Least of the Least - Chapters 1-8 - Fall 2024 PDF

The least of the least... ========================= (Chapters 1 to 8) ================= To study for the final exam =========================== **\#1 The least of the least... (Northern America)** 1\. Canada was almost completely covered by glaciers until 15,000 years ago. As a warming trend beg...

The least of the least... ========================= (Chapters 1 to 8) ================= To study for the final exam =========================== **\#1 The least of the least... (Northern America)** 1\. Canada was almost completely covered by glaciers until 15,000 years ago. As a warming trend began to develop, this sheet of ice up to 3 km thick had melted. As a result, the **Canadian Shield**, with its numerous lakes, is now the greatest reservoir of **freshwater** on earth (beside frozen Antarctica of course!). Being among the oldest rocks on earth, the **Canadian Shield** is also rich in minerals and strongly eroded. 2\. The **Canadian major cities**, as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, are very cosmopolitan, or multiethnic. In **2021**, respectively **47%**, **24%**, and **42%** of their population was **born abroad**. The Canadian average is **23%**, first among G7 countries and one of the highest on Earth. Quebec City's percentage of born-abroad population is only **6.7%**, Montreal having **90%** of all immigrants in the province! 3\. The **Rockies** are the first major mountain range one encounters when traveling west in Canada. After this range (on the Alberta-BC border in Canada, or Colorado in the US), there are other ranges such as the Cascades, the Sierra Nevada, the Coast Range\... 4\. The four regional divisions used by the United States Census Bureau are the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. 5\. The eastern half of the USA has a higher **population density** than the western half. In fact, west of the **Mississippi** **River** there are few inhabitants in the countryside except for Texas and California. It is also drier and higher in altitude in the western part of the US. 6\. There is a growing **Hispanic** (Spanish speaking) population in the majority of the southern States of the US: California, Texas, and Florida are home to 55% of them. A proportion of 64% of the Hispanic-Americans has a **Mexican** origin. The Hispanics are growing rapidly not only in numbers (**63 M or 19%** of the US population in 2021) but in confidence and clout as well. 7\. The **United States** is the world's most powerful country and has the largest economy of the planet. American troops are present on every continent and the military expenditures of the USA represent 35 to 40% of the world total. 8\. **Tornado Alley** is a colloquial term for the area of the United States where tornadoes are most frequent. Ninety percent of tornadoes hit this region of the U.S because cold, dry air from Canada and the Rocky Mountains meets warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and hot, dry air from the Sonoran Desert. The north of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas are the most active areas for tornadoes. In the USA, there are up to 1000 tornadoes per year (in total). At the opposite, the Rockies, with its mountainous terrain, is "naturally" protected from tornadoes. 9\. The **MOM Basin**, regrouping the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri rivers, drains most of the United States' interior. It is also an important means of transportation. **\#2 The least of the least... (Latin America)** 1\. **Latin America** is made of South America and Middle America while **Middle America** is the geographical name to designate Mexico, Central America and the West Indies. 2\. Most countries in Latin America are **Spanish speaking** countries with one notable exception: Brazil where **Portuguese** is the dominant language. 3\. The **Greater Antilles** are composed of the four largest Caribbean islands: Cuba, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. The **Lesser Antilles** are the smaller islands in the form of an arc. 4\. Three great **Amerindian Empires** ruled over certain parts of Latin America in the past. The **Mayans** (approx. **300 to 900 C.E.**) lived mostly in Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico), Guatemala and Belize. The **Aztecs** (approx. **1300 to 1500 C.E.**) ruled in Mexico, in and all around the Mexico City area. Mexico City was already an important city at that time and named Tenochtitlan by the Aztecs. The **Incas** (approx. **1400 to 1530 C.E.