2024 Geography 1st Semester Exam Review

2024 1st Semester Exam Review

• The U.S. and Canada are considered one region due to similar historical development, culture, and landmass.
• Transform boundaries involve plates sliding past each other.
• Convergent boundaries occur when one plate moves beneath another.
• Divergent boundaries cause plates to move apart, creating new crust.
• Glacial erosion largely shapes Arctic and sub-Arctic landscapes.
• Volcanoes are tectonic forces worldwide.
• Subtropical zones experience warm, dry summers and mild, moderately rainy winters.
• Temperate zones have four distinct seasons with year-round rainfall and deciduous trees.
• Tropical zones are warm, humid, and have abundant rainfall with diverse plant and animal life.
• The Northern Hemisphere has more land than water, including Europe and North America.
• The Southern Hemisphere has more water than land, including Australia and Antarctica.
• The Panama Canal, built in the early 1900s, made Panama City a major industrial center.
• Natural disasters like hurricanes can lead to unsanitary water and loss of wetlands.
• El Niño can cause disease outbreaks and malnutrition.
• Floods and tsunamis cause extensive property damage and loss of life.
• Volcanic eruptions can make breathing difficult.
• Population density is the number of people per square foot of an area.
• Leeward sides of islands experience rain shadows and dry conditions.
• Westward sides of islands have more rainfall, humidity, and foliage.
• Latitude and climate affect each other, with lower latitudes tending to be warmer and higher latitudes colder.

Cultural and Historical Influences

• French is an official language in several African countries, and Portuguese in Brazil.
• European colonization influenced cultural aspects.
• Colorado is near the Rocky Mountains.
• Washington is in the Cascade Mountains.
• Tennessee is in the Great Smoky Mountains.
• Wyoming is near Grand Teton Mountains.
• The Columbian Exchange involved the transfer of diseases, ideas, food, crops, and populations between the Old and New Worlds (post-1492).
• Spanish colonization impacted languages and Catholic religion in Latin America.
• Democracy requires citizen consent for leaders.
• Autocracy involves one person with unlimited power.
• Theocracy involves rulers who are divinely inspired or from a religious group.
• Monarchy involves hereditary kings or queens.
• Diffusion is the spread of goods and ideas.
• Texas's state land hierarchy includes state -> district -> county -> precinct.
• Worldwide, land is separated into countries, territories, states, and provinces.
• Different economic systems, like capitalism or socialism, control goods and services distribution.