Social Studies Study Guide

SS7E6a and b Student Learning Goal and Success Criteria

Student Learning Goal: Evaluate how literacy rates affect the standard of living and explain the relationship between investment in human capital (education and training) and gross domestic product (GDP per capita).

Vocabulary

  1. Literacy – The ability to read and write.

  2. Standard of Living – How comfortable and well people live, based on things like income, housing, and access to things like healthcare.

  3. Human Capital – The skills, knowledge, and training that people have, which help them do their jobs well.

  4. Investment – Putting time, money, or effort into something to make it better in the future.

  5. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – The total value of everything a country produces in one year.

  6. GDP per Capita – The average amount of money each person in a country earns in a year, based on the GDP.

Content

  1. How Literacy Rates Affect the Standard of Living:

    • Literacy rates show how many people in a country can read and write. When more people can read and write, they can get better jobs, earn more money, and live more comfortably. This means they can afford things like nice homes, good food, and access to healthcare, which makes the standard of living higher. When fewer people can read or write, it’s harder for them to find good jobs, and they might struggle more to live comfortably.

  2. The Relationship Between Investment in Human Capital and GDP per Capita:

    • Human capital refers to people’s skills, knowledge, and training. When a country invests in human capital—by making sure kids go to school, get a good education, and that adults get proper job training—people become better at their jobs. This helps them earn more money, and as a result, the country’s wealth increases.

    • Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total value of everything a country produces in a year. When a country invests in its people, the GDP per capita (which is the average income per person) goes up, meaning people are generally earning more money.

In summary:

  • Literacy rates affect how well people live.

  • Investing in human capital (education and training) helps people earn more and increases the country’s wealth.

Measurement of Learning

  • Vocabulary: Matching all words to their correct definition

  • Factual Content: Correctly answering questions about the facts

Economic Systems Review

Three fundamental questions every country must answer when developing its economic plan:

  1. What goods/services will be produced?

  2. How will goods/services be produced?

  3. Who will consume the goods/services?

Types of Economic Systems

  • Traditional:

    • All economic decisions are based on customs, traditions, & beliefs of the past.

    • People make what they always made and do the same things their parents did.

    • Goods are exchanged through bartering (trading without money).

    • Examples: Villages in Africa & South America, the Inuit in Canada, Aborigines in Australia.

  • Command:

    • All economic decisions are made by the government.

    • The government owns most property, sets prices, determines wages, and plans all production.

    • No pure command countries exist today, but close examples include Cuba, North Korea, former Soviet Union, and former East Germany (all Communist regimes).

  • Market:

    • Economic decisions are based on price changes as buyers & sellers interact.

    • Private citizens answer all economic questions with no government control.

    • No pure market economies exist because laws are required to protect workers and ensure product safety.

  • Mixed:

    • Combines characteristics of market and command systems. Most countries, including democracies, operate on a mixed economic system.

Economic Profiles of Southwest Asian Nations

  • Israel:

    • Mixed economy (70% free, 30% command).

    • Private businesses lead technology, agriculture, and tourism with prices set by supply and demand.

    • Government controls electric, natural gas, aerospace, and owns most land.

    • Challenges: Defense spending due to conflicts since 1948, financial burden from large immigrant influx.

  • Saudi Arabia:

    • Mixed economy (64% free, 36% command).

    • Government controls oil (which provides 75% of budget) but is diversifying into private sectors (power generation, natural gas, education, healthcare, tourism).

    • Challenges: Non-renewable oil reserves, high unemployment, shortage of skilled native labor (1/3 of jobs filled by foreign workers).

  • Turkey:

    • Mixed economy (65% free, 35% command).

    • Largest economy in the Middle East; growing private sector in agriculture, electronics, textiles, automotive, and petrochemicals.

    • Government retains control over industry, banking, communication, and transportation.

    • Challenges: Developing nation status compared to Western Europe, corruption from complex regulations.

Environmental Issues in Southwest Asia
Pollution

  • Many countries in Southwest Asia are experiencing the increasing problem of water pollution.

  • Per-capita availability of safe drinking water here is the lowest in the world.

  • Contaminated water sources have greatly reduced the amount of clean water available for drinking.

Causes

  • Southwest Asia’s biggest pollution problems come from sewage, agricultural runoff, and industrial waste.

  • Rapid growth of industry in cities and towns has caused garbage and sewage to build up in rivers and streams.

  • Towns without proper sewer systems dump untreated human waste into rivers.

  • Chemical fertilizers are washed into rivers or seep into groundwater.

Water Scarcity

  • Water scarcity is also a major concern in Southwest Asia.

  • Less than 1% of the world’s fresh water is available to the area’s inhabitants (5% of the world’s population).

  • Water is a precious resource and there is not enough available to meet the population’s needs.

  • Middle Eastern countries are in conflict over these water problems.

  • Overview by country:

    • Turkey: Holds a water advantage because the Tigris and Euphrates rivers form here. Built the Southeastern Anatolia Project (22 dams and 19 hydroelectric plants) which improved standard of living. Faces pollution from chemical fertilizers, industrial waste, and oil spills in the Black Sea.

    • Syria: Turkey's dams reduced the amount of water reaching Syria by 40%. Syria suffers from droughts and built dams along the river, reducing flow into Iraq and causing conflict.

    • Iraq: Water flow reduced by 80% due to dams in Turkey and Syria. Negatively impacted agriculture (wheat/rice down, farmers out of work). War and outdated petroleum equipment damaged water treatment infrastructure.

    • Israel: Developed drip irrigation and advanced farming techniques. Relies on aquifers, which are threatened because more water is drawn out than replenished. Involved in conflicts over the Jordan River.

    • Jordan: One of the ten most water-scarce countries in the world. Has to ration the water supply (citizens get water only a few days a week). Israel and Syria leave only a small amount of surface water for Jordan.

SS7G7a Impact of Geography on Trade and Population

Student Learning Goal: Describe how the deserts and rivers of Southwest Asia impact trade and affect where people live.

Vocabulary

  1. Southwest Asia (Middle East) – Region including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, etc.

  2. Trade Routes – Paths used to travel and exchange goods.

  3. Silk Road – Ancient trade route connecting Asia to Europe.

  4. Spices – Seasonings used in cooking.

  5. Trading Centers – Places where people gather to buy, sell, and exchange goods.

  6. Transportation – Ways of moving people or goods.

Geography & Population Distribution

  • Deserts: Hot and dry with minimal water (e.g., Arabian Desert). Few people live here; travel is difficult. Camels historically carried goods along trade routes like the Silk Road; trucks and planes are used today.

  • Rivers: Rivers like the Tigris and Euphrates provide fresh water for drinking, farming, and trade. Towns and busy trading centers develop along riverbanks due to easy access to water and transportation.

Regional Map Location Goal

Student Learning Goal: Locate on a world and regional political-physical map the nations of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Gaza, and West Bank.

Vocabulary

  1. Locate – To find where something is.

  2. Region – Specific area on Earth sharing common features.

  3. Political Map – Map showing boundaries of countries, states, and cities.

  4. Physical Map – Map showing physical land features like mountains, rivers, and deserts.

  5. Nation – A country.