: land a river drains

  16. Mouth: where it flows into a larger body of water

  17. Delta: soil deposited at the mouth

US GOVERNMENT Democratic Government

  • Executive: president

  • Legislative: Congress

  • Judicial: Supreme court

US CULTURE

Leisure and art: What did the success of the American economy lead to?

  1. Independence

  2. Equality

  3. Individualism

  4. Democracy

  5. Nationalism

  6. Meritocracy

  7. Directness

  8. Innovation

  9. Consumerism

  10. Informality

  11. Effective use of time

MAJOR HEADLINES

  • Involvement in Ukraine and Israel

  • How to handle immigration, particularly on the southern border

  • Tariffs, against friendly and unfriendly nations

Canadia government

  •   Parliamentary Democracy

  •   Bicameral Legislative Body

  •   House of Commons - voted by citizens

  •   Senate - appointed by the governor general

  •   Executive Branch

  •   Technically the King of England, functionally the Prime Minister

  •   Prime Minister is selected from the ruling party in House of Commons

CANADIAN INDUSTRY

  •   Oil and gas production is significant

  •   Mining is also significant

  •   As the 9th largest economy, they also participate heavily in banking and real estate for their economy

  •   Raw production and mining make up a surprising amount of their resources in comparison to other major economies

CANADIAN CULTURE

  •   Very similar to American culture, but there some notable differences

  •   French and English are both official languages

  •   The government is more involved, allowing for free health care, but higher taxes

MAJOR HEADLINES

  • President Trump has instituted a 25% tariff on goods imported from

  • Justin Trudeau resigned as PM at the beginning of January

  • Pierre Poilievre is leading the Conservative Party with strong polling

  • Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland are going into the general election for the liberal party

MEXICAN GOVERNMENT

  • Similar structure to USA

  • Based on the Constitution passed in 1917

  • President Claudia Sheinbaum

  • Congress has Chamber of Deputies and Senate, both elected by the people

  • Supreme Court with 11 judges

  • Divided into 31 states

MEXICAN INDUSTRY

  • Manufacturing is one of the largest parts of the Mexican economy

  • Automotive, aerospace, medical, and textile are all produced in large scale

  • Looser labor laws make manufacturing in Mexico much cheaper

  • 6th most popular tourist destination in the world

MEXICAN CULTURE

  • Much more of a hybrid of Spanish and Native American culture rather than a “Melting Pot.”

  • Very strong families with tight communities

  • Almost 90% identify as Catholic

MAJOR HEADLINES

  • Drug trafficking goes hand in hand with the cartels, who exercise lots of power

  • The immigration crisis has become prevalent for Mexico as much as for the US

  • Tariffs have been put on hold for 30 days with 10,00 troops brought to the border

NORTH AMERICA UNITED … OR NOT

  • NAFTA - 1994

    • Eliminated all tariffs between US, Mexico, and Canada

    • Remained in effect until it was replaced

  • USMCA - 2020

    • Made minor changes to prevent jobs leaving for Mexico’s cheaper labor laws

  • As of 2025, tariffs are looming!

  • The last inter-military conflict with North American soil was in 1890 for the Battle of Wounded Knee

GOVERNMENT

  • Consitutional Democratic Repubic

  • Bernardo Arevalo is the Curren president

  • Largest central american economy

  • Agriculture is predominant

  • Tourism is growing rapidly

MAJOR HEADLINES

  • Tulmutluous election in 2023

  • Accusations of voter fraud after President Arevalo (left-leaning)was declared winner

  • Arevalo has promised to eliminate gov corruption

  • Immigration has been a major issue in both firections; up to the US in from Mexico

GOVERNMENT

  • Parliamentary Consitutional Monarachy (like Canada)

  • House of Rep. are popularly elected and the Senate is appointed by the governor-general (who also appoints the prime minister Johnny Briceno)

  • Agriculture is the primary industry with sugar and bananas being the primary crops

MAJOR HEADLINES

  • On-going border dispute with Guatemala is being settled by the International Court of Justice

  • Central American and Caribbean nations including Belize have debated leaving the British Commonwealth

GOVERNMENT

  • President with Legislative Assembly split executive and legislative powers

  • Nayib Bukele is the current president

  • Economy has struggled for years due to a number of factors, but corruption being the largest; has shifted under Bukele

  • Coffes is the largest export

MAJOR HEADLINES

  • In 2021, El Salvador made Bitcoin legal tender, the first country to do so

  • In 2022, an outbreak in gang violence resulted in tens of thousands of arrests, requirig construction of new prisons

  • President Bukele is now offering to take in US prisoners

GOVERNMENT

  •   Technically a democratic republic

  •   Rampant corruption and regular protests/coups in recent history

  •   President Xiomara Castro is the first left-wing president since the coup in 2009

  •   Primarily agricultural economy - coffee is the largest crop

  • One of the poorest nations in North America - in 2016, 66% were in poverty

MAJOR HEADLINES

  •   In 2022, former president Juan Hernandez was extradited to the US on drug charges

  •   The combination of poverty and drug-related gang conflicts has made Honduras one of the largest populations of migrants seeking to cross the southern border.

