Distribution of Resources Climate & Vegetation Landforms

Group Project Your teacher will divide you into groups. Each group will be assigned one of the 9 regions of the world. You will research and present the following information about your region to the class: Major Resources (limit to the top 5) Climate Vegetation Major Landforms

Group Project You will present your information on a poster. (see teacher example) Everyone in the group must participate. Everyone in the group must be prepared to explain a part of the poster to the class.

United States and Canada Resources – fertile soil, a lot of fresh water, vast forests, coal, oil and natural gas. Climate – ranges from tundra to tropical Vegetation – ranges from tundra to tropical rain forest Landforms – Appalachian and Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Great Lakes

Latin America Resources – gold, silver, oil, natural gas, tin, lead, nickel and timber Climate – ranges from hot and humid to dry and desert-like Vegetation – varies from rain forest to grasslands to desert scrub Landforms – Andes Mountains, highlands, plains, islands, Orinoco river, Amazon river and Parana River

Europe Resources – coal, iron ore, oil, natural gas, a lot of agricultural land Climate – marine west coast climate (warm summers/cool winters) Vegetation – mostly broad fertile plains Landforms – Europe itself is a peninsula and has many smaller peninsulas, the Alps, Danube river and fertile plains.

Russia and the Republics Resources – coal, iron ore, other metals, oil, natural gas and timber Climate – “climate of extremes”, humid continental (warmer) and subarctic (colder) climates Vegetation – tundra, taiga, temperate grasslands and desert Landforms – Northern European Plain, Lake Baikal, Ural mountains and many other mountains and uplands

Africa Resources – large amounts of gold, platinum, copper, diamonds, many other minerals and oil Climate – mostly warm and tropical, extreme conditions in the Sahara Desert Vegetation – tropical grassland, rainforests and a variety of plantlife Landforms – Africa’s plateau, Nile river, basins, Sahara Desert, volcanic mountains such as Mt. Kilimanjaro

Southwest Asia Resources – oil (1/2 of the world’s oil reserves), water used for hydroelectric power Climate – extremely arid (dry) or semiarid Vegetation – can grow crops along the coastlines Landforms – Arabian Peninsula, Anatolian Peninsula, deserts, plains, highlands, rugged mountains, Tigris and Euphrates rivers

South Asia Resources – coal, chromium, iron ore, water, soil Climate –wet and dry, hot and cold, monsoons (seasonal winds) greatly affect climate Vegetation –rainforests, forests of evergreens, oak, chestnut and palms Landforms – Himalaya mountains, rivers, deltas, plains and islands

East Asia Resources – petroleum, coal, natural gas, water for hydroelectric power Climate – subarctic to tropical Vegetation – deciduous and coniferous forests, temperate grasslands, mosses and shrubs in colder areas Landforms – mountains, plateaus, plains, peninsulas, islands, great river systems

Southeast Asia, Oceania & Antarctica Resources – fertile soil, fish, some petroleum, tin and gems Climate – parts have a moderate climate, others have hot and cold deserts Vegetation – tropical plants, forests, deciduous forests Landforms – mainland, islands, mountains and volcanoes

What do you think??? Based on the distribution of resources, which regions of the world should be the wealthiest??? In reality, are those regions actually the wealthiest? Why do you think this is the case?