World Geography Semester Review

1. World GeographySemester Review Spring 2017

2. #1 • Who built the Berlin Wall? Why? • East Germany (supported by Communist USSR), to keep the East Berliners from escaping to free West Berlin  Post WWII After the fall of the Soviet Union

3. #2 • Why is the Aral Sea shrinking? • People are redirecting massive amounts of water from the two rivers that feed into the Aral Sea, the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya Rivers, for irrigation.

4. #3 • Which mountain range divides the continents of Europe and Asia? • Ural Mountains

5. #4 • What environmental disaster happened in 1986 in the Ukraine and what was the impact? • Chernobyl explosion/radiation poison caused and still causes great illness there today =

6. #5 • Why do Russian architects use onion domes? • Heavy snow does not stay on them, which is important for the cold, snowy winters there.

7. #6 • How and why did the Soviet Union come to an end? • Gorbechev began to give the Soviet people more freedoms which led to the collapse and 15 independent republics formed from it. http://www.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/geogres/maps/rugif/rufrmusr.gif

8. #7 • What is the taiga and where is it located? • Vast coniferous forest region in Russia’s Siberian region

9. #8 • In the former Soviet Union’s command economy, industry was controlled by whom? Of the three economic systems (market, command, traditional), how was the Soviet Union’s system characterized? • controlled by central government, and it was a command economy One brand: price set by government, who tells you what you need, how many and why

10. #9 • What is happening to the Sahel region in Africa and why? • It is drying out from nomadic herding in West Africa. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thompsoncw/2196614283/ http://www.un.org/radio/photo/desertification.gif

11. #10 • Why do you think Africa’s abundance of natural resources has not translated into economic wealth for most of its population? • Europe’s colonization of Africa in the 1800s – most of the resources were taken for Europeans, and then Africa was left to fend for themselves – exploitation of the people and the resources. http://www.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/g101ilec/ssa/afh/afcol/afcolfr.htm

12. #11 • What is desertification? Where are some of the examples in which this is happening? • The process by which arable land turns to desert: West Africa in the Sahel, Madagascar due to slash and burn farming, the “Dust Bowl” region of the United States in the 1930s, and in China

13. http://www.geo.umn.edu/courses/1001/Summer_Session/Desertification.jpghttp://www.geo.umn.edu/courses/1001/Summer_Session/Desertification.jpg

14. #12 • What is the purpose of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt? What are some of the problems created by this dam? • Gives farmers in Egypt and the Sudan a ready supply of irrigation water, which allows them 2 or 3 harvests instead of just one. Problems include the relocation of people during construction, which changed their way of life. Temples were moved or lost under the newly formed Lake Nasser. It also decreased the fertility of the soil around the Nile. http://carbon.cudenver.edu/stc-link/aswan04/images/highaswan.jpg

15. #13 • How did the Berlin Conference change Africa? • Strengthened European rule in the region, set African groups against each other, split apart similar language and ethnic groups. Led by King Leopold II of Belgium http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Leopold_ii_garter_knight.jpg

16. #147 • How has AIDS affected the population in Southern Africa? • In 2000, 26 million African people live with AIDS. 2.4 million of the 3 million who died of AIDS that year were from sub-Saharan Africa. 3 out of 4 deaths in Swaziland are attributed to AIDS. Life expectancies have dropped significantly.

17. #15 • From which regions in Africa did most of the American slaves originate? Why? • The western part, which was on the trade route between Europe and the Americas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangular_trade

18. #16 • How has European colonization affected Africa? • It has led to many of the political violence and ethnic conflicts that exist today.

19. #17 • What are some economic problems African countries face today? What caused these problems?

20. #18 • Why was the desalination process developed in SW Asia? • This transformation of sea water to fresh water was developed because of limited water resources. 

21. #19 • What are some reasons that the majority of people in Russia live west of the Ural Mountains? • Trade with European countries, resources, climate

22. #20 • What is the purpose of OPEC? • Most oil is located in the Persian Gulf countries in the Middle East. OPEC was started to give the countries group strength in setting prices and controlling production of oil

23. #21 • How did the creation of the nation of Israel increase tension in the region? • Land was taken from Palestinians and given to Israel

24. #22 • What areas did Israel occupy after the 6 Day war in 1967? • Israel gained the Sinai Peninsula

25. #23 • Why is the control of the Strait of Hormuz important in the Middle East? • Whoever controls the Strait of Hormuz controls entrance to the Persian Gulf, where all the oil is.

