Geography and Tourism Quiz

• Geography is the study of Earth's landscape, people, place, and environment and is ideal for studying the global tourism industry
• Tourism involves movement of people, services, goods, ideas, and money over space
• Tourism transfers people and services through space and time

Maps

• Maps are representations of the world that contain pertinent information about a particular area
• Road maps show main roads, points of interest, city landmarks, and parks
• Political maps focus on the boundary of a particular nation
• Physical maps generally show terrain and bodies of water
• Climate maps present information about the climate
• Economic maps show economic resources like corn, tobacco, copper, and iron
• Tourist maps are used by travelers and show points of interest and attractions in a city or town

Time Zones

• Universal Time (UT), Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and Zulu Time (Z) all refer to the local time at 0 degrees longitude
• The prime meridian is located in Greenwich, England
• UTC is set in zero- to twenty-four-hour periods, instead of two twelve-hour periods (a.m. and p.m.)
• A.m. refers to ante meridiem or "before noon," and p.m. refers to post meridiem or "afternoon."
• UT, UTC, GMT, and Z unify time for global operations like military, radio, and air traffic control

Land Divisions

• A continent is one of Earth's seven land divisions
• The seven continents are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia
• They are arranged from largest to smallest

North America

• North America is the third-largest continent, extending from the Aleutian Islands to the Isthmus of Panama
• Greenland is included in the northeast
• The continent stretches halfway around the world in the far north
• Natural wonders are abundant
• It also contains varied natural wonders
• All types of vegetation and landforms are within its boundaries
• Copper Canyon is in the Mexican state of Chihuahua and features deep canyons
• Yellowstone National Park is in Wyoming and features some of the world's most active geysers
• Canada's Bay of Fundy has the greatest variation of tide levels
• The Great Lakes form the largest area of freshwater
• Giant sequoias in California are the world's most massive trees
• Greenland is mostly covered with ice
• Besides Antarctica, Greenland is the only place that still has an ice sheet
• North America has more climate variation than any other continent
• Nearly every type of ecosystem is represented
• Citizens of Canada, the United States, Greenland, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the island countries and territories that mark the Caribbean Sea reside on the continent

South America

• It is connected to North America by the narrow Isthmus of Panama
• It is the fourth-largest continent
• The southernmost islands, Tierra del Fuego, are less than 1,120 kilometers from Antarctica
• The Andes, Earth's longest terrestrial mountain range, stretch the entire length
• The central-southern area has plains or pampas that are perfect for agriculture
• The Amazon River and its streams flow through the world's largest tropical rainforest
• Angel Falls, in Venezuela, is the world's highest waterfall
• The continent's rainforests have an enormous wealth of plant and animal life
• Over 15,000 species of animals and plants are found only in the Amazon Basin
• The countries comprised are Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Guyana, and Suriname
• The territories of French Guiana, claimed by France, and the Falkland Islands, administered by the United Kingdom but claimed by Argentina, are also part of it

Europe

• This is the sixth-largest continent, containing just 7% of the world's land
• Its population is more than twice that of South America
• It has 46 countries and many major cities
• European countries have access to the ocean
• The Arctic Ocean borders the continent in the north
• The Caspian Sea to the southeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean and Black Seas to the south
• The Ural Mountains divide Europe from Asia
• A large area of plains continues from northern France to the Urals
• Western Europe's climate makes it one of the leading tourist destinations

Africa

• This is the second-largest continent, covering more than three times that of the United States
• The Isthmus of Suez in Egypt connects it to Asia
• The Sahara is the largest hot desert
• The Nile is the world's longest river
• The top half is a dry, hot desert
• The middle area has savannas or grassy, flat plains
• Rainforests dominate central and southern areas
• Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania sits kilometers from the tropical jungles
• The continent is home to 54 countries
• Central-eastern Africa is important for studying evolution and the earliest human origins

