1. Government

2. Types of Government Type of Government Who holds power Examples
Direct Democracy
All citizens vote directly on issues.
*Parts of Switzerland
*Some New England towns
Representative Democracy
People vote for representatives who lead the country and make laws.
*United States
*Russia
*France
Constitutional Monarchy
A monarch (King or Queen) inherits the right to rule but is limited by laws and a lawmaking body elected by the people.
*United Kingdom
*Japan
*Sweden
*Jordan
Absolute Monarchy
A monarch inherits the right to rule and has unlimited power. Citizens=No power
*Saudi Arabia
Dictatorship
A dictator makes all laws and suppresses any opposition.
*Cuba
*Germany under Hitler

3. General information on Government
Voting is a form of civic participation. 57% of Americans voted for the 2012 president election and 56% in % of Scotland’s people voted for their chance at independence.
The government owns the resources in a command economy.
The vast majority of countries have some form of democracy in the Western Hemisphere.

4. Country specific information on government
Canada’s national leader is called the prime minister.
Germany was once split into communist and democratic parts but is now reunited.
In the 1990’s Libya’s government built pipelines to carry water from the desert to coastal areas.
Israel’s government passed “The Law of Return” in This brought an increase in Israel’s Jewish population.
Until recent years, Russia’s farms and businesses were controlled by the government under a system called communism.

5. Economics

6. Types of Economic Systems
What, How, and For Whom to produce
Examples (in theory)
Traditional
Customs and traditions determine what and how to produce. Resources are usually shared. Many traditional systems use bartering to exchange goods and services.
*Inuit
*Some parts of Africa and South America.
Command
Gov’t owns resources and controls production, prices, and wages. Shortages of consumer goods occur because government sets prices low & resources are often used for military goods.
*China
*North Korea
*Former USSR
Market
Individuals own resources & determine what and how to produce. Prices & wages are determined by producer supply & consumer demand.
*United States
Mixed
Individuals own most resources & determine what & how to produce. Gov’t regulates certain industries.
*Most Nations

7. Information on Economics
Trade Barriers- Quota, Tariffs *A free trade agreement such as NAFTA is NOT a trade barrier.
The US (nominal GDP) can claim it has the best economy in the world. So can China though when comparing PPP. Most analysts would say America has the greatest economy in the world.
The Euro is the currency of the European Union.
Many countries in SW Asia and Northern Africa are based on oil.
Many countries around the world are importing partners with China.

8. Culture and Societies

9. Information on Culture and Societies
Traits that make up world culture: Gov’t, Language, Religion, Social Groups, Economies, Daily Life, Arts, and History
The way that people in a particular culture see themselves is often shaped by their HISTORY.
Subsistence farming is a very common farming method used around the world to eat, don’t make a profit from selling crops.
In 1999 the Canadian gov’t created a territory called Nunavut for Canada’s Inuit people to live.
Brazil’s culture is largely Portuguese and not Spanish as most people think it is.

10. More info on Culture and Societies
Christianity is the most practiced or followed religion in the world.
Islam is the 2nd most practiced or followed religion in the world. Followers of Islam are called Muslims and follow the five pillars of faith.
Arabic is the most common spoken language in SW Asia.
Carnival is a four day celebration with lots of floats, singing, and dancing that takes place in Rio de Janeiro. This is a great example of the arts trait.

11. Geography

12. Information on Geography
Five themes of geography- Place, Region, Location, Human/Environment Interaction, Movement
The movement of the Earth’s huge landmasses is known as continental drift.
About 70% of the Earth is water, only 2-3% of it is freshwater. Most of the freshwater we can’t even get to because it is located in glaciers and ice caps.
A region’s climate is determined be movement of air, movement of water currents and latitude.
SE part of Canada is the country’s most heavily populated area. This is the case because it has a humid continental climate.

13. True facts about U.S.- Alaska is the biggest state (size) and the northernmost, Texas has the most farms of any state, The Great Lakes were formed by glaciers, States not touching the ocean can’t get hit by a hurricane (EX: Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee)
True facts about the world- China and India are only countries with over a billion people, World population is growing rapidly, U.S. is third in world for size and population, Europe has the highest population density of any of the continents, Size of country doesn’t necessarily correlate to population. (Ex: Russia, Canada)
Shipping is tough in Russia because of icy conditions.
Syria is experiencing a nasty Civil War forcing many of its own people to become refugees.

14. Historical Perspective

15. True facts about History-
True facts about History- *People remember the successes of the past by celebrating holidays to honor heroes who brought successes. *It can be negative events as well (disasters, defeats, or attacks). *History shapes how we view the world and make decisions based upon past events.
Historical events U.S. has been a part of: American Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War 1, World War 2
Great Britain at one time controlled the U.S, Canada, among many other countries.

16. This map shows countries (in white) that England has never invaded
This map shows countries (in white) that England has never invaded.  There are only 22.  (In the WORLD!)

17. Haiti was the first nation to be founded by former slaves.
Simon Bolivar was one of South America’s greatest generals.
World War 2- Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) were at war against the Allies (Great Britain, China, France). U.S. got brought into war by bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The competition for world influence between the United States and the Soviet Union was called “The Cold War”.
Throughout its history, Israel and the Palestinian Territories have not gotten along with each other. A lot of violence has occurred in the past, present, and most likely the future.