Chapter 25

 Section 1

1. Cash crops in south Asia provide food for families and farmers, as well as export profits in international trade.

2. Pakistan, India and Bangladesh all have a free press.

creative writing: I would like to go to Nepal for vacation so that i could see the Himalaya mountains, although I would not go hiking in them. i think that this is the most tourist-friendly country in south Asia because of all of the tourism sparked the Mount Everest's popularity, and because of its ecotourism.



Mount Everest trail



Section 2

1. Problems in South Asia are caused both by religious and ethnic concerns as well as issues with self-governing peoples.

2. Rapid industrialization means that more and more people are in need of food, water, supplies and living space, and the cramped cities of South Asia cannot support all of the people living there. The result is poor living circumstances, deforestation to bring in wood for housing, cooking fire, and urbanization, and lastly, there is a lack of resources in the cities because there is such a high demand for everything. it also puts a lot of pollution into the atmosphere, ruining air quality and cleanliness.

creative writing: Government officials in South Asia are trying to convince poor rural populations to stop illegal logging and hunting of endangered animals. If I were one such official, and I had to write to the people of my country, I would write something like this:

 To the people of South Asia:

 I know that you are struggling with feeding yourself and your families, and you might not have enough money to do so, but that is no reason to destroy our Earth, our home, our animals or forests. deforestation is one of the biggest problems in South Asia, and illegal logging is the biggest contributor to it.

 Our rain forests keep the soil from eroding and they give us oxygen to breathe. They remove much of the pollution that we put into the air, and they protect us from rising air temperatures and from monsoons. you may illegally be cutting down these old growth forests to sell for money, but if you will be part of the Chipko movement, we can save our forests, and therefore, save the Earth and ourselves.

 Besides the forests, our endangered species are being poached, and this can also affect our lives, and our Earth. As forests disappear, so does much of the animals' territory, and they are pushed closer and closer to our rural areas and even our cities. Bengal tigers have lost more that 70% of their original habitat, putting them in small spaces, and decreasing their chances of survival. That is why they are coming to our farms and trying to make off with the livestock that you grow: they have no prey in their territories anymore, so they take ours. If we protected these endangered animals instead of killing them and selling their pelts, we could make jobs by hiring rangers to patrol the tigers' territory to protect these beautiful animals.

 These animals and forests are important to the Earth, to our survival, and to the survival of our children. so please help to keep them safe and stop the destruction of our world.



Deforestation in South Asia is affecting the Bengal Tiger populations, as well as many other species.



Chapter 22

Section 1
1. Three problems that cash-crop production has created for countries in sub-Saharan Africa are: (1)the risk of being dependent on one or two crops, (2)the effects on the economy because of a drop in crop prices or (3)an unfavorable growing season that could affect crops.

2. Three ways that transportation and communications in the region are changing are as follows: (1) Nigeria is planning to link all of its railway systems, (2) new satellite technology is helping to bring television stations to households in Africa, to make it cheaper to get channels outside of urban areas, and (3) the number of telephone and cell phone lines has neatly tripled between 2000 and 2004, allowing people to communicate across long distances, while costing them less money.

African girl holding her cell phone

creative writing: countries in the sub-Sahara African region have taken on enormous debt that they have been unable to repay. i think that this is from their advances in technology, communications, and transportation. because these countries are so poor, they could not afford to pay for all of these advances on their own, so they borrowed money from other, richer countries to take a step into the twenty-first century, but their economies still have to balance out before they can repay their loans.

Section 2

1. Three reasons that food shortages have occurred in parts of Africa south of the Sahara are: (1) drought, which shortens the amount of crops that survive to produce fruits, vegetables and grains, (2) wars, which stop economic growth, causes farmers to give their products to soldiers, and destroys farmland, and (3) exceeded carrying capacities.



Somali soldiers



2. Three of the steps African countries south of the Sahara are taking to protect their environments are as follows: (1) eliminating poaching with new, stricter laws, (2) new ranching laws that encourage crocodile farming, and (3) protecting habitats for endangered animals like elephants, rhinoceroses, and smaller game animals, so that when animals are reintroduced, their habitats will be able to support them.



