MY COUNTRY REPORT

INSTRUCTIONS: A. CONTENT: Select one country from somewhere in the world, a country where you have never lived, and get approval of the country from the instructor. The report consists of two parts: 1) a hand-drawn Country map; and 2) a Questionnaire Worksheet. For the MAP WORK part, you will need multiple copies of a hand-drawn blank outline map of the country. For the QUESTIONNAIRE PART, you will need separate Answer Sheets. Use as many blank Maps or Answer Sheet pages as you need. B. GRADING: It may be difficult to answer all the questions. I won’t penalize you for skimping (being too brief) or skipping (omitting) some answers so long as you compensate for it elsewhere in the report. If a question seems irrelevant or not applicable to your country, simply write NA (“not applicable”) and move on. Because the questionnaire is lengthy, I am establishing a 65% completion standard for the questions. By this I mean for each question section, try and answer around 60% (3 out of 5) or 70% (7 out of 10) questions. I am looking for a final paper of around 5 pages in length for the written “Q and A” part, with another 3-5 pages of maps added-on. This is a minimum requirement—feel free to expand and expound beyond this minimum if you want. I would like the paper to by double-spaced typed with spaces between each question for easier grading. You do not have to write-down the questions, just the answers. If the report is hand-written and illegible, it will be returned ungraded. When I grade the papers, I will be looking at the total package, not individual questions. Just try to do a good job using your own research abilities and whatever geographic reasoning or geographic skills you have learned in class. I don’t want you to repeat someone else’s opinion or statement. I am looking for thoughtfulness, originality and application of geographic reasoning, skills and knowledge. The more I see ideas that reflect new geographic learning from this semester and this class, the more I like it. In conclusion, the whole idea here is to approach the assignment with a GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE, and to research, think about and answer questions like a GEOGRAPHER. In other words, this is a report requiring the application of all the SPATIAL ANALYSIS tools and skills you have learned over the semester. _______________________________________________________________________ PART 1: MAP. A. MAP: Draw an outline map of the country by hand on a standard-sized sheet of white paper. If you want to trace or copy the map by hand, that is OK, but no computer maps. Make some extra copies of the map on a copy machine. If you are doing a multi-island country like Indonesia, Philippines or Bahamas, you don’t have to draw every little island (Indonesia has 17,000), but you can draw 3-5 or so of the biggest and most important ones. If that is what you choose to do, then you can also download a blank outline map of the whole country from the computer to use with your hand-drawn maps. In this way everyone has the experience of drawing a map “from scratch” and “by hand.” __________________________________________________________________________ PART 2: QUESTIONNAIRE. You do not have to write each question. Type or print answers neatly, leaving space between answers to make reading easier. A. ENVIRONMENT. 1. TOPOGRAPHY: Topography refers to the shape and form of the land—is it flat or sloping, low or high, favorable or unfavorable for settlement etc.? There are 4 main topographic types: MOUNTAINS, HILLS, PLAINS and PLATEAUS, as well as a bunch of minor topographic and environmental features which also influence and impact human use of the land: valley, floodplain, canyon, beach, wetlands, desert, forest, etc.. MOUNTAINS can be good or bad depending on size, slopes and other factors. Switzerland has too many mountains while the Netherlands has too few. PLAINS are generally good—they provide flat surfaces for settlement and most people live on PLAINS--but they can also be problematic with poor drainage, flooding risks, and border security issues. The best topography would probably be a mix of topographic types with a high percentage of PLAINS, some scattered HILLS, maybe a PLATEAU or two, and then some nice resource-rich high MOUNTAINS on the border. On one map, draw-in the major topographic regions (mountains, plains, plateaus, hills) and identify them by geographic name (Central Plateau, Eastern Highlands etc.). If the region doesn’t seem to have any accepted name, create your own name: “Los Angeles Plain,” or “Pasadena Plain” or something like that. Most big regions should have an accepted name. On the same map, draw in and label some minor topographic (highest mtn peak, mountain pass, major volcano, major river, etc.) and environmental (desert, forest, wetlands etc.) features. Geography studies the relationships between humans and their environment, so it is important to identify and study major environmental factors, forces and features. Geographers study human-environmental relationships in two ways: (1) how the environment influences human behavior and actions, and, (2) how humans modify and impact the natural environment over time. Q1: What is the geographic size of your country in square miles? Compare the size of the country to one of the following: city of Los Angeles (440 square miles), L.A. County (4400 square miles) California (150,000 square miles) , or USA (3.6 million square miles). For example, my country is “twice the size of California” or “about the size of L.A. County.” Q2. Describe the topography in general. MOUNTAINS—size, height, ruggedness, location? What about PLAINS—size, shape, location? Make an estimate as to how much (as a percentage %) of the land is “rugged” and unsuited for human settlement, and what percentage (%) of the land is “flat” and generally OK for human settlement. Q3. Do you consider the topography to be good, OK or bad for human settlement, and why? Q4. Describe one way in which topography has affected human use of the land over time? . 