final exam Flashcards
what is geography?
why things are where they are.
geography bridges what two things?
physical and social sciences.
be able to talk about why geography is important for you to understand, using an example from your everyday life.
geography is important in understanding the world around us. because lubbock has no water to keep temperatures mild, it experiences extreme weather and temperature.
does the gulf stream bring hot air or cold air to or from europe? have a good understanding of how that works, and what would happen if the gulf stream didn’t exist (or stopped working).
the gulf stream brings hot air to europe. it does this by the use of water with differing density, and if it didn’t exist, europe would not have such a mild climate.
define supranationalism.
independent states willing to yield some measure of sovereignty for mutual benefit.
what is a lingua franca?
a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different.
what are three of the climate concerns facing north america today?
- extreme temperatures.
- drought.
- wildfires.
be able to describe them and why we should be worried about them.
extreme temperatures: the hotter it gets, the more unlivable the planet becomes.
drought: humans, fauna, and flora need water to survive.
wildfires: burning forests bring widespread displacement and unusable land.
how and why did colonial agricultural practices vary between the mainland and the rimland?
in the mainland, there was hacienda-style agriculture, with locals being allowed to live on the land and subsistence farm, with some being paid little and others not at all. in the rimland, there was plantation agriculture, with slaves and focused on a single cash crop.
define cultural hearth.
a region where ancient civilizations got their start.
many of the countries in central america have a long history of civil unrest. what role has the united states played in those situations?
the us put unprepared democratic leaders in power in the region. they were also negatively affected by the surplus of american occupations.
how has uneven development affect this region?
development has been less steady and less controlled in developing countries. cities became more desirable to live in and slums form the outskirts. slums typically lack government-sponsored infrastructure and have numerous health and safety concerns.
describe the uneven development in venezuela.
most of the interior is underdeveloped. wealth from oil exports does not return to the local economy. agricultural practices are not advanced, so there is a heavy reliance on imported food.
how do underdevelopment, food scarcity, and increased infectious disease deaths go hand-in-hand?
citizens are in crisis, with civil unrest and venezuelans fleeing the country as refugees.
what factors have led to the “southern cone” countries to be the wealthiest in south america?
colonizers invested in these regions in order to reap the benefits, so high economic activity and high urbanization go hand-in-hand. european trade is extremely important in this region.
be able to explain the rain shadow phenomena and how it plays a role in southern south america.
the height of the andes causes moisture from rain to precipitate on the eastern slopes, so the western side received no precipitation, leading to the atacama desert on one side and lush mountainous region on the other.
why is brazil so ethnically diverse?
it has a history of european colonialism and enslavement of african and asian peoples.
why is africa’s equatorial region unable to produce agriculture in the same way as other equatorial regions are?
much of africa’s soil is lacking nutrients, producing little in the way of agriculture in the region.
what is salinization and how does it affect soil?
process by which the salt content in soil is increased, making it hard for crops to grow.
why and how are non-native grains and foods affecting the amount of food africa is able to produce?
the non-native grains that take up valuable farmland generally produce less in numbers because they are not built to be grown in the area, so more crops die or are unable to be sold and eaten. africans could produce more food if they planted native foods that are more likely to result in a surplus yield.
what is animism?
attributing deity status to nature and ancestors and a belief in spiritual guidance.
why are there so many languages in africa?
there are so many tribes with diversity that allows for such a variance of language.
do you think “middle east” is an appropriate term? why or why not?
no, because the specified region is not in the middle of the east.
what is the fertile crescent?
the area between the nile, euphrates, and tigris rivers where many early civilizations started out.