**) lived mostly in the Andes area between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn. One of their well-known archeological sites is Machu Picchu in Peru. 5\. **Brazil**, a Portuguese speaking country of **204M** people, is culturally and economically the most influential State of South America. Brazil is about half the size and has half the population of South America. 6\. The world's largest river, the **Amazon**, flows in the north of Brazil. The annual average flow of the river at its mouth is **210 000 m^3^/s**. This is 5 times more than the 2nd biggest, the Congo River in Africa. The Amazon Basin is about the size of Australia or continental USA. Amazonia represents over half of the planet\'s remaining rainforests, and it comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. One in ten known species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest. The development of Amazonia and destruction of the tropical rainforest is an ecological issue of prime importance. Over the past 40 years, close to **20%** of the rainforest has been cut down (roughly the size of B.C.). **Another 20%** should be cleared over the next 20 years (the deforested area will be larger than the Quebec Province). 7\. The **Atacama** **Desert** is the driest desert on earth being on the rain shadow side of the Andes. 8\. The **Andes,** the longest mountain range on earth, are all along the western coast of South America and were home of the Empire of the Incas. **Aconcagua** is the highest mountain in the Americas at 6,960 m and is also the highest place on earth outside of Asia. 9\. There are **black populations** and **Mulattos**, descendants of African slaves, on the Atlantic Coast of Latin America. The **Natives** (**Amerindians**) and the **Mestizos** are much more in the interior and on the Pacific side. **Bolivia** **and Guatemala** are the two countries of Latin America with the highest proportion of Natives (more than 50%). **\#3 The least of the least... (Europe)** 1\. The **eastern limit of Europe** goes through the **Ural** Mountains in Russia, the **Caspian** Sea, the **Caucasus** Mountains, the **Black** Sea, the Bosporus Strait, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles Strait. 2\. The **Gulf Stream** makes Europe's climate milder than it should be, especially at high latitudes and during winter. In North-Eastern America, the cold Labrador Current makes it colder than it should normally be. When you combine both of these facts, it explains why you find several large European cities located at latitudes where there are only small settlements in Quebec. Paris and London are further north than Quebec City! 3\. The **Mediterranean climate** is mild and rainy in winter and hot and dry in summer. 4\. There are now **27** countries part of the **European Union**, which represents about 450M people. These countries need to apply certain political and economic common rules, standards and policies determined by the EU. For now, **19** of these countries are using the **Eurodollar**. Lastly, the **Schengen** **Area** operates as a single international travel and immigration area, which involve eliminating internal border controls with the other Schengen members, while simultaneously strengthening external border controls with non-member states. The Schengen Area currently consists of **26** states. 5\. For its size, Europe has a very impressive **physical and cultural diversity**. More than 200 different languages are spoken on the continent. 6\. The British Isles are made up of two main islands: **Ireland** and **Great Britain**. The region consists of two countries: **Republic of Ireland** and **United Kingdom**. The United Kingdom being made up of four units: **England**, **Wales**, **Scotland** and **Northern** **Ireland**. 7\. The **Rhine** **River**, is small (2000m^3^/s) according to international standard. Nevertheless, it is the most important transportation axis of Europe. The **Danube** **River** (6000m^3^/s) passes through four national capitals: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade. 8\. With many peninsulas and a complex coastline, Europe has an exceptionally **high ratio of coast to land area**, meaning that most European cities are readily accessible to maritime trade. 9\. The **North European Plain** that covers much of northern Europe is the most productive farming and industrial region. It includes many of the major European cities. The North European Plain was the site of Europe's bloodiest military battles during the two World Wars. **\#4 The least of the least... (Russia and satellite countries)** 1\. **Russia** is the largest country of the planet with **17 M** km^2^. It spans 11 time zones compared to five and a half for Canada. It is the 9th largest State in population with **147 M** people of whom 20% are non-Russians. The cultural diversity of Russia is as tremendous as its land and often unknown: there are 280 nations and more than 110 official languages. Ethnic diversity is at once a wealth and a challenge. 