African Elephants were hunted for their valuable tusks,
and in 1989, they were put on the endangered species list.



creative writing: Famine and war are among the threats to the people of Africa south of the Sahara, and desertification and poaching are among the threats to the environment and wildlife. War and poaching are both ways of killing a species, war being the killing of humans, and poaching being illegal hunting of animals. Both are serious threats that are caused by humans. famine and desertification are both natural occurrences that can destroy a population, whether it be human or animal. If humans can stop fighting and make peace, the citizens of the sub-Sahara African countries can focus on their farming, conservation of land, and protection of wildlife. this may seem far-fetched, but if the fighting stops, we can fix all of our other problems by working as one.

Chapter 20

Section 1
1. In South-Saharan Africa, tectonic activity has created the Great Rift Valley, Lake Tanganyika, and the Ruwenzor Mountains.


Map of Great Rift Valley



2. The basins that hold lakes and rivers in South-Saharan Africa are created by the uplifting of the earth's crust while escarpments, mountains and the rise of the land direct the water's flow.


creative writing: Mineral deposits are often found near rivers or in dry river beds. Because rivers in South-Saharan Africa are found in rift valleys, only countries with rift basins have access to mineral deposits. if a desert or dangerous stretch of land separates a country from a rift basin, then that country is deprived of that deposit as well.


Section 2
1. In addition to rain fall, ocean currents, wind patterns and elevation affect the climate in Africa south of the Sahara.



Climate of Africa south of the Sahara



2. There are many kinds of climates in Africa south of the Sahara: tropical wet with tropical rain forests; tropical dry with grassland and scattered trees; steppe with low-growing grasses and small shrubs and trees; desert with very little plant life; and midlatitude climates with lush farmland and grasses and shrubs.

creative writing: The Serengeti Plain is in Africa's tropical dry climate and sports tropical grassland and spread out trees and scrubs. This African terrain has temperatures of 70°F in the winter and 90°F in the summer. The Great Plains in North America are steppe and humid continental climates with temperate grassland and very little trees. This vast plain has temperatures of 50°F in the winter, and 70°F in the summer . Both of the plains have large expanses of grassland, and also have large, grazing mammals and smaller carnivorous mammals living on the plains. 

Chapter 19

Section 1
1. Only 2-30% of the land in the middle east is arable, or able to support farmland, and yet much of the economies of middle Eastern countries is dependent om agriculture. The steppe climate of Central Asia provide fertile land for raising livestock and growing crops. The Mediterranean climate of North Africa and Southwest Asia allow farmers to grow cereal grains, olives, grapes, dates and citrus fruits. Fishing industries are a big part of life in north Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, and fish are caught in man-made ponds, the Atlantic Ocean, inland seas, and rivers.

2. Changes and improvements in communication and transportation are bringing people closer together. Communications allow people in different regions to interact without the need to travel, and even so, new roads, airlines and railways are being built for when transportation is necessary.

creative writing: The communications in the united states and Canada are very high-tech, and are becoming sleeker and smaller (like smaller computers and cell phones), while telecommunications in the middle east are still being picked up. Most of the economy in the US and in Canada are either agriculture, industry, or technology based, and in the Middle East it is based on oil, natural gas and agriculture. Travel in the Canada and the United States is mostly done by car or airplane, and some railway. In Southwest Asia, North Africa and Central Asia, there are more roads, railways and airports being built, and all of the new ones are being used.



The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Section 2
1. Much of the freshwater sources in North Africa, and the Middle East are oases, rivers and aquifers. Countries with little of these and are bordered by salt water use desalination - the separation of salt from water - to provide fresh water. farmers also dig canals to irrigate their farms.

2. Three of the largest environmental problems in the area are the Aswan High dam, the impact of war, and the three troubled seas. The Aswan High Dam rests on the Nile River in Egypt. It has dammed up the Nile, disrupting its natural flow, and created the world's largest man-made lake - Lake Nasser. Now that the Nile doesn't flood because of the dam, it cannot deposit fertile salts and minerals to the farmland, and the ground is growing sterile.