2. CLIMATE: Climate is one of the most important environmental factors affecting a site and how people use it. Draw-in the country’s major climatic regions on a map and label each by name. Names can be found in your atlas or text. For example, Pasadena has a MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE with unique characteristics which distinguish it from other adjacent climates. For big countries like the USA or Russia you may simplify and draw-in 1-2 major climatic regions, or maybe the climate of the capital or largest city. Forget about mountain regions—“mountains have many climates” and are too hard to map. Q1: What is the climate of the largest city? (both atlas and text have a page with world climate types). Question: Describe the climate in terms of weather (temperature, humidity, precipitation etc.) thru the year. For example: Los Angeles has “warm dry summers, mild rainy and sunny winters, and about 15 inches of total rain per year.” Q2: Is this a good, OK or bad climate for people? Why or why not? (If good, say why; if bad, say why). Q3: What crops are suited to and grown in this type of climate? Does farming take place throughout the year, or is there a well-defined “growing season” for crops? If there is a “growing season,” how long is it? 3. VEGETATION: Vegetation affects people in many ways including building materials, weather (humidity levels), soils, animals, foods and more. People in Egypt live in stone or mud buildings because Egypt lacks trees. Mexicans eat a lot of maize (corn) because the maize plant is native to Mexico. The SPICE ISLANDS of Indonesia became rich and famous because of the many spice plants native to the region, and generated global sea trade which helped advance Europe into the modern world. Q1: Name one of the country’s main or major types of natural vegetation (tropical rainforest, semiarid grassland, etc.) or specific plant (rubber tree, pepper plant, banana tree etc) and explain why it is important. Q2: Show where the vegetation is located on one of your maps. 4. NATURAL RESOURCES: On an existing or on a new map, show a couple (or more) locations of some of the major natural resources of the country. This refers to oil, natural gas, coal, iron and the like. Every country, no matter how small or poor, should have something natural that people use and which has value—land, water, trees, wild animals etc.—and which can be called a “NATURAL RESOURCE.” The world’s first great civilization developed in Mesopotamia 6,000 years ago where the principal natural resources were mud, water and reeds. Q1: Name one of the country’s top natural resources and explain where it’s located & why it’s important. • GEOLOGY: Look at a map of PLATE TECTONICS in your atlas or text and see how near or far your country is from a major tectonic plate border where most of the world’s earthquakes and volcanoes occur. To provide some perspective, a city may be considered safe it is +300 miles from a Tectonic Plate Border and Earthquake epicenter. The zone between 200-300 miles from the epicenter can experience strong ground shaking and damage but few if any deaths. Tokyo lies 230 miles from the epicenter of the huge 2011 Japan Earthquake (9.0 magnitude) and still experienced strong ground shaking and damage to buildings. The zone from 100-200 miles out can experience strong shaking, damage, deaths and some destruction. Starting at 100 miles out from the epicenter and moving towards the epicenter, the amount of damage, deaths, and destructions (3 Ds) increases rapidly with the most violent shaking occurring in and around the epicenter. The concept is just like dropping a stone into a pool of water and watching the waves increase in horizontal distance but decrease in vertical height away from the point of impact. Over 15,000 Japanese died in the 2011 Quake and Tsunami and most of them were within 50 miles of the epicenter. (building type, population density) factors and is hard to quantify in a general way. How much death and damage a place receives depends on the distance factor to be sure, but also on many other physical (ground type, seismic wave type) and cultural (building type, population density) factors. Q1: Briefly and generally describe your country’s location relative to global Plate Tectonics and Tectonic Plate Borders: Name the nearest Plate Border, Give its distance in miles away from the country, How would you assess your country’s danger from earthquakes and/or volcanoes? Are there any major active earthquake faults or volcanoes in the country? If so, identify and show their location on a map. 5. WATER BODY: 1. Freshwater: Select what you consider to be the country’s #1 freshwater body (river, lake, wetlands) and show its location on a map. Show the location of one or more major cities located along or around the water body. Q1: What is the significance of this freshwater body. 2. Saltwater: Select what you consider to be the country’s #1 saltwater (ocean, sea, bay) body and show its location on a map. Show the locations of one or more major cities on or near its shoreline. Q1: What is the significance of this saltwater body? 6. ANIMALS: For some countries, wild animals are an asset for tourism while in other countries they can be a nuisance or hazard for local residents. Q1: Does your country have any notable wild animals which can be considered a natural resource or a natural hazard or nuisance? If so, list and describe one or more of them, and explain the significance. _______________________________________________________________________ B. CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY. A. HISTORY: Q1 Who is the most important/impactful/significant person in the country’s history? Why do you think so? Q2: What is the most significant/impactful event or happening in the country’s history? Why do you think so? Q3. What is the #1 outstanding achievement or contribution made by someone in the country or by the country itself in its history? Q4: How would you generally characterize or sum-up the history of the country—proud with many achievements, sad with a lot of conflict or disasters, uneventful and mostly peaceful, or maybe a MIXED BAG of progress and set-backs, peace and war, ups and downs, etc.? Q5: Identify some aspect of the country’s past which has survived through the years as a symbol of cultural pride. This may be a tradition, a custom, a habit (drinking tea, wearing cowboy boots) or just about anything with links to the past. B. . LANGUAGE/ ETHNICITY: Everyone answers Q3 if applicable. Q1: Language: What is the official language or languages of the country and the capital city? To which Language Family does it belong? Where did this language family originate and how and when did the language arrive in the country (if you don’t know, guess). What two other languages are most closely related to it? If your country has a second major language, name it, describe where it is spoken, & explain why it still exists (is it still taught in schools?). Is there any LANGUAGE DIVIDE, issue or problem in the country? Explain. If there is a linguistic divide, show it on a map. Q2: Ethnicity: What is the #1 ethnic group in the country, and where do they live? What is the second leading ethnic group (s), and where do they live? Does any ETHNIC UNREST exist? Explain what and why. What other ethnic group also lives in the country and what is its significance? Is there an ETHNIC DIVIDE in the country? If so, show it on a map. Q3: ETHNIC POLICY: If there is any ethnic strife or conflict in the country, and if you were advising the government on the issue, what would be your advice and new ETHNIC POLICY to improve the situation, quell the strife or violence, and, hopefully, produce ethnic harmony? C. RELIGION: Everyone answers Q 10 if applicable. Questions: Q1: What is the #1 religion? Q2: Is religion a powerful, average or weak force in the country? Why do you say so? Q3: Where did the religion originate & how & when did it get into the country? Q4: What are its principal beliefs? Q5: Where is it located (in one particular region, or all over the country)? Q6: How has the religion affected or changed the land and/or life of the country (many temples, no work on Sundays, religion in schools etc.)? Q7: What do you consider to be the #1 religious monument or site to see for someone of the same religion visiting the country? Q8: Is there any religious unrest or conflict in the country? Q9: Is there a RELIGIOUS DIVIDE in the country? If so, show it on a map. Q10: RELIGIOUS POLICY: IF there is religious strife or conflict in the country, and if you were advising the government on the issue, what would be your advice to improve relations and make things better? In other words, what would be your new RELIGIOUS POLICY? D. CULTURE: Culture can be defined narrowly or broadly. Broadly, culture refers to everything and anything that is not natural or physical. Narrowly, culture refers to things like foods, religion, language, tools, clothing etc.. Q1: In the more narrow sense of the word: Name one cultural idea, trait or feature that has spread into the country from elsewhere, has been adopted and expanded, and is quite common today. Where did the idea come from? Q2: Name another cultural custom, tradition or idea that is interesting or unique, and which someone should know about when visiting the country in order to look smart or maybe just avoid being stupid? This may be anything—music, clothing, sports, foods, recreation, pilgrimage site, etc. __________________________________________________________________________ C. SOCIAL GEOGRAPHY: Answer at least 4 of the 7 questions, including at least one POLICY QUESTION (Q2, Q4 or Q6). A multi-part question like Q1 counts as one single question. 1. POPULATION: Q1: What is the country’s total human population? Q2: What is its population change rate (% per year)? Q2. Would you consider the country to be OVERPOPULATED, UNDERPOPULATED or generally balanced and OK with its population? Explain your answer. Q3. If possible, copy or download a POPULATION PYRAMID of the country & explain what it shows. 2. POPULATION POLICY: If you were advising the government, what would be your advice and new POPULATION POLICY in terms of promoting more or less population growth (higher or lower birth rates) and more or less migration (immigration into the country or emigration out of)? 3. MIGRATION: Q1. What is the country’s total annual MIGRATION both in terms of new arrivals (immigrants) and new departures (emigrants)? Q2. What is the migration balance (difference between immigrant and emigrant totals)—is it positive (more immigrants), negative (more emigrants), or about even? Q3. Where are most of these new immigrants coming from? Q4. Where are most of the emigrants going to? 4. MIGRATION POLICY: If you were advising the government on migration, what would be your advice and new MIGRATION (Immigration and Emigration) POLICY? 