World Regional Geography -- GEOG 105 R50

Mid-term Exam
Read All Instructions Carefully: You are to answer these questions using
your own words. I will not accept textbook definitions or quoted material
from your textbook. However, you can reference textbook examples, being
sure to note the page and passage to which you are referring. You may also
use the Internet to generate examples (not verbatim cut and paste
passages), but be sure to cite your sources. Any questionable work (i.e.
plagiarism) will be heavily penalized.
[NOTE: Answers should be typed right into this MS Word document
in blue typeface. When complete you will place the exam in the
DropBox no later than the midnight deadline.]
Key Terms: Define only five of these key terms and illustrate their meaning
in a brief example. Describe how they relate to the world-at-large, beyond
the obvious confines of the definition itself. (20%)
cultural imperialism digital divide Treaty of Tordesillas genocide
demographic transition gentrification capital leakage tribalism
universalizing religion NAFTA mono-crop production brain drain
climograph El Nio offshore banking kibbutzes
Greenhouse Effect remittances African Union OPEC
Climographs
Climographs are a type of graph that show the average high and low
temperatures and precipitation for a particular city or area. These
graphs (and the knowledge of temperature and precipitation of an
area) can be useful for several reasons and have more than one
connection to the world-at-large, such as, knowing the average
temperature gives a reader of the graph an inkling of what a typical
day would be like, whereas average precipitation dictates what the
food and agriculture would be like. Whats more, people could use
an average temperature and precipitation graph to plan for
transportation, tourism, and even buildingknowing that it rained a
lot, for instance, may factor into building in such a way as to be
prepared should there be flooding.
Capital Leakage
Capital leakage is the result of a large gap between the total of

tourist dollars and the gross income of a country. In the Caribbean,

profits are leaked from the Caribbeans gross income because many
tourists travel by cruise and stay in hotels that are part of chains
whose headquarters reside outside the Caribbean region, thereby
losing the Caribbean the money it would have otherwise gotten for
those cruises and hotels. Globally, capital leakage is a double-edged
sword; it only further increases growing resentment among locals as
they see the difference between their lives and those of the
tourists, but tourism (which is, obviously, closely linked with capital
leakage) is less destructive to the environment than agriculture as
tourism promotes stronger environmental laws.
Offshore Banking
Offshore bankingusually associated with the Bahamasis a type of
specialized, confidential, tax-free banking services, offering
everything from loans to trusts. The Bahamas had a dominance for
years, though it is declining recently due to competitors in places
such as Hong Kong and Singapore, and concerns over corruption
and drug money. Offshore banking factors into the world-at-large by
serving as a means for generating economy in resource-poor
nations, and it offers a close-to-home alternative to banking in
another country to many of the firms who have offshore banks in
the Bahamas and Caribbean (with many of the firms being located in
the United States). Following the Bahamas example, other
countries like Barbados and Belize are starting to try offering
offshore banking.
Genocide
Genocide is the deliberate and systematic killing of a cultural,
political, or racial group. Its affected many parts of the world
Hitlers persecution of the Jews, the Armenian genocide at the
hands of the Turksbut more recently has been focused in Africa,
where half the continent has experienced some sort of ethnic
conflict. Features of these systematic killing include destroying
villages and crops and killing livestock. People are killed or
displaced, with many fleeing to nearby countries as refugees (for
instance, many refugees from Darfur go to Chad), and more people
still die of starvation and disease. On a global scale, genocide not
only causes people to be displaced and become refugees, but
oftentimes other, larger nations will get involved, even if its just
private organizations trying to bring aide, such as the United States
delivering medical supplies and food into the Sudan.