War in the middle east and in north Africa caused the destruction of nearly 700 oil wells, which poured thousands of pounds of thick black smoke clouds into the atmosphere. Also, millions of gallons of oil was poured into the Persian Gulf and killed thousands of marine animals and birds.

The troubled seas, or the Caspian sea, the Aral Sea and the Dead Sea, all face extreme environmental challenges. Both air and water pollution soil the water in these three lakes, and overfishing has depleted their fish populations. Farmers have diverted feeding rivers to irrigate their farmlands, and this causes the lakes to lose water, and the drier land is kicked up in dust storms. The Dead sea has dropped, in the past 40-50 years, 262 feet, or 80 meters.


Salt formation in the Dead Sea



creative writing: I agree with the statement "It is necessary for all of the countries in North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia to cooperate to develop plans and technologies to bring more freshwater to the region." I agree because without water, no human can survive, and without water, no ecosystem can survive. Because most of this area is desert, the conservation of water is extremely important, and the conservation of the environment is equally important. If the countries in this region don't have enough water to support its people, then they need to work together to bring freshwater to cities and farms.

Chapter 17

Map of the Middle East and North Africa

Section 1
1. Mountains and deserts dominate the landscape of North Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East. The main water sources are lush river valleys that wind their way across the kums and to the seas.

2. Much of the world is economically dependent on this area because of its natural resources - oil and natural gas. This region contains some 60% of the world's oil preserves under its deserts.

creative writing: I believe that the supply of water in North Africa, southwest Asia, and Central Asia is more critical to the region's security than the supply of oil. This is how I see it: every one needs water to stay alive, but no one needs oil to stay alive.

Section 2
1. The climates in North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia are made up of desert and steppe climates with little to no rain. But in the northern middle east, that is around Turkey and Syria, a Mediterranean climate brings rainy, cool winters and hot summers.

2. People like nomadic herders keep their livestock in steppe climates and feed them on short grasses that grow in these areas. The people that grow cereals and grains live next to rivers and use irrigation to water their fields.


Size of sand grains in the Middle East


creative writing: The steppe climate areas of North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia, and the steppe climate in the Great Plains of the United States and Canada are similar. The farmers in both regions grow similar crops and livestock - grains, cereals, cattle, goats. But these areas and their farmers are different as well: most of the food produced in the great plains is widely commercial, while the food grown in Southwest & Central Asia, and North Africa is more locally use and eaten.

Chapter 16

Section 1

1. Agriculture, industry, communications and transportation have changed since the fall of the Soviet Union. Agriculture in Russia used to be based on state-controlled kolkhozes and sovkhozes - farms owned by either the farmers, or the government - but since the decline of the soviet union, and the growing market economy, the stability of agriculture depended on crop imports from other countries. Industry is slowly increasing its GDP in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. The main focus of Russia's industries is the extraction and processing of crude oil, and the import of minerals and metals. Communications post-Soviet era have recognized new view points, and is not as restricted of criticizing the government as it was under soviet rule. the use of cell phones has doubled, and the use of the Internet is above the world's average of 12%. Finally, transportation is difficult, at best, in Russia. Often, snow-fall and -melts often make roads unsafe, and unusable. Russia depends on waterways and rail systems to transport goods and people all across the country.



The Trans-Siberian railroad is the largest
contributor of transportation across Russia.



2. Russia is developing into a full part of the global trading community. Its major trading companions are the Japan, the EU, China, and other former Soviet republics.

creative writing: Russia, under Soviet rule, started with a control economy. The government controlled what products were made, where they were sold, and how much they cost. many working consumers could not afford day-to-day things, and therefor, both the economy and the working population suffered. Mikhail Gorbachev, who ruled starting in 1985, began changing the economy over to a market one in order to save the economy, which was failing. he allowed businesses to become privately owned, and he reduced the government's control on consumer products. The next ruler, Boris Yeltsin, further removed price controls and encouraged investing profits in foreign reinvestment's. Eventually, Russia's economy became a fully market economy.


Section 2
1. Russia manages its natural resources by forcing companies in mining, fishing and timber industries to take environmentally aware actions, by replanting trees, increasing private investments to protect forests, and meeting strict environmental standards.