2\. Establishing and adjusting to democracy in the post-communist Russia has been a difficult period for Russians during the 1990s. Communism collapsed in 1991 and the Soviet Union then split in 15 independent countries. 4\. The European part of Russia is the most populated. Moscow is the capital and the largest city (17 M). St. Petersburg (5 M) is the second Russian city in importance and Kyiv (Kiev) (3 M), the largest of Ukraine. 5\. The political situation between Ukraine and Russia has been tense since 2014 when Russia invaded the Crimea Peninsula on the Black Sea, and supported pro-Russians in taking control of the eastern part of the country. More recently (since February 2022), Russia has been trying to take control of eastern Ukraine, more precisely the Donbas region. 6\. **Siberia** is the name used to designate **the Asian part of Russia**. It is all the land east of the **Ural Mountains**. Siberia is well deserved in natural resources but they are hard and costly to reach. Some 40M Russians live in that land of taiga, swamps, mountains, and cold climate. It has a very low population density with about only 28% (40 M) of Russia's population on 77% of its land. 7\. The shrinking of the **Aral** **Sea** is the most important visible ecological disaster on the planet. The sea has lost **90%** of its original volume of water. Some former prosperous fishing villages are now more than 100 kilometers away from the new shoreline. 8\. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, (referred to in class as the "**Stans**") are central Asian countries of steppes, deserts, and mountains, with a predominantly **Muslim** population. At the opposite of Russia, their populations all have a strong natural increase. 9\. Lake **Baikal** is the **deepest** (1642m) and the **largest** (for its water content) lake in the world. It contains more freshwater than the five Great Lakes combined. **\#5 The least of the least... (Africa)** 1\. Africa can be summarized in six points. **Give one example for each one** of the following concepts: (Refer to your original chapter 5 "Least..." or to the PowerPoint on LEA for examples.) 2\. Africa is a vast continent with a land area of **30M km^2^**, three times the size of Canada. 3\. The **Sahara** **Desert**, as large as continental United States, isolated Black or Sub-Saharan Africa from the rest of the world for centuries. The oceans and seas, the rivers difficult to navigate, and Africa's massiveness also played an important role in isolating Africa from the rest of the world for a long time. 4\. 80% of Africa stands between the Tropics. A tropical rainforest or jungle area is located around the Equator. Important deserts are along both tropics. 5\. The Islam religion prevails throughout Saharan Africa and the Maghreb countries of the Mediterranean Sea. Sub-Saharan Africa (all of Africa south of the Sahara Desert) has a black population, extremely diversified languages and the Christian **religion** growing in importance as you travel south. 6\. The **Nile** **River** is the **longest** river on earth (6650 km). 7\. In 2019, 70% of the people infected with HIV/AIDS worldwide were living in Sub-Saharan Africa. One of the most affected country is South Africa where 19% of its population has contracted the virus. Source: 8\. The **Great Rift** **Valley**, located mostly in the Horn of Africa and East Africa regions, is an area where two main tectonic plates are moving apart from each other. The divergent plates create an important depression with a lot of geothermal activity and where many volcanoes are found. 9\. In the lower layer of the atmosphere, the temperature drops by 6.5^o^C for every 1000 meters you go up. This is why there are glaciers on top of mountains at the Equator, such as Mount Kilimanjaro. **\#6 The least of the least... (South-West Asia / The Middle East)** **Introduction to Asia:** **Asia** is an important continent for many reasons: it has **59% of the world population**; it is where the **first** **civilizations** and the **great religions** developed; it is also an area of strong **economic development.** The **five great religions** born in Asia are: **Hinduism** and **Buddhism** in India, and Islam, Christianity and Judaism in the Middle East. The **first** **civilizations (**i.e. the first places where cities and writings have been found) developed in **Mesopotamia** (Middle East), **Türkiye** (Middle East), **Egypt** (Middle East), in the **Indus** **Valley** (today's Pakistan), and in **Northern** **China** (south of Beijing). It gave birth to the three most important cultural groups on earth now. 1\. The area is surrounded by many seas, but **75%** of it has a **desert climate**, i.e. receives less than 250 mm of rain per year. 2\. The **Persian Gulf** is strategically important: The States around it are producing annually approximately 40 to 50% of the world's oil and have about **49%** of the world's proven reserves. 