Grade 9 Geography Final Exam Review

GEOGRAPHY REVIEW NOTES: UNIT 1
Locating Places on a Map

Remote Sensing – The technology for studying Earth by using images and photographs above its surface
GPS – Global Positioning System. A satellite based position-finding system that circles Earth in precise orbits.
Geostationary Satellite – Satellite that only stays on the equator and turns with it as Earth rotates (eg. Weather satellites, communication satellites)
Near-Polar Satellite – Follows a fixed north-south orbit as the Earth rotates below. Offers complete coverage of the Earth’s surface over a period of time. (eg. Agriculture/marine surveillance)
Longitude – Imaginary lines that run North-South; key line is the Prime Meridian, lines span out east and west from there.
Latitude – Imaginary lines that run East-West; key line is the Equator, lines span out north and south from there.
Major Forces of Change

Tectonic forces – Surface of Earth consists a dynamic grid of slowly moving rock plates, and their movement causes geological changes (eg. Mountain chains created in Canada from plates bumping together, oil/gas formed when Canada’s land was located in a warmer climate)
Folding - The folding/bending of rocks to create mountains (Rocky Mountains)
Faulting – Earthquakes caused when plates collide
Glaciation – Canada used to be covered by glaciers/massive ice sheets that scraped and scarred the landscape, as well as wearing down and transporting rock over many centuries
Erosion – Wearing down of the Earth’s surface
Four Geologic Eras (Youngest to Oldest) – Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic, Precambrian (alphabetical order)
Continental Drift Theory

-Theory that a long time ago, all of Earth’s land masses collided to form one supercontinent called Pangaea; only the continents moved
1. Things fit together like jigsaw puzzles (South America & Africa)
2. Fossils of the same creature found in faraway continents
3. Mountain ranges seemed to be broken by the ocean (eg. Caledonian and Appalachian)
4. Ice sheets found in nowadays tropical areas
5. Age of the ocean floor suggest continents have been drifting away
Land Form Regions In Canada

Canadian Shield – large area of Precambrian rock that forms the core of the continent; lakes and rounded rock hills
Largest landform in Canada, covering almost half of the land
Major source of natural resources
Recreation and tourism based

Lowlands - Areas of low elevation containing plains and hills
1. Interior Plains – vast land mass known as Canada’s breadbasket, gentle rolling hills Dinosaur fossils have been discovered in Alberta/Saskatchewan
Oil and gas sources

2. Great Lakes, St Lawrence – Flat & rolling hills, Great Lakes a major source of freshwater

Contains half of Canada’s population
Unique erosion formed Niagara Falls

3. Hudson Bay, Arctic – swamps in the south, frozen ground in the north

Ground is frozen most of the year/no farming
Potentially rich oil/gas deposits

Highlands - Areas of high elevation containing mountains and plateaus
1. Appalachian mountains – Weathered and eroded mountains on the East Coast
- Oldest mountain chain in North America
- Deep harbors for freighters, some become major city sites

2. Innuitian Mountains – complex region of mountains, plateaus and lowlands

Younger than Appalachians, less weathering and erosion
Barren, little vegetation

3. Western Cordillera – located on the West coast, mountains, plateaus and valleys

Lightly populated
Home to Mt. Logan, the highest mountain in Canada

Climate and Weather

Climate vs. Weather – Weather is the daily combination of temperatures/precipitation, whereas climate refers to the weather conditions of a place averaged over a long period of time
Factors affecting Climate – (F.L.O.W.E.R.Near water)
1. Forested Areas have more precipitation because of water vapour from plants
2. Latitude determines warmth; hottest at the equator because the sun’s rays are concentrated, then as you move toward either pole, it gets colder
3. Ocean currents being warm or cold water; current from the Arctic brings cold water and current from the equator beings warm water
4. Winds and air masses can bring cold Arctic air or warm Gulf of Mexico air; the jet stream separated cold and warm air, impacting our annual temperatures
5. Elevation higher up brings colder temperatures because air expands and loses heat
6. Relief provided by mountain ranges can act as a barrier to air masses
CONTINENTAL CLIMATE
MARITIME CLIMATE
- Develops away from the influence of the ocean
- strongly influenced by the closeness of the ocean/large body of water
- annual temperature range is large
- annual temperature range is small
- low precipitation
- high precipitation

Average Temperature Range – Highest average monthly temp. – Lowest average monthly temp. A small range indicates a maritime climate and a large range indicates a continental climate.

