Geography Basics
What is the difference between absolute and relative location?
A: Absolute = exact coordinates; Relative = location in relation to other places
What is a peninsula?
A: Land surrounded by water on three sides
What is a fjord?
A: Narrow sea inlet formed by glaciers
What is desertification?
A: Land turning into desert due to drought or misuse
What is a monsoon?
A: Seasonal winds that bring heavy rain
Name the 3 types of maps and their purpose.
A: Physical (landforms), Political (borders), Thematic (data like population/climate)
Which two mountain ranges form a cordillera in North America?
A: Rocky Mountains and Sierra Madre
Who were serfs?
A: Peasants tied to land in feudal system
What is the Fertile Crescent/ Mesopotamia?
A: Land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
What are the three branches of government?
A: Legislative, Executive, Judicial
How do tectonic plate movements affect Earth?
A: They cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain formation
Who was Simón Bolívar?
A: Leader of independence movements in South America
How did the Crusades affect Europe?
A: Increased trade and cultural exchange, weakened feudalism
What are the three major religions from Southwest Asia?
A: Christianity, Islam, Judaism
What are checks and balances?
A: System where branches limit each other’s power
What are the five themes of geography?
A: Location, Place, Human-Environment Interaction, Movement, Region
How does deforestation impact Central America?
A: Loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, and habitat destruction
Why did the Bolsheviks start the Russian Revolution?
A: Poverty, inequality, and opposition to the czar
How does the Congo River impact Africa?
A: Provides water, transportation, farming, and settlements.
How is India’s government similar to the U.S.?
A: Both are democracies with elected representatives
How do climate and ecosystems shape human life?
A: They affect food, clothing, jobs, settlement, and culture
Compare dry vs wet pampas.
A: Dry = less rain, grazing; Wet = more rain, farming
How did Europe’s access to waterways help its economy?
A: Increased trade, transportation, and access to resources
What was one impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade?
A: Population loss, economic disruption, forced migration
What are push and pull factors in migration?
A: Push = reasons to leave; Pull = reasons to move