5 Social Studies Topics Notes

Government: The laws and customs that guide a political unit

Types of governments *limited government – laws set limits on how much power government officials can have *democracy – people vote for leaders *unlimited government – power belongs to ruler *dictatorship – 1 ruler

Types of governments cont. *absolute monarchy – king or queen, ruling family *constitutional monarchy – laws limit the powers of the king or queen *republic – nation with a strong national government headed by elected leaders

Geography: Study of the Earth’s land, water, plants, animals (physical geography) and the study of people and their environments (human geography) *physical characteristics – landforms, features of the land (mountain, river, peninsula) *human geography – where people live, cities, types of homes, etc.

Culture: Way of life of a group of people that share similar beliefs and customs *cultural borrowing – large parts of cultures are “borrowed” from other cultures, this is the adoption of one groups’ cultural traits by another *cultural diffusion – how a culture spreads (radio, TV, internet)

Economy: The way people and nations meet their daily needs and produce goods (jobs, money)

Types of economies *traditional economy – based on customs handed down for years *command economy – government makes all decisions *market economy – individuals determine what to produce, who will want it (demand), how much to produce (supply) and how much to charge (price), some government control, also called a free enterprise system *mixed economy – parts of different economies, most countries have this type

History: The story of the past *tells how past conflicts influence the present *can teach us important lessons and guide our behavior in the present