2. The future environmental challenges that Russia faces are the shrinking fish populations in Russia's oceans and rivers, the use of super trawlers in the fishing industry - which unnecessarily kills millions of sea mammals and fish every year. Pipelines that transport gas and oil across the country threaten the environment with leaks and busts, which can kill the surrounding areas for miles. Also, the thawing of peat bogs in Siberia could release millions of metric tons of greenhouse gasses into the air.

creative writing: Pollution is a global issue, but it affects some people more than others, and in places like Russia, with lots of lands and forests to care for, the impact is greater. The Soviet's disregard for environmental preservation did not help maters. The soviets tested the effects of nuclear bombs and explosions. Nuclear wastes and radioactive materials, if not properly contained, can cause severe cancer, destroy the environment in a large area, and contaminate water for generations. One example of a severely disasterous exposure of the effects of radiation was in the fire in the nuclear plant in the Russian town of Chernobyl. The fire set off an explosion releasing tons of radioactive particles into the air. This disaster still affects people today.


The nuclear power plant after the explosion in Chrnobyl.



Chapter 15

flag of the Soviet Union

Section 1

1. In post-Soviet Russia, the role of religion has changed from being illegal, to being very important and influential.

2. Russia's major ethnic groups are Russian, Turkic, Ukrainian, Uralic-Altic, Ossetian, Paleo-Siberian, and Caucasian.

creative writing: If I were a teen in Europe who wanted to persuade my parents that attending high school in the post-Soviet era is better than it was during the Soviet era, my essay would look something like this:

Dear Mama and Papa,
   I know that you attended high school during the soviet era, and you may believe that it was great. But the post-Soviet era that we now live in has provided an even greater education for me. This is because of the greater variety of subjects that I am being taught. You only learned about mathematics, engineering and science, and although these are very important, so is history, language, and literature! Without these, much of our humanity is lost, and where would we be without that?
   It is in my opinion that post-Soviet education is of higher quality than that of the Soviet era. Although you may disagree, stating that because of the Soviet Union, you now have a good paying engineering job, but I say, so do all of the other parents who grew up under Soviet rule. An entire generation was turned monochromatic, the same, with the same jobs and educations. but now, with a variety of subjects to master, my generation will flourish with color of varying educations and employments.
  This is why I believe that the quality of education in post-Soviet Russia is higher than it was in Soviet Russia.
   Thank you for your time, from your child,
   Akilina



map of major ethnic groups in Russia


Section 2
1. The ancient Slavs were the ancestors of the ethnic Russians.

2. The causes of the Soviet Union's collapse were the weakened economy, the Cold War, and  the disagreements between the privileges of the leaders, and the wages of the workers in the USSR.

creative writing:
   The United States played part in the downfall of the soviet union in Russia, although, it was also contributed to by the failing economy and disagreements of the wages and privileges of its people.
   As more people suffered under Soviet rule, the Soviet leaders went toe-to-toe with the U.S. and its allies. as both powers fought for international power and influence. Although both threatened to use nuclear weapons to destroy the other's land and sent used other countries' soldiers to fight a proxy war, the two sides used propaganda to get more people and nations on their side. Eventually, the soviets lost, and soon after the cold war, the soviet union fell apart, leaving individual countries to find their own political stand.

Chapter 14



Russia's biggest cities



Section 1

1.The area of the land that Russia covers is approximately 6.6 million square miles, or 17.1 million square kilometers.

2. Russia's natural resources are natural gas, mineral reserves, platinum, coal, nickel, gemstones, and aluminum.

creative writing: Many people are not aware that much of the world’s forest land lies on Russian soil. Actually, one fifth of all the world's forests is in Russia. these forests are populated by spruce, pine, fir and cedar trees, which are fit to survive through cold Russian winters. These trees also are second in the world for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and replacing it with oxygen, the first place forest being the rain forests in the Amazon Basin in South America. The trees in the boreal, or most northern, forests of Russia also provide literally tons of the world's timber. But every year, 40 million acres are deforested for agriculture or livestock grazing or urbanization. The loss of these trees could mean the loss of that much oxygen in the air, and just that much more carbon dioxide to pollute it. Therefor, the protection of Russia's forests are as much important to the trees themselves as to the world.