3\. The word \"**Muslim**\" refers to a religion: Islam. The word \"**Arab**\" refers to a culture and a language (Arabic). All the States of the area are predominantly Muslim except **Israel,** where the dominant faith is **Judaism.** 4\. The **Kurds** are a nation of 25 to 30M people without a State. The area where they live (or sometimes try to survive) is called **Kurdistan** and covers parts of five different States: mainly Iraq**,** Turkey**,** and Iran. 5\. *The **Dead Sea***, the **saltiest** body of water on earth (**33%** salt vs 3,5% in ocean water), is the **lowest** point on the Earth\'s surface at **400 meters below sea level (-396 m)**. No animal life in that sea\...no noise around\...you could read a newspaper comfortably seated in the water without being afraid of getting it wet! 6\. The **Suez Canal** forever changed navigation between Asia and Europe. Ships did not have to go around Africa anymore. Inaugurated in 1869**,** the "Highway to India" is 193 kilometers long and, on average, more than 50 ships are going through it every day. 7\. This region is the birthplace of three of the world's major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jerusalem is a holy city for these three religions. **\#7 The least of the least... (South Asia)** 1\. The **Monsoon** is the rainy season over Southern Asia. It starts usually in June and lasts for about four months. It rains a lot in southern India, the Himalayas, and Bangladesh, and little in Pakistan and the Thar Desert. It gradually moves from the south-east to the north-west. 2\. The **Hindu** religion is an incredible blend of practices that evolved over the last 3000 years. For the Westerners, some of the most striking aspects of the Hindu faith are the sanctity of cows, the caste system, dots on the forehead, ritual baths in holy rivers (e.g.: Ganges), the dowry and reincarnation belief. The **Ganges** is the most sacred river of the Hindus. 3\. **Nepal**, a poor developing country, has many of the highest mountains on earth, the **Himalayas**, attracting some of the world's best climbers. **Everest**, located on the Nepal-Tibet border, is the highest summit on earth at an altitude of 8849 meters. 4\. The most important cities of India include: 5\. The world's **largest democracy**, **India**, is largely of Hindu religion and has a population of **1.43 billion** people or about one-sixth of the world's population. 6\. Most of the area was under strong British influence or rule for about 200 years up until the year **1947** (Independence of India and Partition of Pakistan). Mahatma **Gandhi** is commonly considered the Father of the Nation in India because he used non-violence on India's road to freedom. 7\. Rajasthan, Punjab, and Kashmir are three states of India sharing a border with Pakistan to the west. 8\. The **Indian** movie industry is the world's most productive one with a production close to 2000 films for the year 2019. **Bollywood**, the Hindi language Mumbai-based industry made close to 375 films in the year 2017. **\#8 The least of the least... (East Asia)** 1\. China is now the **second most populated State** on earth with around **1.41 billion** people. 2\. In order to get a first general idea of the geography of China, it is handy to divide it in three large regions. 3\. Chinese big cities are: **Beijing**, the capital of China, **Shanghai**, the largest and most developing, and **Hong Kong**, a former British colony that reverted to the country in 1997. 4\. As a consequence of the one-child-policy and preference for baby boys, there were more baby boys than baby girls born in China in the last two decades. Consequently, in 2020, China had an estimated 34M more men than women. 5\. Since 2014, **China's economy is the biggest on earth**. China is now the world's top consumer of energy. In 2018, about 64% of China's electricity was **generated by burning coal**. Consequently, China is the **largest CO~2~ emitter** with 30% of the 2018 world total. 6\. The **Great Wall of China** was built over a period of more than 2000 years by different Chinese Emperors in order to protect the Empire from northern intrusions. The Great Wall is not a single structure, but rather a series of different more or less connected structures. Altogether, the protective walls are about **6300 km** long!!!!!!!