Understanding World Regional Geography

Understanding World Regional Geography (UWRG) is a course designed to teach students to think and apply geographic concepts long after the course is over.  Author Erin Fouberg draws from her expertise in geography education and research in student learning to create a product that has a strong pedagogical framework designed to engage students and deepen their understanding of the world by having them “DO” Geography.  UWRG includes features that help students learn to read cultural and physical landscapes, ask geographic questions, apply geographic concepts, and make connections. It integrates 25 threshold concepts and teaches students how geographers apply these concepts and asks them to apply these concepts themselves.  This enables them to grasp the complexities of the world and provides them with the knowledge and thinking skills necessary to understanding it.  UWRG is the first introductory course to integrate ESRI ArcGIS Online thematic maps, enabling students to engage with course materials, see patterns, and answer geographic questions.

1 Introduction to World Regional Geography 1

What Is Geography? 2

Reading the Cultural Landscape: Ifugao Province, Philippines: Rice Terraces 2

Using Geographic Tools: Using Regions to Analyze Differences: The Diffusion of HIV/AIDS by Region 5

What Are Regions? 6

Reading the Physical Landscape: Defining World Regions Using Physical Geographic Traits 8

What Regions Are Used in Understanding World Regional Geography? 13

Using Geographic Tools: Functional Regions 16

Guest Field Note: Vacherie, Louisiana: Laura Creole Plantation 18

What Tools Do Geographers Use to Study World Regional Geography? 25

Your Turn Geography in the Field 33

2 Global Connections 36

What Is the Nature of Globalization, and How Is It Impacting the World System? 37

Guest Field Note: Agricultural Connections between West Africa and South Carolina 43

How Do International Organizations Create and Shape Global Connectedness? 43

How Are Places Connected, and Why Are Some Places More Connected than Others? 48

Reading the Cultural Landscape: Agglomeration Effect in Silicon Valley, California 55

How Is Global Environmental Change Affecting the World? 56

Reading the Physical Landscape: The Anthropocene in the Urban Realm 57

Using Geographic Tools: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analysis 60

Your Turn Geography in the Field 62

3 Geography of Development 65

What Is Development and Where Did the Idea of Development Originate? 66

How Does Geography Help Us Understand Development? 70

Why Is Development Uneven? 74

Reading the Physical Landscape: Haiti Earthquake, 2010 75

What Role Does Development Assistance Have in the Contemporary World? 76

Reading the Cultural Landscape: T-Shirt Travels 78

Using Geographic Tools: Using Cognitive or Mental Maps to Understand Local Development Priorities 79

Guest Field Note: Development in Botswana 81

Your Turn Fieldwork in Geography 84

4 Africa South of the Sahara 87

What Is the Physical and Environmental Geography of Africa South of the Sahara? 88

Reading the Physical Landscape: The Serengeti 91

Using Geographic Tools: Mapping Population 94

Who Are Africans South of the Sahara? 100

Guest Field Note: Pink House Hair Salon in a

Cape Town Township 106

Are Africans Among the Most Adaptive and Capable Farmers in the World? 112

Reading the Cultural Landscape: Food Import Dependence, the Gobal Food Crisis, and the New Green Revolution for Africa 117

Why Are the Dynamics of HIV/AIDS in Africa South of the Sahara Diff erent from Those in Other World Regions? 117

Your Turn Geography in the Field 120

5 Southwest Asia and North Africa 123

What Is the Physical and Environmental Geography of Southwest Asia and North Africa? 124

Guest Field Note: Using Historical Geography to Question Dominant Ideas About Agriculture and the Environment in North Africa 133

Who Are Southwest Asians and North Africans? 134

Reading the Physical Landscape: Carthage Baths 136

Using Geographic Tools: Crowdsource Mapping of Killings and Human Rights Violations in Syria 140

What Is the Relationship Among Colonialism, Oil, and Development in the Region? 141

How Do Religion and Gender Roles Vary Across the Region? 147

Reading the Cultural Landscape: Sacred Spaces of Jerusalem 148

Reading the Cultural Landscape: Faculty and Students in the Geography Department, University of Kuwait 152

Your Turn Geography in the Field 154

6 South Asia 158

What Is the Physical and Environmental Geography of South Asia? 159

Reading the Physical Landscape: Himalayan Glaciers 163

Who Are South Asians? 167

Reading the Cultural Landscape: Death Tradition in Hinduism 173

Guest Field Note: NGOs in South Asia, RDRS Bangladesh 180

What Role Does Ethnicity Play in the Politics of South Asia? 183

Using Geographic Tools: Combating Flooding in Bangladesh 190

What Is South Asia’s Role in the World Economy? 191

Your Turn Fieldwork in Geography 197

7 Southeast Asia 200

What Is the Physical and Environmental Geography of Southeast Asia? 201

Reading the Physical Landscape: Mekong Delta 203

Using Geographic Tools: Using Satellite Images to Assess Damage from a Tsunami 210

