World Geography Standards

  • Social Studies Georgia Standards of Excellence

     

     

    World Geography

    The world geography course provides students with an analytical view of how geographic factors have and continue to influence human behavior on the earth. Students will examine how the physical and cultural geographic factors contribute to varying levels of cooperation within the major world regions. Additionally, students will examine the importance that political, environmental, and economic factors have in a region’s development.

    Physical Geography

    SSWG1 Explain why physical characteristics of place such as landforms, bodies of water, climate, and natural resources act as contributing factors to world settlement patterns.

    1. Identify and describe climates and locations of major physical features of North America. Explain how these physical characteristics impact settlement patterns including, but not limited to, the Mississippi River System, the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains, and the Canadian Shield.

    2. Identify and describe climates and locations of major physical features of Central and South America. Explain how these physical characteristics impact settlement patterns including, but not limited to, the Andes Mountains, Amazon Basin, Atacama Desert, and the Pampas.

    3. Identify and describe climates and locations of major physical features of Europe. Explain how these physical characteristics impact settlement patterns including, but not limited to, the Alps, Pyrenees, and Ural Mountains, and the Rhine, Danube, and Seine Rivers.

    4. Identify and describe climates and locations of major physical features of Africa. Explain how these physical characteristics impact settlement patterns including, but not limited to, the Nile River Valley, the Sahara, the Kalahari Desert, the Sahel, and the Congo River Basin.

    5. Identify and describe climates and locations of major physical features of Central and Southwest Asia. Explain how these physical characteristics impact settlement patterns including, but not limited to, the Zagros Mountains, Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.

    6. Identify and describe climates and locations of major physical features of South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and Eastern Asia. Explain how these physical characteristics impact settlement patterns including, but not limited to, the Himalayan Mountains and Tibetan Plateau, Gobi Desert, Ganges, Indus, Huang He, and Yangtze Rivers.

    7. Identify and describe climates and locations of major physical features of Oceania, including Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica. Explain how these physical characteristics impact settlement patterns including, but not limited to, the Great Dividing Range and Great Victoria Desert.

    8. Describe the spatial distribution of natural resources, including, but not limited to, fuel and energy, agricultural, and mineral sources. Predict how distribution of natural resources continues to impact global settlement patterns.

      Georgia Department of Education June 9, 2016 • Page 1 of 10

    Social Studies Georgia Standards of Excellence

    Cultural Geography

    SSWG2 Evaluate how the physical and human characteristics of places and regions are connected to human identities and cultures.

    1. Examine how ethnic compositions of various groups has led to diversified cultural landscapes, including, but not limited to, architecture, traditions, food, art, and music.

    2. Examine how language can be central to identity and a unifying or a divisive force (e.g., Bantu, French-Canadians (Quebecois), and Basques.

    3. Examine the effects of universalizing and ethnic religions on local populations, including, but not limited to, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.

    4. Examine the impact of cultural beliefs on gender roles and perceptions of race and ethnicity as they vary from one region to another (e.g., the caste system, apartheid, and legal rights for women).

    5. Explain the processes of culture diffusion and convergence through the effects of various media norms, transnational corporations, and technological advancements in transportation infrastructure (e.g., Coca-Cola and American fast food restaurants, social media networks, and universalized clothing choices).

      Political Geography

    SSWG3 Evaluate how cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of the earth’s surface.

    1. Explain why political boundaries are created and why they change (e.g., nation, state vs. nation-state; political vs. ethnic sovereignty; the unrecognized states of Palestine, Kosovo, and Taiwan).

    2. Explain how geography (size, shape, and relative location) can be an advantage or disadvantage to participation in global exchange (e.g., Chile, Indonesia, Russia, Canada, South Africa/Lesotho, Turkey, and Switzerland).

    3. Explain the causes of external and internal conflicts among cultural groups, including but not limited to ongoing border disputes and separatist movements (e.g., partition of India, post-colonial Africa, and independence movements of the Scots, Kurds, and Basques).

    4. Explain how political, economic, and social networks and organizations of global power influence places, countries, and regions (e.g., United Nations, NAFTA, African Union, the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, 1961 Antarctica Treaty, Non-Governmental Organizations, and social media).

      Georgia Department of Education June 9, 2016 • Page 2 of 10

     

    Social Studies Georgia Standards of Excellence

     

    Population Geography

    SSWG4 Assess the characteristics, spatial distribution, and migration of human populations on the earth’s surface.

    1. Assess demographic patterns of population using graphs, maps, and other models (e.g., Demographic Transition Model, population density maps, and global migration patterns).

    2. Analyze population issues in reference to pro and anti-natal policies of different countries

      and their effects on population characteristics (e.g., China’s natalist policy,

      maternity/paternity leave policies, and child subsidies).

    3. Explain how push and pull factors contribute to human migration patterns and evaluate the

      impact of migration on the use of resources and provision of services (e.g., guest workers,

      refugees, and evacuees).

    4. Compare the response of different groups and governments to migration, including national

      migration policies and differing responses by local communities (e.g., quotas, amnesty, resettlement programs, and official language laws).

          Environmental Geography

    SSWG5 Analyze human interactions with the world’s environments.

    1. Describe how and why agricultural techniques and technology have changed over time (e.g., irrigation, crop rotation, green revolution, and GMO’s).

    2. Analyze the impact of water insecurity around the world (e.g., drought, desertification, water rights, and depletion of the Aral Sea).

    3. Analyze the economic, political and environmental impacts associated with industrialization and natural resource management around the world (e.g., fracking, strip mining, building of dams and reservoirs, deforestation, sustainable development, and renewable vs. non renewable resources).

    4. Analyze international and varied local governmental responses to natural disasters in countries around the world (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis).

    5. Evaluate how global trade systems impact environmental sustainability in both importing and exporting countries (e.g., plantation farming in Africa and Central/South America, overfishing of global waterways, and international lumber trade).

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    Social Studies Georgia Standards of Excellence

    Economic Geography

    SSWG6 Examine the spatial distribution of major economic systems and analyze the role geography plays in economic development.

    1. Compare the levels of economic development of countries in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita and key demographic and social indicators (e.g., literacy rate, life expectancy, gender, access to healthcare, and UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030).

    2. Explain the relationship between levels of development and economic activity in terms of primary, secondary, and tertiary activities (e.g., resource extraction, manufacturing, and services).

    3. Describe the factors that influence the location and spatial distribution of economic activities, including the factors of site and situation (e.g., river systems, transportation hubs, research triangles, deep seaports).

    4. Describe and explain causes and consequences of the worldwide trend towards urbanization in terms of development (e.g., changing employment patterns, urban sprawl, squatter settlements, and gentrification).

    5. Analyze the impact of trade across international borders and its impact on government relationships among countries (e.g., legal trade: NAFTA, EU, and OPEC; illegal trade: human trafficking, drug trade, and counterfeiting/black market goods).