Growing Season – the time period during which certain crops/plants grow
Climate Graph – a single graph created by combining two separate graphs; a bar graph for showing average monthly precipitation and a line graph for showing average monthly temperature. The precipitation (mm) axis is on the left side, while the temperature (C) is on the right side. The x-axis shows the months.
Coniferous Trees – Hardy trees with cones and often needles. They are never bare and are well suited for cold temperatures and short growing seasons. Eg. Pine, Spruce
Deciduous Trees – Broadleaf trees that don’t survive well in the cold. They lose their leaves in the fall. New leaves grow in the spring. Eg. Beech, maple
Oak Ridges Moraine - An ecologically important geological landform in South-Central Ontario. It was created in the last Ice Age; it’s a major source of freshwater with its underground reservoirs.

GEOGRAPHY REVIEW NOTES: UNIT 2
Globalization - The process of increased interconnectedness among countries generally in the areas of areas of economics, politics, and culture
Primary Industry – Industry that takes raw materials from the natural environment (eg. Fishing)
Secondary Industry – Industry that processes the raw materials into finished goods (eg. Fish processing plant)
Tertiary Industry – Industry that provides services such as retail, transportation, banking, education and more; most Canadians work in this section (eg. Teacher)
Quaternary Industry – highly specialized knowledge-based tech and support services, such as writing software or a brain surgeon
Collapse of the East Coast Fisheries – The Grand Banks located of Newfoundland used to be home to lots of cod. However, the fisheries are collapsing because of overfishing (the catch allowed was too high), improved fishing technology (sonars, satellite navigation) as well as destructive fishing practices (too much by-catch is thrown away)
Collapse of the West Coast Fisheries - Used to rely heavily on salmon, but because of overfishing (too much taken in per year) and changes in the environment (water is too warm in B.C.) salmon have become endangered.

INTENSIVE FARMING
EXTENSIVE FARMING
-large labor, machinery and fertilizers
-smaller amounts of labor, machinery and fertilizer
-small farms
-large farms
-high yield/production
-smaller yields

GMOs – Genetically modified organisms. Their genetic structures have been changed to create more desirable species.
Shelterwood Cutting - Clear-cutting parts of a forest and leaving some seed-bearing trees to regenerate.
Selective Cutting – Only trees of a certain type, size and quality are cut; most sustainable.
Clear cutting – All the trees in an area are cut; least sustainable.
INSECTS AND PESTS

Asian long-horned beetle – serious invasive species; dangerous to maple trees.
Emerald Ash Borer – serious invasive species; highly destructive to ash trees; killed millions in Ontario
Deforestation - the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use
MINING

Open Pit Mining - surface mining in which huge portions of earth are dug from the surface layer by layer to extract the desired mineral within them.
Strip Mining – surface mining in which overburden is first removed, then strips of land are removed to reveal the minerals
Underground Mining – A mining site is dug out underground, and minerals are transported to the surface through elevators.
Mining Issues – Causes pollution (air/water) and damage to the environment. Land is stripped away and surface is scarred. Mining sites rarely go back to their previous state.

ENERGY SOURCES

Coal – Most abundant fossil fuel, but contributes heavily to pollution, poisoning wildlife.
Oil and Gas – Production is concentrated in Alberta, lots of air pollution
Nuclear – Uses uranium, waste produced stays dangerous for a long time.
Hydroelectricity – Powered by rushing water, no air pollution, but there is environmental devastation. Canada is the largest producer of this in the world (eg Niagara Falls)
Biomass – Burns things; reduced CO2 emissions, but it is still produced
Tidal – Uses the power of tides; long time source of renewable energy (Bay of Fundy), but kills marine life.
Wind – It is cost effective, reduces fossil fuel emissions and economically competitive with fossil fuels. However, cannot run without wind. Ontario has the most turbines, but the largest farm is in Manitoba.
Solar – Lots of renewable energy available, but it’s expensive and only available at night.
Geothermal – Energy stored and generated in the Earth.
Global Warming Greenhouse Gases – carbon dioxide, methane and halocarbons
Sustainability – Approach to development that meets the needs of the present without negatively affecting the ability of future generations to meet their needs
Ecological Footprint – Measure of total human impact on an ecosystem. We can lower it by recycling, composting, saving energy and not wasting water etc.
Carrying Capacity – The number of people that could be supported at current living standards by Canada’s productive land
Fair Earthshare – Amount of productive land that each person would have if the world’s productive land were shared equally

GEOGRAPHY REVIEW NOTES: UNIT 3
Main Trading Partners – Our main trading partner is the US, then China and Mexico
GDP – Gross domestic product. Measures the value of all goods and services produced in a country in a year. GDP Per Capita is the GDP divided by the population to find the average wealth per person.
NAFTA – North American Free Trade Agreement. It’s made to reduce trade barriers and increase the amount of trade between Canada, USA and Mexico.
Main Exports – The main one is cars and car parts, then fish, lumber, minerals.
HDI – Human Development Index; comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and living standards of a country. A number from 0 to 1.
NGO – Non governmental organizations. They help people outside of the government or in the charitable/non-profit sector.
CIDA – An organization that manages most of Canada’s foreign aid. (Canadian International Development Agency)
NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The alliance that was originally formed to defend Europe and North America from the communist countries of Eastern Europe
Middle Power – Canada has the ability to influence the superpowers while maintaining good relations on all sides
United Nations – An international forum for greater cooperation among states; peaceful resolution of conflicts and disputes.
GENOCIDES