Who Are Southeast Asians? 210

Reading the Cultural Landscape: Buddhist Sacred Site of Borobudur 219

What Role Does Southeast Asia Play in the Global Economy? 221

Guest Field Note: Iban Longhouse Tourism 227

How Has Migration Shaped Southeast Asia? 228

Your Turn Geography in the Field 234

8 East Asia 237

What Is the Physical and Environmental Geography of East Asia? 238

Reading the Physical Landscape: The Three Gorges Dam 241

Who Are East Asians? 247

Reading the Cultural Landscape: Dejima (Deshima), Japan 249

How Do Confucianism and Political Policies Influence Population Growth in East Asia? 256

How Do Commodity Chains Link East Asia and the World? 262

Guest Field Note: Chinese Link in the Commodity Chain 263

What Role Do Governments Play in Migration in East Asia? 270

Using Geographic Tools: Surveys in Geography Research 273

Your Turn Geography in the Field 277

9 Europe 280

What Is the Physical and Environmental Geography of Europe? 281

Using Geographic Tools: Historic Maps 281

Reading the Physical Landscape: Plate Tectonics in Europe 283

Who Are Europeans? 290

Guest Field Note: DR. Christian Kesteloot 300

How Do Europeans Shape the Physical Environment? 301

Reading the Cultural Landscape: The Dutch Reclaim Land from the Sea 302

What Role Do European Cities Play in the Global Economy? 307

Your Turn Geography in the Field 314

10 North and Central Eurasia 317

What Is the Physical and Environmental Geography of North and Central Eurasia? 318

Reading the Physical Landscape: The Steppe 323

Using Geographic Tools: Mapping Oil and Natural Gas Resources 327

Who Are the People of North and Central Eurasia? 331

How Have Identities Formed and Been Contested in the Region? 339

What Are the Social and Economic Legacies of the Soviet Era? 344

Reading the Cultural Landscape: Housing in Soviet and Russian Styles 347

Guest Field Note: Elite Landscapes in Moscow 348

Your Turn Geography in the Field 350

11 North America 353

What Is the Physical and Environmental Geography of North America? 354

Reading the Physical Landscape: North American Precipitation Patterns 359

Who Are North Americans? 363

Reading the Cultural Landscape: Scandinavian Festival 370

How Are Cities in North America Organized? 374

Using Geographic Tools: GIS and Planning Portland 381

What Role Do Resources Play in the Economic Geography of North America? 382

Guest Field Note: Expanding Farmland in Alberta, Canada 383

Your Turn Geography in the Field 393

12 South America, Mesoamerica, and the Caribbean 396

What Is the Physical and Environmental Geography of South America, Mesoamerica, and the Caribbean? 397

Reading the Physical Landscape: Jari Plantation 407

Using Geographic Tools: Remote Sensing of Deforestation Processes in the Amazon 408

Who Are South Americans, Mesoamericans and Caribbeans? 409

Reading the Cultural Landscape: Indigenous Peoples Along the Mexico–U.S. Border and in Mexico 410

How Have External and Internal Forces Aff ected South America, Mesoamerica, and the Caribbean? 419

Guest Field Note: Ethnographic Research in Argentina 423

What Are the Caribbean’s Unique Development Challenges and Opportunities? 425

Your Turn Geography in the Field 429

13 The Pacific 432

What Is the Physical and Environmental Geography of the Pacific Region? 433

Reading the Physical Landscape: The Pacific Ring of Fire 433

Using Geographic Tools: Mapping the Ocean Floor 435

Who Are the People of the Pacific? 444

Reading the Cultural Landscape: Ethnic Neighborhoods in Australia 454

How Is the Region Interconnected through Trade? 455

How Is Global Climate Change Aff ecting the Pacific Region? 460

Guest Field Note: Climate Change in Tuvalu 463

Your Turn Geography in the Field 466

14 Geography, World Regions, and World Cities 469

Why Do World Regions Change? 470

Using Geographic Tools: Statistical Data Analysis 474

How Do Threshold Concepts Help You Think? 476

Guest Field Note: Food Security in World Cities 477

Reading the Physical Landscape: The Urban Heat Island 478

Reading the Cultural Landscape: Bomford’s Mill 483

How Can World Regional Geography Help You Understand the World? 484

Your Turn Geography in the Field 489

Glossary G-1

References WWW.Wiley.Com/College/Fouberg

Index I-10

Table of Data by Country WWW.Wiley.Com/ College/Fouberg

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