Geography Basics
What is the difference between absolute and relative location?
Absolute location = exact coordinates (latitude/longitude). Relative location = where something is in relation to other places.
What is a peninsula?
A landform surrounded by water on three sides.
What is a fjord?
A narrow sea inlet between cliffs formed by glaciers.
What is desertification?
The process where fertile land becomes desert-like due to drought or human activity.
What is a monsoon?
Seasonal winds that bring heavy rain depending on the season.
Name 3 types of maps and explain one purpose of each.
Physical map (landforms), political map (borders/countries), thematic map (specific data like climate/population).
Which two mountain ranges form a cordillera in North America?
Rocky Mountains and Sierra Madre (Cordillera system in North America)
Who were serfs during the feudal system?
Serfs were peasants tied to land who worked for nobles in the feudal system
What is the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers called?
Mesopotamia/ Fertile Crescent.
Name the 3 branches of the U.S. government.
Legislative, Executive, Judicial.
How do tectonic plate movements affect Earth’s surface?
They cause earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain formation, and shifting continents.
Who was Simon Bolivar and why was he important?
Simón Bolívar led independence movements in South America from Spain.
How did the Crusades affect Europe?
They increased trade, cultural exchange, and weakened feudal power structures.
Which 3 major religions began in Southwest Asia?
Christianity, Islam, Judaism.
What are checks and balances?
A system that prevents one branch of government from becoming too powerful by limiting and balancing power.
What are the five themes of geography?
Location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, region.
How did deforestation impact Central America and the rainforest?
Deforestation destroys habitats, increases erosion, and reduces biodiversity.
Why did the Bolsheviks start the Russian Revolution?
Economic hardship, political instability, and desire to overthrow the czarist government led to the revolution.
How has the Congo River affected Africa’s geography and development?
It provides water, transportation, agriculture, and supports settlements.
How is India’s government similar to the United States government?
Both are democracies with elected leaders and representative government systems.
Explain how climate, habitat, and ecosystems can shape culture and human activity in a region.
They influence food, clothing, jobs, settlement patterns, and how people adapt to their environment.
Compare dry and wet pampas and explain how geography affects agriculture in South America.
Dry pampas = less rainfall, used for grazing livestock; wet pampas = more rainfall, better for crops and agriculture.
Explain how Europe’s access to coasts and waterways helped its economy grow.
It allowed trade, transportation, access to resources, and economic growth.
Explain one major effect of the trans-Atlantic slave trade on Africa.
It led to population loss, forced migration, economic disruption, and long-term inequality.
Explain how push-pull factors influence migration and population movement.
Push factors = reasons people leave (e.g., war, poverty). Pull factors = reasons people move (jobs, safety, education).