Section 2
1. Russia's main climates are tundra, steppe, humid continental, highland, and subarctic.



Average annual temperature in Russia.



2. In the tundra region of Russia, there are no trees, but wide, frozen planes. In Russia's subarctic regions, coniferous forests dominate the landscape, while in the humid continental regions, coniferous forests mix with deciduous forests. in the steppe climate of Russia, many plants grow, including sunflowers, mint, and beans, and vast expanses of grassy planes.

creative writing: If I were a member of Napoleon's army invading Russia in 1812, this journal entry might describe what my day would have been like:

December 14, 1812
   We walked another full day, today. The snow kept falling, and we kept walking, and the men in my regiment kept falling over, for they couldn't feel their feet. The Russians, as they retreat, kept burning their own towns. Sometimes the houses and barns were still on fire when we reached them, and we walked across the hot ashes to relieve the cold in our feet and legs. Napoleon told us to search the ruins for food or supplies, even though we knew it was futile. I only found a dead lamb. The other soldiers wanted to eat it strait away, but as it was about to be cleaned, the smell of rot came out from it, and we went hungry again. My dear friend Pierre died from pneumonia, and I pray that he is well, wherever he is. I also pray that i make it home without losing any more than the toes that froze today.

-- Théo Abbe

Chapter 13

Section 1
1. Three of the reasons major economic changes are taking place in Europe are the opening of tourism in urban areas, the fall of communism, and the creation and expansion of the European Union, or the EU.

2. Some changes in the economies, farming techniques, and communications in eastern Europe since the fall of communism in 1989 are the switching from command economies to market economies, the use of organic farming, and the merging of Eurovision and Intervision broadcast networks to create the European Broadcasting Union.



The euro is the most common form of currency in Europe, as it is used by most countries in the EU.

 creative writing: As Europe develops a more unified, service-oriented economy, a question rises: is it more important for nations to develop more efficient communications systems than to develop more efficient transportation systems? I believe that both are equally important. More efficient transportation would mean that less oil is used to power trains, cars, boats and airplanes. Also, a more efficient communications network would mean that more people could share their ideas with the rest of the world through fiber-optics, cell phones, satellite relay, cable and microwave relay. This would especially help communications in eastern Europe.

Section 2

1. Three ways the industry and farming practices have affected Europe's environment are soil erosion caused by over-farming, over-grazing, bad farming practices and too much removal of vegetation, the deforestation of nearly two-thirds of the natural forests of europe, and the creation of acid rain by the mixing of moisture and air-borne chemicals produced by factories and industrial sites. 



Trees killed by acid rain in Europe.



2. The steps that have been taken by the European Union to protect Europe's environment are the burning of natural gas instead of fossil fuels, the use of Biogas, a gas made by decomposing organic materials, and the law that states that by this year, 2010, all countries in the EU must have lowered their emissions to 15% lower than their previous levels in 1990.

creative writing: Are the pollution laws and controls put in place by members of the European Union all that is necessary to protect the environment in Europe today and in the future? In my opinion, no. I believe that we are always needing new restrictions to erase or at least lessen our environmental footprint. As long as humans will need electric power, we will need restrictions on our uses of it, and even the most recent laws against greater pollution will become outdated.

The flag of the European Union.

Chapter 12



Map of Northern Europe



Section 1

1. Over the past 100 years, immigration has influenced populations of countries in northern Europe by increasing the density of the population to 60 million people in approximately 94,488 square miles of land, and changing rural areas into urban cities.

2. The physical geography helped shape the population patterns of Northern Europe because both the islands and peninsulas that make up Northern Europe's countries are accessible to oceans and seas on most sides, allowing .peoples in the past to invade, conquer,  inhabit, and form these countries.

creative writing: There are advantages and disadvantages to living in a country that is a welfare state. The advantages are not having to worry about paying for tuition, health-care, retirement benefits, unemployment benefits, etc. But the disadvantages are that all of these is paid for by public taxes, and the benefits are equal to everyone, poor or wealthy, and the wealthier cannot buy extra benefits for themselves or their family.