  • Current President is facing accusations of corruption

GOVERNMENT

  •   Technically a democratic republic

  •   President Daniel Ortega has been in power since 2006, with growing accusations of fraud and suppression of opposition

  • Agriculture plays the largest part of their economy among all Central American countries (coffee, tobacco, bananas)

MAJOR HEADLINES

  •   Claims of political corruption and abuse against opposition have been steadily growing

  •   AP reported that about half of Nicaraguans wanted to emigrate

  •   Last November, President Ortega

  • sought to dispel rumors of corruption by making his wife "co-president."

GOVERNMENT

  •   Democratic Republic has maintained peace since 1948

  • In 1949, the military was abolished and Costa Rica has maintained neutrality

  • President Rodrigo Chaves

  • Economy is more industrial than its C.A. Neighbors

MAJOR HEADLINES

  •   In the past couple years, a huge influx of immigrants from Nicaragua

  •   With the influx of new immigrants, crime and drug/gang-related violence have soared

  • President Chaves has aligned more closely with President Bukele of El Salvador

GOVERNMENT

  •   Democratic Republic with a president and National Assembly

  •   President Jose Mulino

  •   The economy is heavily supported by the canal and related commerce and tourism

  • The US controlled the canal for 85 years before transferring rights to Panama in 1999

MAJOR HEADLINES

  • •  President Trump has claimed taking control of the Panama Canal is a priority; President Mulino has said that is non-negotiable

  • •  Sec. of State Marco Rubio is visiting several countries about immigration but also regarding the canal, especially China's influence

Central America

World Geography

  • Culture

  •   Very similar to Mexican culture, which was a hybrid between Native American and Spanish

  • cultures

  •   Religion

  •   Anywhere from 60-80% of C.A. identify as

  • Catholic

  • Ethnicity

  •   60-75% are ethnically mixed between indigenous people and European

  • ~20% are Mayan and other Native American

GOVERNMENT

  • Cuba has been a one-party state since 1958

  • First Secretary of the Communist Party

  • Miguel Diaz-Canel

  •   Ballots for elections feature only one candidate

  •   Most Cubans live in poverty; rolled tobacco is the largest national export

MAJOR HEADLINES

  •   Has had little influence on the world stage due to a crippled economy

  •   Hundreds of thousands have continued to emigrate from Cuba

  • The economy has continued to fall, despite efforts to grow ties with Russia

MAJOR NEWS FROM HAITI

  •   President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021

  •   Gang violence has reached historic highs, with gangs controlling large portions of the capital

  •   UN has sent support from many countries to help combat gang violence

HAITIAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY

  •   "semi-presidential republic" - President, Prime Minister, Senate, Chamber of Deputies all share power in various ways

  •   Has gone through 32 coups since independence, but was gradually approaching democracy

  •   Political turmoil has left the economy one of the poorest in the western hemisphere

DOMINICAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY

  •   Democratic Republic with President, Senate, and Chamber of Deputies

  •   President Luis Abinader

  •   Economy has rapidly developed since the turn of the century

  •   Formerly agriculture, but service and manufacturing have rapidly developed

MAJOR NEWS FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

  •   Dominican Republic became one of the first nations to test a 4-day work week.

  •   Haitian attempts to divert water from a major river on the border caused D.R. to close their borders for trade to Haiti.

  •   Since the increase in violence, many have illegally immigrated from Haiti to D.R.; they've responded with mass deportations.

CARIBBEAN SUMMARY

  •   Shared culture united by colonization and slavery

  •   Tropical climate has allowed tourism to rapidly expand the economy of some

  •   Communism and political unrest have hindered others

COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY

  •   The 1991 constitution instituted a presidential democratic republic

  •   Presidents are limited to two terms

  •   President Gustavo Petro is the first leftist

  •   Traditionally agricultural economy, but by the end of the 20h century, less than 20%

  •   Industry and services make up much of the economy now

MAJOR NEWS FROM COLOMBIA

  •   Colombia has long been the world's largest producer of cocaine

  •   President Petro has greatly reduced police and military efforts to reduce cocaine

  • Pushed back on trumps deportation plans until he threatened tariffs

  • nstitution

VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY

  •   Technically elected, but severe corruption has resulted in a practical dictatorship

  •   President Nicolas Maduro was Hugo Chavez's

VP and been in power since his death

  •   Economy has suffered multiple catastrophic collapses

  •   Economy is floated by the oil resources

MAJOR NEWS FROM VENEZUELA

  •   Maduro was just "re-elected" to his third six-year term

  •   Election was plagued with fierce crackdowns on all political opponents

  •   Has faced global criticism for corruption

ECUADORIAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY

• Democratic Republic with five branches of government including the Electoral Branch and the Transparency and Socia

Control Branch

  •   President Daniel Noboa

  •   Economy is rapidly developing, helped
    oy petroleum

  •   Ecuador is also the largest single exporter of bananas

MAJOR NEWS FROM ECUADOR

  •   Huge waves of gang violence in recent months and years have lead to increased government response.

