World Geography Final Exam

Which two U.S. states have the largest petroleum reserves

Alaska and Texas

Where do the largest concentrations of Asians and Pacific Islanders live in the U.S.

Atlantic and Pacific Coast

The remaining forest in Northern Europe that has not been deforested is the _______________________, or taiga, of Scandinavia and Russia

Borreal Forest

The most densely populated country in South America is

Ecuador

A phenomenon in which the pattern of ocean currents and water temperatures in the mid-pacific region reverse

El Nino

Where did the Industrial Revolution begin

England

Why is Mexico City considered to be a primate city

It is the primary destination for immigrants to Mexico

___________________ was the founder of modern communism

Karl Marx

In the 1980s, ____________________ instituted a policy of economic restructuring in the Soviet Union called perestrokia

Mikhall Gorbaeneu

An isthmus connecting North America and South America

Panama

French-speaking inhabitants of a city in eastern Canada

Quebecois

Prior to independence, Panama was part of

Spanish Empire

Which area experiences the midnight sun

The poles/ artic

The country that holds most of the sub regions oil reserves

Venezuela

The Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires ruled Eastern Europe until _________________

World War 1

What feature of the Inca Empire made it easier for the Spanish to conquer it

a network of roads that connect the empire

A specific spot or position on Earth's surface

absolute location

During the Soviet era, the Soviet Union operated as a ________________ in which the government made key economic decisions

command economy

A Spanish soldier who participated in conquest of indigenous people of Mexico

conquistadors

The theory that Earth's continents were once joined and then drifted slowly apart

continental drift

What effect does cool temperature have on air

cool temperatures cause air to sink, creating areas of high pressure

Causes winds to blow clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere

coriolis effect

The spread of material and non-material characteristics from one culture to another

cultural diffusion

The way of life of a group of people who share beliefs, customs, and material items

culture

The Industrial Revolution is considered an era of rapid ________________ because new technology enables culture traits to spread more quickly from one culture to another

culture diffusion

Which term refers to the early centers of civilization whose ideas and practices spread to surrounding areas

culture hearths

A physical feature that determines the direction of river flow

divide

What is the term for the generally windless area near the Equator

doldrums

A day on which the sun is directly over the Equator

equinox

The effect of an external force such as wind, glaciers, and moving water on Earth's surface

erosion

People who share common ancestry, language, religion, customs, or place of origin

ethnic group

The currency of the European Union is the _________________

euro

The eastern United States boundary where the elevated Piedmont area drops to the lower Atlantic Coastal Plain

fall line

Where is Earth's freshwater supply located

frozen in ice caps, trapped underground, river, streams, and lakes

Imaginary lines that follow Earth's curvature to identify the shortest distance between two points are called

great circle route

What causes solar radiation to warm the Earth

greenhouse effect

A source of freshwater from rain or snow that filtered through soil or rock

ground water

California's Silicon Valley; Seattle, Washington; and Austin, Texas are urban areas that have become leaders in the __________________ industry

high-tech

What does human geography examine

human activities and their relationships to the culture and physical enviornment

A powerful tropical storm that forms over warm ocean waters

hurricane

The location of all Earth's water

hydrosphere

What three areas of Earth work together so life in the biosphere thrives

hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere

the languages of Italy, Spain, and Portugal are categorized as Romance languages, which are based on

latin

The surface layer of Earth that includes the crust, continents, and ocean basins

lithosphere

What is the Earth's thickest layer

mantle

A region in the northeastern and Midwestern United States characterized by its heavy industrial concentration

manufacturing belt

A mathematically-derived portrayal of the round globe on a flat surface

map projection

Though modern geographers use information from economics, sociology, history, and many other school subjects, before modern computers, geographers most heavily relied on skills in

math

A region that includes a central city and its surrounding suburbs

metropolitan area

A person of mixed indigenous and European ancestry

mulatto

__________________, or the belief that the individual's loyalty to the nation or state surpasses other interest, can lead to war in its most extreme forms

nationalism

A political border that is established by a physical geographic feature such as a mountain range or river is a

natural boundary

The difference between an area's birthrate and its death rate

natural increase

Complex forest that has developed over a long period of time and its relatively untouched by human activity

old-growth forest

Harvesting aquatic life to the point that species are depleted and the value of the area declines

over fishing

Permanently frozen soil beneath the ground's surface

permafrost

The dry area between the Pacific Ranges and the Rocky Mountains

plateaus

The position of one place in reference to the positions of other places

relative location

An indicator of variation above or below sea level

relief

Different maps can accurately show the same place with different

scales

The breaking away of one part of a country to create a separate, independent country

seperation

The conflict in the Balkan Peninsula that led to civil war in the 1990s was primarily between ______________ and Croats and Bosnians

serbs

Early explorers and settlers of Northern Europe known as Norsemen relied on

ships of war

Of what precious mineral is Mexico the world's leading producer

silver

A day on which the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn

solstice

How places, people, or objects are related to one another across the surface of the Earth

spatial perspective

Scientist theorize that Earth's largest physical features are created by

subduction and collision of land masses

When it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, what season is it in the Southern Hemisphere

summer

Since the 1960s, the population of the Manufacturing Belt has declined while the number of businesses moving to the _____________ has increased

sunbelt

An underground layer naturally impregnated with petroleum

tar sands

How does the demographic transition model explain change overtime in the population of a country or region

the birth and death rates change, causing the total population to change

What classifies our solar system's four inner planets as terrestrial

they have rocky and solid surfaces

Why is it important to protect wetlands and swamps such as Florida's Everglades

they shelter a great variety of vegetation and wildlife

A climate area that occurs as elevation increases, with its own natural vegetation and crops

vertical climate zone

Longitude lines indicate

west, east, and prime meridian