5. SOCIAL ISSUES: Q1: What is the #1 social issue in the country (poverty, health care, education, crime, wealth inequality, discrimination etc.)? Briefly explain why it is an issue or problem. Q2: What type of SOCIAL WELFARE program does the government provide—good, OK, or pretty bad? Q3: What rank does the country have on the U.N.’s Human Development Index (HDI) listing? Why is the rank so high or low? 6. SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY: If you were advising the government on SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT what would be your advice and what would be your new SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY in terms of governmental aid, assistance, subsidies (free cash), price supports (reduced prices for essentials goods (rice, beans, gasoline) and services (bus, electricity etc.) and support for citizens who can use and need some help (sick, elderly, urban poor, rural poor, pre-school, homeless etc.)? 7. CITIES: Select two major cities—(capital, largest city #1 seaport etc.) and do a “3S” location analysis for each—Geographic Site (specific one square mile landform or environment on which city was first built), Geographic Setting (describe 100 square mile area around site), and Geographic Situation (cultural factors and forces causing city to grow or shrink over time or just at the present time). __________________________________________________________________ D. POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY: Answer at least 2 full questions, including Q4. A multi-part question like Q1 counts as one single question. 1. GOVERNMENT: Q1: What type of government does the country have? Q2: Name one way that the government (political system) differs from the USA. Q3: How much democracy exists, or how good is the democracy which exists in the country? 4. What is or are the main political issues and problems within the government itself (corruption, discrimination, ineffectiveness, disfunctionality, powerful lobby groups etc.)? 2. POLITICAL ISSUES AND PROBLEMS: Q1. What are the main political problems the government is dealing with inside the country today (ethnic or social unrest, drought, flooding, etc.)? Q2. What is the #1 external political problem (from outside the country) that the government is dealing with today? Q3. Is this country a NATION-STATE (one principal ethnic group dominating government, economy, society, culture etc.), or a MULTI-NATION STATE (one or more significant minority groups dissatisfied with and challenging the status-quo)? Explain your answer. Q4: Is this country a MULTI-ETHNIC STATE like the USA (different ethnic groups living more or less in harmony and cooperation), or a MULTI-CULTURAL STATE like Japan (one predominant ethnic group or race but with significant cultural differences based on past experiences and lifestyles)? Explain your answer. 3. BORDERS: Countries have both land and water boundaries (specific line) and borders (geographic zone along the boundary line). Both can be problematic for the government in terms of illegal migration, smuggling, domestic security (terrorism) or war. Maritime (sea) borders are just as important as land borders. 4. Q1. Which countries border the country (for islands identify the nearest country or countries). Q2.: Identify the #1 international border crossing. Where is it and why is it so busy? Q3. Identify the #1 international border problem area. Why is it a problem for the country? 5. BORDER SECURITY POLICY: If you were advising the government on border security, what would be your advice and new border security policy? _________________________________________________________________ E. ECONOMY. Answer at least 5 full questions. Everyone must answer Q10 on economic development, and answer EITHER Q2 on farming or Q3 on manufacturing, or Q4 on services. 1. SIZE and SHAPE: Q1: What is the country’s total annual GDP in US dollars? Q2: What is its GDP rank in the world? Q3: Economists divide economies into different SECTORS which usually include SERVICES (business, financial, health, food, tourism, entertainment etc.) MANUFACTURING (and industry) and PRIMARY (farming, fishing, mining). Briefly describe the economic STRUCTURE of your country in terms of sector employment or total economic value. 2. FARMING. Farming can be classified in different ways: commercial v. subsistence (grow food for survival), commercial and globalized (selling to world markets) v. commercial and localized (selling locally) markets, large corporate v. small individual, irrigated v. dry-farmed, state-owned v. private farms and so on. Q1: Using one or more of the categories listed above, how would you generally and briefly characterize farming in your country—is this country a farming giant or midget? Explain your answer. Q2: How many workers are in farming, and what percent of the total work force do they represent? Q3: How much does farming contribute to the national economy (gross GDP)? Q4: Where is the country’s BEST FARMING REGION (BFR)? Why do you think so? What crop or crops are grown there? Q5: Is the country well-known for the production of any particular domestic animal or animals (cow, horse, pig etc.)