Map of Western Europe



Section 2
1. Three ways that a religion has helped shaped the history and governments of western Europe are by creating  rivalries of power between nobles, emperors and popes and church officials, bringing about the Thirty Years' War, and sparking the holocaust during World War II.

2. World War II helped shape population patterns of western Europe because it meant that millions of people were  being moved, killed, or evacuated. Also, after the war, Germany was split into two separate countries before the fall of the Soviet Union: West and East Germany.

creative writing: The people of western Europe have a high standard of living, and governments provide citizens with medical care, maternity and retirement benefits, and other services, but the population in Western Europe is aging, with declining birthrates and death rates. In the next twenty-five years, many problems may surface. the population may reach a state where there are not enough citizens that are capable of working, and the number of working people will drop, along with the economy. this also means that with an aging population, there will be a narrower selection for national sports teams, and less people able to play.



Map of Southern Europe



Section 3

1. Because most Southern European countries are experiencing a period of immigration, urbanization is common, as most immigrants move to larger cities to find better jobs, and the population density is rising more quickly.

2. Three cultural elements shared by most of the people in Southern Europe are literacy, a knack for modern art, and the speaking of romantic languages.

creative writing: The Roman Empire ruled most of southern and western Europe, along with some of Asia and Africa. they left behind traces of their culture in the modern Europe we know today. we see it in the domes, columns, and arches in modern architecture, in the romantic languages spoken in Europe and the roots of the English language, and in the Roman Catholic Church.

Chapter 11




Map of Europe

 

Section 1
1. Many natural forces sculpt Europe's land formations. One example of a glaciation-affected land form is Ben Nevis. An example of a land form affected by wind is Northern European Plain. A third example, of land forms shaped by tectonic or volcanic activity would be the Pyrenees Mountains.

2. Rivers are vital to Europe's economy because they act as trade ways that allow vessels and cargo ships to travel into Europe's interior, with the aid of canals.




map of Rhine River

 creative writing: There are many economical and political disputes about and over the Rhine River, which flows through three countries from its source in the Swiss Alps, along part of the border between France and Germany, through Germany for most of its length, to its final destination in the North Sea off the Netherlands. First of all, as both an economic and political issue, both Germany and France share a border formed by the Rhine. This river is disputed over because of the confusion of whether that certain stretch is owned by France or Germany, and whether or not either country can modify the river with the creation of dams or canals. secondly, if any country does dam the river, its flow into the Netherlands will be greatly reduced, and travel up and downstream will be affected. And a third challenge that the countries along the Rhine River face is the pollution that is produced from industries along the river. If a stretch of river close to its source is contaminated, then the rest of the river will be too.




map of Europe's average temp.

 Section 2 1. The major influences on climate in Europe are latitude, wind, land forms and ocean currents.

2. Winds affect the climate regions of Europe by bringing warm, moist air from the waters in the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Current into western Europe.

creative writing: The city of Dublin, Ireland, is at about 53° N latitude, and has an average January high temperature of about 44° F (about 6.6° C). The city of Duluth, Minnesota, is at about 48° N latitude, and has an average January high temperature of about 16° F (about –8.88° C). the reason for the higher average temperature is because the warm winds that blow off the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Current keep the air i western Europe from becoming colder, while Minnesota, having so such winds, becomes much colder in the winter.

Chapter 10

Section 1
1. The basis of the economies in many Latin American countries is agriculture.



Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Latin America



2. The causes of Latin America's economically dependent status are the abundance of cash crops that are sold as exports. The consequences of this dependence are an extreme economic crash, should anything happen to the crops or the latifundas they are grown on.

creative writing: The North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, is the agreement that gradually, trade restrictions will be decreased, and the flow if people, goods and services will be increased. There are advantages and disadvantages to NAFTA. One of the advantages is that trade between Canada, Mexico and the United States in creased by 10-15% every year, but a disadvantage was that it affected the overall effects on gross domestic product and regional employment very little.


section 2

1. As more and more people move into Latin American cities and towns, more and more housing, farming and work developments are made to keep up with the growing population, which takes up space. This space usually comes from the rain forest, and in using this space, we are depleting the natural resources there.