  •   President Daniel Noboa won the run-off election in 2023; he is the youngest president in their history and the heir to a large fortune from a banana company.

  • This year is the election for a full term presidency; Noboa is neck and neck with leftist Louisa Gonzalez

CHARACTERISTICS OF A

"CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION"

  •   Urban settlements (cities)

  •   Non-nomadic population

  •   Significant architecture

  •   Social classes and hierarchy

• •   Writing system

PERUVIAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY

  •   Unitary government means there are not
    "states" "provinces" etc.

  •   President, Prime Minister, and Congress share power since the 1993 Constitution

  •   President Dina Boluarte

  •   Economy has rapidly developed since the turn of the century, but is still heavily dependent on agricultural exports like quinoa, blueberries, avocados, and asparagus

MAJOR NEWS FROM PERU

  •   President Boluarte's term has been met with widespread and intense protests since she took the presidency

  •   Boluarte was recently polled with 4% approval rating

  •   Accusations of corruption reignited protests when she was photographed with Rolexes, etc.

BRAZILIAN HISTORY

  •   1500 - Pedro Cabral lands in Brazil for Portugal

BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY

  •   Democratic Republic

  •   President Luiz da Silva

  •   Brazil has one of the largest economies in the Americas, largely due to its population

  •   High unemployment and political scandals have hampered maximum growth

  • Much less dependent on their agricultural sector (which is abundant) than other Central and South American countries

MAJOR NEWS FROM BRAZIL

• Widespread and violent riots in January 2023 with the election of the current president over the incumbent

• Crime is a major issue facing the nation, as they have in of the highest murder rates in the world

ARGENTINIAN HISTORY

  •   1502 - Amerigo Vespucci is the first European to land in Argentina

ARGENTINIAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY

  •   Federal Constitutional Republic - mandatory voting

  •   President, Senate, Chamber of Deputies

  •   Very developed economy with a mix of agriculture and industry

  •   World's largest producer of yerba mate, among other major exports

IMPORTANT CHILEAN FACTS

  •   Capital: Santiago

CHILEAN HISTORY

  •   1520 - Ferdinand Magellan lands in the Strait of Magellan

  •   1808 - process of independence begins, concludes ten years later

  •   Four civil wars through the end of the 19th century

  •   More political turmoil through 1990 when the current constitution was passed

CHILEAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY

  •   Current constitution drafted in 1980 allows for President, Senate, and Chamber of Deputies

  •   President Gabriel Boric

  •   Copper mining is the largest single export for the economy

  • Agriculture and tourism are also large portions of the economy

MAJOR NEWS FROM CHILE

  •   The 1990 constitution was begun while Augusto Pinochet, a violent military dictator, was in power

  •   In the past two years, voters rejected two new constitutions, one put forth by left-leaning politicians, the other by conservatives

lecture 7

•   Panama: Which country has a valuable canal?

•   Nicaragua: Which country saw conflict between Sandinistas and Contras?

•   Costa Rica: Which country was emphasized for a primarily peaceful history comparatively?

•   Cuba: Which country is a Communist state?

• Catholicism: the predominant religion in Central America

lecture 6

•Belize: Which Central American country is part of the British Commonwealth?

•El Salvador: Which Central American country has no contact with the Atlantic Ocean?

•Honduras: Which country was most affected by the Banana Wars?

•Belize and Guatemala: Which two countries currently have a border dispute?

lecture 5

•the Sierra Madre Occidental (western side) and the Sierra Madre Oriental

(Eastern side: What are the two major mountain ranges in Mexico?

Chamber of Deputies and Senate: What are the two legislative bodies called?

• Drug trafficking, immigration, tariffs: What are the major issues facing Mexico today?

•USMCA: What replaced NAFTA? When?

lecture 4

•House of Commons, Senate: What are the two legislative bodies of Canada?

• French, English: What two languages are official?

• Oil and gas: What are some major industries?

•Justin Trudeau: Who is the current Prime Minister?

lecture 3

• Agriculture: What was the first major industry in the US?

• Appalachian, rocky: What were the two major mountain ranges?

•independence, equality, individualism, democracy, nationalism, meritocracy, directness, innovation, consumerism. Informality, effective use of time: What were some of the qualities of American culture?

• Involvement of Ukraine and Israel, immigration, tariffs: What were the current events most impacting the US today?

lecture 2

• Europe, Asia, Australia, North America, South America, Africa, Antarctica: What are the seven continents?

• Latitude, longitude: What are the horizontal lines dividing the earth? The vertical lines?

• Latitude, altitude, distance from the ocean: What three factors most affect climate?

• Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Artic, Southern: What are the major oceans?

• Sea, lake: What is an inland body of saltwater? Freshwater?

• Source, branches, tributaries, mouth, delta: What are the parts of a river?

• Plain: What is a flat area of land?

• Plateau: What is a steep elevation of land with a summit or peak?

• Desert: What is an area with minimal precipitation?

• Volcanoes: What are ruptures in the earth’s crust?