1. The Holocaust – A failure, because Canada opened its doors to very little Jewish refugees; one of the worst records of refugee receiving countries.
2. Cambodia – Failure, because they only allowed in refugees, and that was after the main genocide.
3. Bosnia – A success, because we sent peacekeepers, opened our doors and sent the military (though NATO wasn’t too successful)
4. Somalia – A failure, because the military sent didn’t behave accordingly and fought those they were supposed to protect; even beat a boy to death for trespassing. Peacekeepers were sent.
5. Rwanda – A failure, because even though peacekeepers were sent, forces were cut after some died; not much help.
6. East Timor – A success, because the peacekeepers sent were welcomed by the public and provided a lot of aid.
7. Darfur – A success, because peacekeepers were deployed, a lot of humanitarian aid offered, and refugees were taken in.

WATER POLLUTION

1. Physical – Least harmful, obvious, easiest to clean (eg. Floating garbage, plastic)
2. Biological – Bacteria and viruses that enter the water sources, generally sewage
3. Chemical – Most dangerous, hard to detect, difficult to clean up (mainly pesticides/herbicides, builds up in bodies)

Why people prefer bottled water – They think it’s cleaner than tap water, and it’s portable.

GEOGRAPHY REVIEW NOTES: UNIT 4
Destination cities – Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal
Destination Provinces – Ontario, B.C., Quebec
Point System – A system taking into account different factors (eg. Language proficiency, age, education) to give economic immigrants a score; decides whether or not they qualify to immigrate. The passing score is 67 points
Push Factors – Events/features that push a person to leave an area (eg. Overpopulation, high taxes, high crime rate)
Pull Factors – Events/features that pull people towards an area (eg. High employment rates, good education, cleaner environment)
Assimilation – When ethnic groups are encouraged to blend into one dominant culture.
SETTLEMENT PATTERNS

1. Long lot system – Long narrow lots, beginning at major rivers, common in Quebec.
2. Concession System – Non-perfect grid square pattern, allows for easy transportation, found in Southern Ontario
3. Section System – Perfect grid, 6 miles x 6 miles, found in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

TYPES OF LAND USE

1. Residential – all the places where people live (eg. Houses, apartments). Takes up the most space
2. Commercial – buying and selling goods and services; extremely important for a community’s economy (eg. Power centres, malls)
3. Industrial – (eg. Factories, warehouse, shipping) Secondary industries
4. Transportation – Land used for transportation systems (eg. Roads, train tracks) POPULATION DENSITY
Measurement of the number of people settled per unit area. Calculated by:
# of people in an area / area in square km
NATURAL INCREASE
Birth rate – death rate
NET MIGRATION RATE
Immigration rate – Emmigration rate
POPULATION GROWTH RATE
Natural Increase Rate + Net Migration Rate
POPULATION PYRAMIDS
A graphical illustration that shows the distribution of various age groups in a population, which normally forms the shape of a pyramid.
Percentage of the population at the bottom, age groups in the middle, and two gender sides.
TYPES
1. Expansive – looks like a pyramid. Represents rapid growth.
2. Near stationary - Looks about the same throughout. Slow growth, slow decline.
3. Constrictive – Bulges out in the middle. Negative growth.

Dependency Load – Part of the population that doesn’t work and is supported by those that do (under 15, 65 and over)
Multiculturalism – The sense of an equal celebration of racial, religious and cultural backgrounds
Multiplier Effect - An effect in economics in which an increase in spending produces an increase in national income and consumption greater than the initial amount spent
NOVA POPULATION HANDOUT
The population in Japan is rapidly decreasing.
Parasite singles are single young adults that live with their parents, focusing on careers.
USA’s population is still growing through immigration.
Population growth in Africa means deteriorating social services.
Family planning in Kenya has caused a plummeting fertility rate.
Death rates are rising in Kenya because of HIV/AIDS

REASONS FOR CANADA’S AGING POPULATION
Longer life expectancy
Lower birth rates
People are getting married later
Baby boom

TYPES OF MAPS

1. General Purpose – provides many types of information on one map
2. Thematic – designed to show information on one particular topic/theme
3. Topographic – Uses symbols to show a variety of features

SCALE CONVERSIONS

1. RF SCALE – scale on a map given as a ratio of distance on the map to distance on the ground (eg. 1:50000). Always the same unit, the first number is always 1.
2. Direct statement – Uses words to describe the relationship between a distance on a map and a specific distance on the Earth’s surface. (eg. 1cm : 10 km)