Kibbutzes
Kibbutzes are the result of water from exotic rivers being irrigated
in order to produce crops in efficient, collectively-worked farms and
settlements. Areas that are example of such are places such as the
Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates. In the world-at-large, kibbutzes effect
both the environment as well as the population of a region. In the
area being irrigated, lush growth springs up and the land is easier
to work on and cultivate. Also as a result of the irrigation,
population grows, especially in areas near the delta of the river,
which are usuallyusing again the examples of the Nile, Tigris, and
Euphratesdensely populated. A more negative side effect,
however, is the reliance on irrigation leaves the areas susceptible to
overuse.
Discussion: Answer only four of the following questions by writing a cogent
and cohesive passage about the topics you choose. Be as specific as
possible, provide examples, and fully explain your rationale. (20% per
question for a total of 80% of the final grade)
1. Discuss what is meant by Diversity Amid Globalization. What are the
arguments both for and against globalization? Are you pro or con in regards
to globalization? Why? (Give specific examples to support your contention.)
Diversity Amid Globalization points to the far-flung aspects of
globalization. While most aspects of globalization tend to be
attributed to Americamusic and sports and fast food restaurants
other cultures overlap as well, with cultures merging and
interconnecting. Globalization itself is the interconnection of people
in cultures and the merge of economics and culture; diversity amid
globalization merely means that, amidst the hybridization of politics
and people, there is a great diversity stilla joining of multiple
cultures but still a uniqueness, even amongst cultures whose ideas
and technologies (right down to the food people eat) have
overlapped. The people who speak out for globalization state it as a
logical and natural result of modern international capitalism, and
that it will benefit nations and people by increasing global
commerce and wealth, with wealth working its way down to the
poorest as a result of economic globalization increasing competition
and, as such, the flow of ideas and technologies. Proglobalizationists also state that, by destroying trade barriers, lower
efficiency industries can become more efficient, and countries
should turn their attention to activities that best suit a global
economy. Those who are against globalization, however, basically

denounce everything those for it promote; critics who take the con
stance describe globalization not as a natural process but one that
is a product of economic policy promoted by free-trade, capitalist
countries like the United States and Japan. They denounce
globalization as creating greater inequality and say that promoters
of free-market export support free-market at the cost of local,
sustainable activities. Globalization also damages the environment,
leading to a loss of timbera global commodityand local
ecosystems as the result of financial decisions. I myself support
globalization in general; I dont agree with everything those
completely pro-globalization tout, such as the benefit of
sweatshops, and I recognize globalizations faultsfor instance,
increase in crime such as terrorism and prostitution, and
intensifying problems such as climate changes and air pollution
but I think globalization will, inevitably, lead to a better world
economy, and that, while globalization does create problems, the
continuous convergence of cultures and countries will fix some of
the problems globalization is creating (for instance, environmental
problems, especially in terms of pollution, may be more easily
solved if groups of countries worked together to benefit the whole).
I also enjoy the results of globalization; McDonalds and malls in
China and sushi bars and German and Japanese music in America.
2. Global warming has been in the news lately. Discuss the causes of global
warming, both natural and anthropogenic (human caused). What
environmental or economic impacts will be felt globally? (Give specific
examples.) What steps has the world taken to limit this warming trend in our
climate?
Global warming has several causes, most all of them with
anthropogenic roots. Pollution, of course, is a main cause behind
global warmingsince the Industrial Revolution, temperature
around the world has risen as more and more fossil fuels are being
used. Deforestation continues to be a problem, and as forests are
destroyed, the temperature continues to rises and less oxygen is
produced. The mix of growing heat and loss of trees are part of the
greenhouse effect, where greenhouse gas emissions cause the
temperature of the Earth to rise and continue to rise to this day. As
these temperatures rises, there are massive environmental and
economic impacts worldwide. Food, first of all, is a major concern of
global warming. As the population of the earth continues to
increase, the chances of global warming destroying food supplies
increases. Global warming leads to soil erosion and desertification,

and as global temperature rises, major agricultural areas will shift

such as the Wheat Belt in the United States and longer growing
seasons in Canada and Russia, where they lack large amounts of
fertile soil. Flooding may increase in Pacific and Indian Ocean
islands, and seal levels will rise and become a problem for coastal
areas around the world. Animals and plants suffer the results of
global warming, toonumerous plants and animals become on the
verge of extinction and, as temperature, rises the poles melt,
adding to those raising sea levels and destroying the natural habitat
of animals that live there. Some steps have been taken to try and
limit the trend in global warmingtreaties amongst countries,
promising to cut greenhouse gas emissions, have been put forth,
with limited results. The first treaty failed to get areas such as the
United States and Europebig producers of the cause of global
warmingto sign, and for the second treaty, the Kyoto Protocol,
Bush refused to sign the United States, citing that it would be too
detrimental to the economy (though global warming will be far more
detrimental in the end). There have also been other, more drawnout steps as wellfor instance, the Green Revolution, which has
been, over time, changing the way crops are grown.
3. Discuss the roots of cultural identity in North America. How has migration
altered our society? Also, discuss the globalization of American culture. (Give
specific examples to support your position.)
North America is a land of complex, multilayered roots. The
multitude of cultures began hundreds of years agoNative
Americans already populated the area when Europeans came, and a
couple of centuries later, immigrants were pouring into the United
States. Cultural identity started early; before the American
Revolution, British colonists were already forming dual American
and British identities. As immigrants came in and colored North
America with languages, religions, and cultures from around the
globe, the region became a land of immigrants. Cultural identity is
evident in the wide spread of races and religions, and the tolerance
of North America for this diversity, and is obvious in the fact that, in
many places in North America, you can hear and see things in two
languages, and is also obvious in the existence of places such as
ethnic neighborhoods (Alhambra and East Los Angeles, for example)
and persisting cultural homelands (the Hispanic Borderland in
Canada). Migration, too, has effected the cultural identity in North
Americathere have been several popular migration trends, such as
the continuous want to spread Westward; the African American