population growth in Latin America



2. The challenges posed by the growth of Latin America's urban population are the lack of safe housing, the unsanitary conditions of shantytowns, environmental laws that ban a certain amount of expansion, industrial pollution that both destroys the rain forests and beaches and waterways in Latin America, but also smog up the cities.

creative writing: The countries of Latin America are facing many challenges of regional and international significance. Two of the biggest issues are being in balance with the environment, and their economies. In Latin America, most of the wilderness is either beaches and ocean, or tropical rain forest. Much of the resources that powers industries such as fishing and logging are dependent on the ocean waters and the rain forests, but if these locations are changed in any way,  then the ecosystems of that environment would be destroyed and the fish or wood, per say, would no longer be available. in the Latin American economies, much of the money lies on agriculture. But if there were a disease that killed off most of the produce or live stock grown on the farms, then the economy would crash because the product would no longer be available. Another larger part of the economy is industry. but most people who work in factories or farms do not make very much money, and because of increased industrialization, many companies are replacing workers with machines, raising the number of jobless people in Latin America.



Slash-and-burn farming is used to clear rain forest land and make it suitable for farming.



Chapter 9

sorry, no homework :) :P

Chapter 8

Section 1

1. Geographers divide the large region of Latin America into three sub regions: Middle America (the areas between Panama and Mexico), South America, and the Caribbean.

2. The natural resources that make Latin America an economically important region are natural gas, oil deposits, mineral deposits such as gold, copper, aluminum, silver, and even emerald gems.

creative writing: The water systems of Latin America are necessary for trade and transportation. As the second longest river in the world, the amazon river winds its way through the rain forests of South America, leading fishermen and traders across the continent. the Paraná, Uruguay, and Paraguay Rivers all flow together and form the second largest river system on the continent. theses rivers also provide transportation and trade routs, and also give a source of hydroelectric power, electricity created by the movement of water through a dam. the Panama Canal, in Middle America, is a man-made canal that allows ships and boats to cross between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans without having to go all the way around the southern-most tip of South America.

 

South America's river systems

section 2

1. The climate regions of Latin America are tropical wet and dry, steppe, desert, Mediterranean, humid subtropical, marine west coast, and highland.

2. The highland climates, which are affected by location and altitude, occur mostly in the Andes Mountians in South America. Geographers call the differences in climate and vegitation vertical climate zones, and these zones are classified as tierra helada (above 16,000 ft, snow and ice, less than 20˚F), puna (between 12,000 and 16,000 ft, grass but no trees, 20-55˚F), tierra fría (between 6,000 and 12,000 ft, greatly spaced evergreen trees and shrubs, 55-65˚F), tierra templada (between 2,500 and 6,000 ft, broad leafed and pine trees, 65-75˚F), and tierra caliente (between sea level and 2,500 ft, coastal areas and foothills with a few trees, 75-80˚F).

creative writing: If I were to hike through the tierra fría in South America, this might be similar to a journal entry about what I would see:

    Day 1
   I took a gondola up the side of the mountain this morning. The fog was cold, and I'm glad that I brought a thick jacket. I couldn't see much of the mountian, but when i got off, there were a few trees nearby. There was frost on the ground as I set out across the mountain. I passed some farmers with thier sheep. They were friendly, but I dont think they wanted me near the animals. The fog cleared up around noon and I finally saw the landscape around me. The long green grass was wet with dew, and the few trees that grew here were dark, tiny dots on the mountain sides. It was amazing! I was so buisy looking around that I didn't see the tree in front of me and I ran right into it!

   Day 2
   After setting up camp yesterday, I couldn't sleep, so I watched the sky. There were so many stars, so much unlike in the cities below me, but most were hidden by passing clouds. When I was in my tent, I could hear the sheep bahing from across the mountain. this morning, the ground was covered in frost, and it got my boots wet and cold as I continued to hike. I met more farmers, but they tended crops of potatoes and barley instead of sheep. It was still cold, but i was warm from walking. a small stream was falling down between some rocks on the ground, and I had to walk across it, because it was too wide to jump. I almost slipped on the rocks, and the freezing cold water got in my boots, making my feet even colder than before.