26. #24 • What was the Silk Road and why was it important? • Trade route from China to the Western World – major reason for cultural diffusion The Silk Road extending from Southern Europe through Arabia, Egypt, Persia, India till it reaches China http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silk_Route

27. #39 • What has rapid population growth in cites in Asia done to their infrastructure? • Inadequate water supply, lack of sanitary facilities, overcrowded neighborhoods

28. #26 • What affect do monsoons have on South Asia? • Summer monsoons bring heavy rains that may wipe out crops. Winter monsoons bring dry air that may cause drought

29. Summer and Winter Monsoons Summer Winter http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/circulation/regional_scale_wind.htm

30. #27 • What river in India is considered sacred to all Hindus? Why? • The Ganges, where they drink, bathe, scatter the ashes of their dead, etc. They believe it brings life to its people. It means Mother Ganga. http://www.sacredland.org/world_sites_pages/Ganges.html

31. #28 • What are some issues that rapid urbanization has caused in South Asia? • Inadequate water supply, lack of sanitary facilities, overcrowded neighborhoods

32. #29 • What type of plate movement created the Himalayas? Describe the process. • Convergent Collision http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/plates2.html

33. #30 • What tactic did Gandhi and his followers use to obtain their independence in India from the British Empire? Explain how they used the tactics. • They used nonviolent resistance - practice of achieving socio-political goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi

34. #31 • What is the Ring of Fire and where is it located? • Series of highly volcanic, geologic hotspots in the Pacific Ocean

35. #32 • What are some pros and cons to the Three Gorges Dam project in China? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5000092.stm

36. #33 • Why do some rural families in China oppose the government’s “One Child Policy”? • Rural families have farms, and they need more than one child to help with the farming. http://beifan.com/021jinao/21syn-boys.jpg

37. #34 • What are 3 major religions in China? • Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism

38. #35 • Why is Taiwan considered an “Economic Tiger”? • Cheap labor, advanced technology, aggressive exportation major industries entrepreneurial initiative

39. #36 • Why was the Great Wall of China built? When was it built? What are the characteristics? • To keep the Mongolians out; begun during Qin Dynasty – 220 BC http://www.flickr.com/photos/42304632@N00/72834835

40. #37 • Hip hop music being popular in Japan is an example of what? • Cultural Diffusion http://web.mit.edu/mna/Public/japanesehiphop.jpg

41. #38 • How has over-population of the world affected animal habitats? • They are being destroyed to make more room for humans. http://bestfunnypictures.blogspot.com/

42. #39 • What aspects of being an island nation are helpful or harmful to Japan’s development? • Helpful – strong, independent culture • Harmful – isolated from the rest of the world

43. #40 • What country in Asia has a command economy? • China, North Korea

44. #41 • What are some of the major contributions from China? • Paper, gun powder, compass, printing press

45. #42 • What part of Australia has the highest population density? Why? • Southeastern coast – marine west coast climate, mild summers/cool winters http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2994402080033174829RHwZjs

46. #43 • Why was Australia first established as a colony by the British? • It’s where the British sent their convicts. The prisons were overcrowded. Port Arthur Penal Colony http://www.flickr.com/photos/wufgaeng/100396134/

47. #44 • Describe the first inhabitants of Australia? • Aborigines originally from SE Asia, arrived 40,000 to 60,000 years ago http://www.flickr.com/photos/9teen87/503966565/

48. #45 • What was the result of the Land Rights Act of 1976 in Australia? • It gave the Aborigines land in the Northern Territory http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/kakadu/parkjointmang/jointmang/images/signinglease.jpg

49. #46 • Why is global warming particularly dangerous to islands in Oceania? • If the ice caps continue to melt, the sea level will rise, and the low-lying islands will disappear http://www.flickr.com/photos/babau/427005988/

50. #47 • What island in the Pacific did the US test atomic bombs? Why was this island chosen? • Bikini Atoll – US didn’t want to endanger its own citizens, and it was far from regular shipping and air travel routes http://www.bikiniatoll.com/