Asia

• This is the largest continent, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Western Pacific Ocean
• It accounts for almost a third of the world's land
• It is home to over 40 countries
• Sixty percent of Earth's population lives here
• The continent includes many islands
• Most people live in cities or fertile farming areas near river valleys, plains, and coasts
• Asia has many climate regions
• Monsoon rains and snowmelt feed Asian rivers
• Asia is the most mountainous
• Mount Everest is the highest point on Earth
• It also contains the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on land in Israel and Jordan

Australia

• This is the smallest and flattest continent, sometimes called Oceania
• The continent includes only Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea
• Most people live in cities along the eastern and southern coasts
• A plateau makes up most of the continent's total area
• The Great Dividing Range rises near the east coast
• Mainland Australia is known for the Outback, a desert area in the interior
• Also features tropical beaches, lavish equatorial rainforests, and towering mountain peaks and glaciers
• Animals unique to Australia include the koala, the platypus, and the Tasmanian devil
• The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef ecosystem

Antarctica

• This is the windiest, driest, and iciest place
• It is larger than Europe or Australia
• Unlike other continents, it has no permanent human population
• The climate makes it impossible to support agriculture or a permanent civilization
• It is almost completely covered with ice and has volcanic activity
• The most active volcano is Mount Erebus
• It has no countries, but scientific bases and laboratories have been established

Climates

• Climate characterizes the average weather conditions for a particular location over time
• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) coordinates the study of climate variations, extremes, and change
• Wladimir Köppen divided the world's climates into classifications based on temperature, precipitation, and the times of year when rain occurs
• Type A, tropical climates, have warm temperatures year-round with high precipitation levels
• Type B, dry climates, have extreme temperatures and little precipitation
• Type C, temperate climates, are moderate in temperature and precipitation
• Type D, continental climates, are cold and often found in the interiors of continents
• Type E, polar climates, are extreme and found in the polar regions, with permanent ice or permafrost
• Climate is an essential factor for tourism, particularly outdoor, nature-based, and weather-related activities
• Climate variability influences various aspects of tourism operations

Languages

• Language is human culture's mode of communication
• The United Nations (UN) has six official languages
• Chinese, Arabic, English, French, Russian, and Spanish
• There are nine dominant language families in the world
• The biggest language groups of the Indo-European family used in Europe are the Romance, Germanic, and Slavic groups
• Hindi and Persian are other Indo-European languages
• Almost half of the world's population claims one of only 10 languages as their mother tongue
• Chinese, Spanish, English, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, and Lahnda are some of the most spoken

Religions

• Religious geography studies the distribution of religions and their relationship to their place of origin
• Universal religions seek worldwide acceptance and actively look for members
• Ethnic religions appeal to a single ethnic group or culture and do not actively seek converts
• Traditional religions involve belief in supernatural power that people can use for help
• Christianity and Islam originated from Judaism in the eastern Mediterranean and the Arabian Peninsula
• Both look to Abraham as a founding personage
• Christianity is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ
• Islam is based on the teachings of Muhammad
• Buddhism is based on Siddhartha Gautama's life and teachings
• Hinduism originated from the Indian subcontinent with diverse beliefs and traditions
• Sikhism is founded in the Punjab region of southern Asia and values equality
• Judaism is the religion of the Jewish
• Shintoism is a major ethnic religion of Japan focused on worshipping kami
• Confucianism and Taoism are based on teachings of religious scholars
• Religion has great impacts on tourism and many religious sites become key tourist attractions

Political Systems

• The state means the political unit within which power and authority reside
• Government refers to people directing a nation's political affairs or the type of rule
• Democracy is a political system where all citizens have the equal right to have their voices heard
• Monarchy is a political system in which power resides in a single family
• Oligarchy is when a small, elite group holds power
• Authoritarianism restricts or forbids popular participation in governance
• Totalitarianism includes all the features of authoritarianism, but is even more repressive
• Tourism can generate benefits and impacts like poverty alleviation, environmental conservation, and employment for people.