   Day 3
   It was my last day in the tierra fría today. As I made my way back to the gondola station, I crossed the stream again. I was more careful about where I stepped, and I carried my shoes and socks instead of wearing them, so I could dry off my bare feet and put on warm shoes. You could say that I learned my lesson the hard way yesterday. The thick shrubs that clustered in the grass rustled when the wind blew, and some needles fell off the pine trees, too. The frost wasn't as common as yesterday, as the clouds were gone all morning. The bright sun hurt my eyes, which had been adjusted to the overcast sky. When I reached the station, I took a last look around. The view still stunned me, and I remembered the camera in my backpack. I took it out and snapped a quick picture before getting on the gondola.



vegitation in the tierra fría

Chapter 7

section 1

1. The development of a postindustrial economy in the United States and Canada are affected where and how people live because a postindustrial economy is based on service and high-tech industries. Service is the largest part of postindustrial economies. it includes government jobs, and also educational, health care, and banking jobs, and these depend on people living near their job sites, and people being able to do their jobs regularly. High-tech businesses depend on access to natural resources and transportation. places like Silicon Valley in California, are home grounds for major high-tech companies like Apple and Microsoft. for people to live there comfortably, and to keep them to stay, these cities offer pleasant weather - most of the time - and nearby housing as well as many jobs.



2.The economies of the United States and Canada are interdependent with each other and with those in other parts of the world because of a lack of some important natural resources. While some countries might have a certain kind of resource, like coal, another country might have iron.

creative writing: All around the world, different countries have different economies, and some even have multiple economies at the same time. Canada and the United States both have a market economy, which allows people to profit, own, and operate their own business. It also allows employers to pay their employees for their work and it holds laws and rules that defend employment opportunities, safety and health of workers, and private property rights. A postindustrial economy is transformed when technology develops in workplaces. The U.S. also have a postindustrial economy. A global economy is affected by trade all around the world. when a certain country spends money on imports, and earns money on exports, or when a country or region stop spending money or stop earning money, the global economy expands or shrinks. These three types of economies are interrelated because what a country exports affects what it can buy; what it can buy affects what it creates; what it creates affects what kind and how many jobs there are; those jobs affect who can work and how much the employees are paid; and the products that are sold, and the money that is earned affects how many people will buy the end product, which is all part of the global economy, postindustrial economy, and market economy.

section 2
1.One of the ways that the United States and Canada could manage their natural resources more responsibly is to stop clear-cutting forests, and instead cut some trees away, and replace them with native trees, then let the trees and plants grow back while harvesting another small part of the forest. Another way is to replace driving with other means of transportation (such as walking or bicycling), or to use public transportation (like buses or trains) to get from one place to another without using individual vehicles. A third way would be to eat less. It would mean that there would be more agricultural products to go around, a drop in over-fishing, and less production of greenhouse gasses used to process the food in mills and factories.


2.There are many forms of pollution in the United States and in Canada. One form is acid rain, which caused when chemical emissions released by factories, cars and power plants mix with water in the atmosphere and fall down as highly acidic rain. This rain can threaten timber and water resources for hundreds of miles from where their clouds first formed. Another form of pollution is smog. Smog is formed when sunlight meets with exhaust and chemical emissions to form a thick gray-brown cloud that hangs low over the ground. A third type of pollution is water pollution. water pollution damages water systems such as lakes, rivers and even oceans. Eutrophication, the process in which water becomes richly dissolved in nutrients speeds up with water pollution, which allows algae and bacteria to grow extremely quickly, leaving no oxygen for the fish and other animals that live in the polluted  waters.

(top) clear day in Denver, Colorado
(bottom) smoggy day in Denver, Colorado



creative writing: If the Trans-Alaska Pipeline were to touch the permafrost - a frozen water and soil layer that lies underground - and melt it, the sold mud and water could rust the piping and cause it to leak, spilling crude oil across thousands of miles of wilderness and ruining ecosystems all around it, or the supports for the pipes could slip in the now liquefied ground and create the same disaster.

layers  under the top soil in Alaska and northern Canada