Short Answer Questions

What economic activity employs the most people in both the USA and Canada?

Service Industry

Identify the 3 major geographic areas within Latin America.

1. Middle America, 2. South America, 3. The Caribbean

What geological processes shaped much of the west coast of North America?

Plate tectonic activity and volcanic activity

Explain how Co2 is related to the greenhouse effect.

Carbon Dioxide is a gas that traps thermal heat and keeps it on the surface of the earth contributing to global warming which is why we need the greenhouse effect

What three technological innovations led to the expansion and development of the United States?

Dry farming, railroad, and assembly line

How do physical and human geography differ?

Human geography is the study of people, where they lived, cultures, food, homes and religion whereas physical geography is the study of earth's land, features, landforms, plains, and climate.

What fueled the movement for Latin American independence?

The French Revolution, and The American Revolution

What type of Economic System do the united States have? Explain

The United States has a mixed economy. It is a combination of a free market economy and a command economy. Compared with most other countries around the world, it is more towards a free market economy and less towards a command economy.

Why is Europe a "peninsula of peninsulas"?

The continent of Europe sticks out from the western end of this landmass. It looks like a giant peninsula.

In what 2 ways might the burning of fossil fuels affect a region's vegetation.

The fossil fuels would pollute the air therefore the ground would also be polluted killing the plants.

Explain why large numbers of people are moving to cities.

The primary cause is because rural people want to find jobs and a better life in more prosperous urban areas

Explain how the Pacific Ranges were formed.

Pacific Ranges were formed by the collision of tectonic plates.

How did physical features influence population patterns and urbanization in the USA and Canada?

People moved to areas where flat land, water, and near resources are available.

What factors determine why Latin America's highlands climate is divided into three zones?

Elevation and Latitude

Explain how large bodies of water and mountains affect the climate.

-Large bodies of water can affect the climate of an area because water heats and cools slower than land therefore in summer the coastal regions stay cooler and in winter it will stay warmer. - Mountains can affect the climate of an area/nearby lands by blocking out the rain so that one side of a mountain range may be rainy while the other side may be a desert.

Where is most of Canada's population located?

Along coastal areas

How do geographers determine the location of places?

By using lines of latitude and longitude

Identify the 3 major island groups that make up the West Indies.

Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, The Bahamas

How can dependence on a single crop affect a country's economy?

Natural disasters can wipe out an entire year's crops and hurt the economy.

Identify and explain two solutions that the USA and Canada have implemented to reduce air pollution.

fuel pumps in service stations must have special nozzles that reduce the leakage of petroleum vapor into the air; prohibit nonessential driving and the use of lawnmowers, chainsaws, and other devices with gas-powered engines and industries with excessive emissions may be fined.

What are 4 major types of landforms found on earth?

mountains, hills, plateaus, plains

Where is most of South America's population located?

along the coast

How have human actions over the centuries changed Europe's waterways?

By them turning the water ways into transportation links.

Describe the Earth's four sphere's

Lithosphere- land, the earth's crust, Hydrosphere- oceans, lakes, and other bodies of water make up a part of the earth, Atmosphere- the air we breathe, a layer of gas extending about 6000 miles above the planet's surface, Biosphere- the part of the earth that supports life.

What is the difference between a nonrenewable resource and a renewable resource?

Renewable resources cannot be used up or can be replaced naturally or grown again in a relatively short amount of time. Nonrenewable resources cannot be replaced.

What process keeps the amount of Earth's water constant?

The water cycle

How do the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift affect Europe's climate?

They transport relatively warm water from farther west and south of that area. The warmer waters in turn help to warm any cold air masses moving in from the arctic region, which in turn keeps western Europe warmer during the cold season than it would otherwise be.

What are the environmental effects of slash-and-burn cultivation?

This practice often leaves barren land where no crops or productive forests can grow anymore. Endangerment and extinction to animals and plants may be magnified.

Why do geographers study human systems and human environment relationships?

To improve quality of life for as many people as possible and to conserve our resources for future generations

What effect does the continental divide have on the direction of river flow?

Waters west of the continental divide flow into the pacific ocean, waters east of the divide flow into the Mississippi river system and then into the gulf of Mexico.