GEOGRAPHY STUDY GUIDE

Answer the questions and review this study guide. We will go over the answers when you return. Make sure
you review your frayer vocabulary cards (Landforms).

1. Matching: Match the river to its description

Nile ________ nicknamed China’s sorrow
Tigris and Euphrates ________ Rivers of the Fertile Crescent
Yellow (Huang He) ________ Predictable flooding; a “gift”
Indus ________ monsoons made it unpredictable

2. The Nile Rivers runs NORTH and empties into which of the following:
a. The Indian Ocean
b. The Mediterranean Sea
c. The Red Sea
d. The Atlantic Ocean

3. Why is Mesopotamia known as the Fertile Crescent?

a. It has nutrient rich soil good for farming
b. It has mines of gold
c. It is shaped like a boomerang

4. One of Japan’s geographic disadvantages is

a. Overpopulation
b. Limited access to the ocean
c. Overproduction of rice
d. Limited natural resources
5. One disadvantage of living on a peninsula.
a. You are isolated from other civilizations.
b. You not are protected from other civilizations.
c. You can trade easily.
d. You have easy access to the sea
6. What factors led to the development of the civilizations of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia?
a. Favorable geography
b. Smart leaders
c. Material wealth
d. Universal education

7. How did the civilizations control the flooding of the rivers?

a. They moved the fields back away from the rivers
b. They built levies and canals
c. They built dams on the rivers
d. All of the above
8. Give three examples of how rivers helped civilizations.
1. ___________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________

9. The physical characteristics of a place include its:

a. Government and governing body
b. Traditions and Customs
c. Landforms and vegetation
d. Population and people

10. Which of the following has the greatest influence on the overall development of a civilization?
a.Physical features
b.Human characteristics
c.Neither of the above
d.Both of the above

11. Analyze why many early civilizations settled near bodies of water. Choose the best answer.
a.A body of water was necessary to keep the civilization thriving because it helped promote farming,
transportation and trade.
b.A body of water helped protect the civilization from invaders.
c.A body of water was a recreational pastime of many of the civilizations because they used it for entertainment.
d.The early civilizations did not settle near bodies of water.

12. Which of the following is a human characteristic of a place?

a.Climate
b.Elevation
c. Architecture
d.Animal life

13. What natural barrier helped keep Egypt free from many invasions?
a. Mountain
b. Desert
c. Peninsula
d. Island

14. Bringing water to crops is known as:

a. Shaduf
b. Irrigation
c. Sprinklers
d Flooding

15. Which is not an outcome of living in a mountainous country?

a.) The mountains provide protection from enemies.
b.) The mountains isolate one group of people from another.
c.) The mountains make travel difficult.
d.) The mountains provide good farm land for growing food.
16. When humans stopped being nomads and started to permanently settle in different regions, evaluate
which of the following best describes why they were able to do this?
a. Humans had learned that it would be easier to protect themselves by building a permanent settlement.
b. Humans realized that they wanted a place to officially call home.
c.Humans invented tools, domesticated animals and learned how to farm.
d.Humans never really stopped being nomads because migration occurs today.

17. Humans modified their environments to suit their needs. Analyze which of the following themes of
geography best describes this process.
a. Place
b. Regions
c. Movement
d. Human-Environment Interactions

18. Which of the following describes a scenario where humans had to adapt to their physical
environment?
a. American Indians were creative and different tribes found ways to live in deserts, along waterways, in the
mountains and forests.
b. The Dutch East India Company seized control of the Cape of Good Hope.
c. India and Pakistan had conflicts between Hindus and Muslims.
d. In many parts of Europe, many people have learned to speak more than one language fluently.