exodus to the North and West, where there where more job
opportunities; the growth of the South, with its expanding economy
and affordable cost of living; the move from rural to urban areas
and, more recently, the counterubanization as people move out of
urban areas and back to small towns. That diverse cultural identity
a jumble of religions and raceshas been spread across the world
of globalization. American culture can be found via movies in
Europe, Starbucks in Africa, malls in China, and rock and pop in
Japan. Other countries are bombarded by American movies, music,
ideas, and more, influencing how people dress and act, and
influencing what they create, usually through merging with that
culturesuch as the regional foods on McDonalds menus and rock,
rap, pop and more being written and sung and performed in other
countries and other languages, only to be spat back out into
mainstream globalization culture. American culture (via
globalization) even holds sway over womens rights and a countrys
beliefs in democracy and freedom.
4. Discuss the environmental geography of Latin America. Specifically
address the destruction of tropical rainforests and the urban environmental
challenges in the Valley of Mexico. What changes could you suggest to
mitigate these ills? (Give specific examples to support your contention.)
5. Discuss the economic and social changes in economies of Caribbean
countries. What economic impact does the United States of America and
other developed countries have in the Caribbean? (Give specific examples
to support your contention.)
The Caribbean is a land made by other countries, for those
countries. Colonialism was the start: four hundred years ago,
colonialism led to the depopulation of the Caribbean via Spanish
warfare, disease, enslavement and brutality. The territories were
reorganized so as to serve as plantation-based production systems,
and the local ethnicities were merged with slaves from Africa, where
their culture merged with European and that of the indigenous
people, becoming evident in religious and magical systems
throughout the Caribbean, influencing musicwhere reggae,
calypso and rumba are just some examples of how African rhythms
and European verse have blended over timeand European
languages dominate the area. The United States especially
influenced the countries of the Caribbean, exhorting force for
hundreds of years, from Roosevelts policy of extending influence
beyond Americas borders, to the development packages the

United States would offer so as to make social, economic, and

political gains for America. Later, America got caught up in the
Spanish-American war, and when the Caribbean state refused to
abide by United States trade rules, marinesbacked by America
landed in the Caribbean. Puerto Rico itself is a perfect example of
the impact of Americait remains a part of the Caribbean while
belonging to the commonwealth of the United States. In the
Caribbean, beyond the United States occasionally flexing its
muscles and frequently interfering with the machinations of the
Caribbean and leading, through colonization, to permanently
changing Caribbean religion and music, United States influence has
led to economic and social changes, as well. Off-shore banking
mostly by American firmsgenerates money for low-resource
nations and online gambling has recently taken over the Caribbean.
Tourism dominates, where tourists generate resentment amongst
the localsas they compare their lives to that of the touristsand
leads to problems such as capital leakage, as all the money from the
tourists goes, in general, to companies whose headquarters reside
outside the Caribbean. Other impacts of the United States and
other countries involvement in the Caribbean have led to excellent
education systems and female-dominated families (as husbands
leave for seasons to work), and the immigrating from the Caribbean
to other countries as a result of a lack of labor.
6. Regarding the geopolitical framework of Sub-Saharan Africa, discuss the
legacies of colonialism and conflict. What historical events characterized the
years since independence (i.e. 1960s)? What are the prospects for African
countries in the 21st Century? (Give specific examples to support your
position.)
7. Discuss the modern geopolitical issues facing Southwest Asia and North
Africa. Specifically address the Arab-Israeli conflict, the war on terror in
Iraq, and the ongoing instability in Saudi Arabia and Iran. What do you think
this region will look like in ten years and why? (Give specific examples to
support your position.)