Geography Semester Flashcards
Which lines run parallel to the equator?
Latitude
What percentage of earth is made of water?
70%
What does the lithosphere consist of?
Land
What does the hydrosphere consist of?
Water
How many inches do plates move per year?
4
How many miles is earth from the sun?
93,000,000
What is the diameter of earth?
8,000 miles
Earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis are made by what forces?
Internal
What is made up of thick rock such as silicon, oxygen, aluminum, and iron?
Mantle
Which tropic is located in the south at 23.5 degrees?
Capricorn
Which tropic is located at 23.5 degrees north?
Cancer
What are winds that blow in constant patterns?
Prevailing
Which area on the equator is windless?
Doldrums
What direction do ocean currents flow in the south?
Counter-Clockwise
What is the highest point of earth’s surface?
Mt. Everest
What is the lowest point of earth’s surface?
Dead Sea
What type of map shows boundaries?
Political
What type of economy states that government owns or directs the means of production and controls product distribution?
Command
What is the hottest and lowest point of US?
Death Valley
How far do the Rocky Mountains extend? Where does it begin and end?
3,000 miles; from New Mexico to Canada
What US state is first in natural gas reserves?
Texas
What are NA’s oldest mountains and also second largest?
Appalachian(1,500 miles)
Why is NYC Manhattan island important?
Leading economic center
What state is composed of volcanic mountaintops?
Hawaii
What is a major source of hydroelectricity for the US and Canada?
Niagara Falls
How does Canada affect weather in the US?
Cold winds
Where is the majority of oil and natural gas in Canada?
Alberta
What is the world’s largest island?
Greenland
Where are the world’s finest emeralds?
Mines in Columbia
Which two Latin American countries are leading oil producers?
Mexico and Venezuela
What is the largest lake in Central America?
Nicaragua
Which country is leading in copper?
Chile
What affects the climate of Latin America the most?
Elevation
What is unique about the Atacama desert?
Some places have no rainfall ever recorded
What is the phenomenon where a place experiences 6 months with no sun?
Midnight sun
What is the oldest government?
Absolute monarch
Which Native American tribe was known for communicating with a knotted cord known as a quipu?
Inca
Which Native American tribe made fake islands?
Aztec
Which Native American tribe was skilled at math an calculated the orbit of earth?
Maya
Which was the first Latin American country to receive independence?
Haiti
Who built schools, hospitals, and colleges during the colonization of Latin America?
Protestant missionaries
Why is literacy improving in Latin America?
Free education
What is the name given to the leaders appointed for colonization of Latin America?
Viceroy
What is the sport of most Latin American countries?
Soccer
Which country was the only one to gain independence without revolution?
Brazil
What is life often centered around in Latin America?
Family
What are the five themed of geography?
Location, place, movement, region, human/environment interaction
What is the difference between political and physical maps?
Political-boundaries
Physical-topography of earth’s features
What is the deepest part of the ocean?
Mariana Trench
List seven continents.
Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Australia, Antarctica
List five oceans.
Southern, pacific, Indian, Arctic, Atlantic
Define autocracy.
When a place is ruled by one person
Define oligarchy.
When a place is ruled by a group of people
Give a few examples of a totalitarian dictatorship.
Hitler-Nazis, Germany; Stalin, Russia; Mussolini, France
How does a direct democracy work?
People vote directly
How does a representative democracy work?
People vote for representatives to vote for the people and to make decisions
What country has an abundant supply of sulfur?
Turkmenistan
How many Arabs does the Middle East have?
275M
What language do the Iranians speak?
Farsi
When did Israel gain access to the Golan heights?
1967
Which country is open to the western elements of society?
Turkey
Which group has no homeland?
Kurds
What is the largest inland body of water?
Caspian Sea
How long is the Nile?
4,160 miles
What desert has red sand?
Qizilgum
Which desert has black sand?
Garagum
Define ethic diversity.
Area consisting of many different cultures
What are the three most populous countries in the Middle East?
Turkey, Egypt, and Iran
Why do Arabs dislike the formation of Israel?
Jewish state in middle of Muslim world, and displaced many Palestines
What language do Arabs speak?
Arabic
What separates Africa and Europe?
Mediterranean Sea
How much oil is in the Middle East?
70%
What is unique about the Dead Sea?
Nine times saltier than the oceans
What has two peaks and what is its significance?
Mt. Ararat; resting place of Noah’s ark
What is Africa’s longest mountain chain?
Atlas
Which peninsula consists of Norway and Sweden?
Scandinavia
Which peninsula consists of Spain and Portugal?
Iberian
Which peninsula has Albania, Greece, and Romania?
Balkan
Which peninsula has Denmark?
Jutland
What is the most important River in Eastern Europe?
Danube
What is the most important River in Western Europe?
Rhine
What winds bring cold air to France?
Mistral
Which winds bring hot air from North African deserts of Libya?
Siroccos
Where is the Black Forest?
Germany
Which religion do swedes share?
Lutheran
Which ethnic group of Belgium trace their ancestry to the celts who lived there during the Germanic invasion?
Walloons
What is a system in which powerful lords give lands to the nobles in return for loyalty?
Feudalism
Where the industrial revolution begin?
Great Britain
Which country became a symbol of the Cold War?
Germany
Which two civilizations became the model for the western world?
Ancient Greece and Rome
What is the main problem between the Flemings and Walloons?
Language
Which is the least populated country in Europe? Most populated?
Vatican City; Germany
What characteristics can define Iceland?
Hot springs, geysers, volcanoes
Which River connects industrial cities to the port of Rotterdam on the North Sea?
Rhine
Who led the communist world?
USSR- Union of Soviet Socialists Republic
Where did the artists seek influence from during the Renaissance?
Ancient Greece and Rome
Explain how the ocean currents and wind patterns affect climate in Europe.
Prevailing winds blow across the continent, and the strong ocean currents from the North Atlantic Drift and Gulf of Mexico bring in warm water. The winds direct the currents and bring warm air.
What is communism and how did it come into the scene in Europe?
Communism- economic, political system designed to establish classless societies in which poor workers control industry; factory workers were poorly paid and lived in uncrowned, unhealthy conditions
Who was the founder of Judaism?
Abraham of the bible
Who was the founder of Islam?
Muhammad
Who was the founder of Christianity?
Jesus
What is monotheism?
One God
Why is Jerusalem important to Christians?
They go there to see the cite of passion, resurrection, and crucification of Jesus
What is located in Greenwich, England?
Prime Meridian