19. Which of the following tools helped influence farming in ancient Mesopotamia?
a. Canals for irrigation
b. The compass for navigation
c. Cuneiform for writing down discoveries
d. Ziggurats for worshipping the farming gods

20. Silt was the rich mud left behind after a river flooded. Silt was very important to the early people of
Mesopotamia because

a. It contained traces of silver and gold

b. It could be used to build houses
c. It helped build weapons
d. It made the land fertile for farming
HELPFUL REMINDERS
*Rivers*
A river is a moving body of fresh water that usually has its source in an area of high ground. The end of a river
is called its mouth. At the end of some rivers, deposits of silt build up, creating a delta. Many cities around the
world began along rivers.
Advantages
-access to fresh water (drinking, bathing, growing crops, fishing)
-trade
-travel
Disadvantages
-natural barrier
- flooding causes destruction
Examples
Nile, Niger, Ganges, Indus, Tigris, Euphrates, Huang He, and Yangtze

*Mountains*
Mountains are areas of land with steep sides that rise sharply from surrounding land. They can be found all
around the world, with 20% of the Earth's surface being mountainous.
Advantages
-protection from invasion
-elevation allows for vantage point
Disadvantages
-lack of arable farm land
-isolation (difficult trade, travel, cultural diffusion)
- difficult construction of homes, roads, etc.
Examples
Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Apennines, Pindus Mountains, Ghats, and Sierra Madres

*Hills*
Hills are raised areas of land.
Advantages
natural barriers
elevation for safety
Disadvantages
difficult for farming
difficult travel/trade
difficult for construction of homes, roads, etc.

*Deserts*
Deserts are areas of land with sparse vegetation, limited rainfall and extreme climate (very hot or very cold).
Advantages
-natural barrier
Disadvantages
-lack of arable farmland and water
-challenging climate
-difficult travel
-isolation from trade, travel and cultural diffusion
Examples
Gobi, Sahara, Arabian, Thar, Atacama, Taklamakan

*Oceans and Seas*

Oceans and seas are large bodies of salt water. The difference between the two is that a sea is smaller than an
ocean, and is generally surrounded by land. Together, oceans and seas cover around 70% of the earth’s
surface.
Advantages
-natural barrier to cultural diffusion and invasion
-highways of trade
-rich source of food and other resources such as minerals and oil
Disadvantages
-extreme weather (hurricanes, tsunamis, monsoons)
-lack of clean drinking water
-trade and travel extremely difficult without technology
Examples
Oceans include: Pacific, Indian, Atlantic
Major seas include: Mediterranean, Red, Black, Caribbean, Adriatic, Aegean, Japan

*Islands*
Islands are bodies of land surrounded by water on all sides.
Advantages
-Isolated (good for defense and intercepting others)
-Possibly is a natural barrier
Disadvantages
-Isolated (poor for trade and dangerous for travel)
Examples
-Mykonos and Santorini (both in Greece)

*Strait*
A strait is a narrow stretch of water connecting two larger bodies of water.
Advantages
-control of trade
-military access
-access to the Mediterranean Sea (Strait of Gibraltar)
Examples
Strait of Gibraltar, Strait of Magellan

*Rainforests*
Rainforest is an area of land with very thick vegetation. Rainforests are located in tropical climate zones and
experience a great amount of rainfall each year. The plants and trees in a rainforest have large, broad leaves
that create a canopy across the sky.
Advantages
-access to natural resources
-natural barrier against invasion
-water
Disadvantages
-isolation from trade, travel and cultural diffusion
-difficult farming & excessive water
Examples
Amazon, African Rainforest (located in Central Africa) and rainforests of Central America

*Plains*
Plains are areas of flat grassland, generally at a low elevation.
Advantages
-flat, farmable land
-construction of roads and settlements
Disadvantages
-no natural barrier to prevent invasion
-prone to severe weather
Examples
North China Plain, Savanna and Sahel of Africa

*Plateaus*
A plateau is an area of flat or slightly hilly terrain at a high elevation.
Advantages
-natural barrier
Disadvantages
-water
Examples
The Plateau of Tibet, Deccan Plateau in India Plateaus

*Wetlands*
Wetlands are lands saturated with water. They contain many swamps and marshes.
Advantages-
-Natural Barrier from attack
Disadvantages-
-Poor land for creating settlements and farming
Examples: Kerala Wetlands in India and Jiandao Wetlands in China

*Coastline (short and long)*

Coastline is the area where land meets water.
Advantages
-easy travel and trade by boat
-access to food and water
-harbors
Disadvantages
-open to invasion
Examples
Greece, Italy, Maya, Inca, Arabian Peninsula

*Peninsula*
A piece of land surrounded by water on 3 sides.
Advantages
-easy travel and trade by water
-access to food (fishing)
Disadvantages
-easy access for invasion/hard to defend all of the coastline