? If so, what? Q6: How would you generally assess the overall agricultural (farming) potential and capability of the country-- excellent, good, OK, poor or bad? Explain. Q7: On a blank outline map, draw-in 2-3 of the country’s chief farming regions and list what crops are grown in each. 3. MANUFACTURING: Q1: What is the overall manufacturing picture or status of your country—is it a manufacturing giant or midget? Explain. How much does manufacturing contribute to the total national economy (gross GDP)? How many workers are in manufacturing? What percent of the total work force do these manufacturing jobs comprise? Q2: Name one product manufactured in the country which has some connection to the land, people or culture. I am thinking of things like Swiss cheese or Norwegian sardines in countries with limited farming capability, or French wine and Spanish olive oil in countries with sunny Mediterranean climates. Q3: Is there any other manufactured product that is significant or worthy of mention? What is it? Q4: On a blank outline map, draw-in 2-3 of the country’s chief manufacturing regions and list what product or products are made there. 4. SERVICES: Q1: How important is the SERVICE sector of the economy in terms of work force employment (percentage of total work force) and in terms of value added to the national economy (percentage of total GDP). Q2: Does any one particular SERVICE INDUSTRY stand-out for special mention? I am referring to such things as tourism in Hawaii, banking in Switzerland, entertainment in Las Vegas and so on. Q3: Are there any special “service regions” in the country that can be identified? If so, show 2-3 of them on a blank outline map. SILICON VALLEY in South Bay area of California would be one example. 5. TRADE: Q1: Name the country’s chief trading partners for both imports and exports and identify the principal products or services being exchanged. 6. GLOBALIZATION: Globalization refers to the degree to which a country’s economy is plugged-into and connected with other countries around the world in terms of trade, financial services and other economic functions. While a LOCAL ECONOMY is small and self-sufficient and comprises a small geographic area, a GLOBAL ECONOMY is large and interdependent with world-wide linkage, cooperation and exchange. Q1: To what degree is your country’s economy GLOBALIZED? Why do you think so? 7. PIPELINES: Most countries have one or more PIPELINES bringing in or taking out something: natural gas, oil, water etc.. On one of your country maps, draw-in the country’s #1 pipeline, identify what material is being transported and briefly explain why it is #1 in importance. 8. SEAPORT: Q1: What is the country’s #1 seaport? Show its location on one of your maps. Q2: What factors geographic or otherwise help explain why it has become the #1 seaport? Q3: Name one product that is being moved through the port. 9. On a blank map draw-in some (2-3 or more) of the country’s economic regions based on one or more criteria of your choosing. You may choose a single factor region such as the country’s #1 cotton region where cotton is the #1 crop, or maybe the #1 cattle region where a lot of cattle are produced, the #1 oil-producing region or whatever. But a region may also be created around an entire industry or economic system such as showing the country’s major mining, fishing, manufacturing or irrigation farming regions. Any type of economic region is OK—you choose. Your atlas has a ”world map” section in the front which will be helpful for answering this question. 10. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Economic GROWTH simply refers to a country adding jobs and increasing its total GDP (Gross Domestic Product) over a period of time. Any country with some degree of population growth would most likely experience some degree of economic growth just by adding new mouths to feed through natural births or immigration. While any kind of GDP growth must be considered good, population-based GDP growth basically maintains the economic status-quo and doesn’t really help lift people out of poverty or improve living standards and overall life quality. Economic DEVELOPMENT, on the other hand, refers to structural changes in an economy with workers moving from lower to higher skilled jobs (e.g. from farming to manufacturing, or from manufacturing to services), from lower-paying to higher-paying jobs, with each person producing more (“Productivity”) wealth and adding more value to the total economy. The GDP grows while the country’s total population stays the same—now that is real GDP growth. Economic Development growth means that each person is contributing more to the total GDP and that the GDP is growing based on increased productivity, not due to increased population. One person working in IT in California has more economic (GDP) value and produces more GDP wealth than one person growing rice on a small farm in India. Or think about a donut shop with two workers producing and selling 1,000 donuts a day, competing with a nearby donut shop employing 6 workers but also producing and selling 1,000 donuts a day. Which donut shop is more productive? The one with only 2 workers with all other factors being the same. How can the 2 worker donut shop develop? By producing and selling 1250 donuts a day but still keeping the same 2 worker staff. That is increased PRODUCTIVITY and that is the name of the game in economics. Q1: What do you see as the country’s #1 economic issue or problem which is slowing-down the country’s GDP growth? Why do you think so? Q2: Imagine you are an economic planner being asked to formulate a new economic plan and policy for the country. Briefly describe and explain your new pl                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

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