Geographic Regions of the World

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Geographic Regions of the World Physical and
political characteristics
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East Asia
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Present-day countries

• China
• Japan
• North Korea
• South Korea
• Mongolia
• Taiwan

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North and South Korea
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What makes East Asia?

• Pacific Ocean in the east
• Port cities on the eastern coast
• Navigable Rivers
• Desert climate in the northwest
• Mixture of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism,
  Christianity and Shintoism

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Southeast Asia
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Present-day countries

• Vietnam
• Laos
• Cambodia
• Thailand
• Burma
• Malaysia

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What makes Southeast Asia?

• Separated by mountains rainforest from the rest
  of mainland
• Pacific Indian Oceans
• Mixture of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism,
  Islam
• Influenced by Indian and Chinese cultures

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Southern Asia
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Present-Day Countries

• India
• Pakistan
• Bangladesh
• Sri Lanka

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What makes Southern Asia

• Cut off by Himalayas and Hindu Kush
• DravidiansAryansMuslims
• Cyclical view of Hinduism and Buddhism until the
  Islamic incursions

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Central Asia
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Present-Day Countries

• Former Soviet Republics of Asia
• Afghanistan (NOT in the Middle East)

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What makes Central Asia?

• Steppe and desert somewhat cut off from
  surrounding areas
• Origins of people of South Asia (Aryans)
• Almost all European and Turkic people were
  war-like
• Radical Islamic

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Southwest Asia Egypt (Middle East)
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Present-day countries

• Anatolian Peninsula (Turkey)
• Levant Israel, Palestine and Lebanon
• Arabian Peninsula
• Syria, Iraq, Iran
• Egypt
• NOT Afghanistan

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What makes Southwest Asia?

• Desert climate
• Surrounded by warm-waterways
• Access to Mediterranean, Indian Ocean
• Defined by Islam (North Africa is extension)
• Origin of the 3 monotheistic religions (Judaism,
  Christianity and Islam)

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North Africa
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Present-day Countries

• Morocco
• Algeria
• Tunisia
• Libya
• Egypt

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What makes North Africa?

• Sahara Desert
• Mediterranean Sea
• Extension of Arab Middle East, influenced by
  trans-Saharan trade and Islam

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West Africa
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Present-day countries

• Senegal the Gambia
• Guniea Bissau Guinea
• Sierra Leone Liberia
• Cote DIvoire Ghana
• Togo Benin
• Nigeria
• Burkina Faso
• MAYBE W. Sahara, Mauritania, Mali Chad

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What makes West Africa?

• Coastal rainforest
• Savannah
• Sahel and Steppe
• Traditionally African until Islam pushed in from
  the north and Christianity and westernization
  arrived in the 19th century

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Central Africa
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Present-day countries

• Cameroon
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Republic of the Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• Central African Republic
• Rwanda
• Burundi
• Chad (maybe)
• Angola (maybe)

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What makes Central Africa?

• Congo basin, mostly rainforest, wet savannah
• Traditionally African with some Christian
  influence

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East Africa
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Present-day countries

• Kenya
• Uganda
• Tanzania

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What makes East Africa?

• Indian Ocean
• Coastal trade
• Bantu/Arab/Indian-Islamic
• Most influenced by the I/O trade routes than
  European colonization
• Sunni Islam on coast and tribal (animistic) in
  the interior

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Southern Africa
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Present-day countries

• Namibia
• Botswana
• Zimbabwe
• Mozambique
• Swaziland
• Lesotho
• Republic of South Africa

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What makes South Africa?

• South of C/E Africa
• Tribal religions, Islam, little Christianity from
  W. Europe

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Western Europe
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Present-day countries

• Ireland
• United Kingdom
• Norway
• Belgium
• Denmark
• Netherlands
• Luxemburg
• France
• Portugal and Spain
• Italy
• Switzerland
• NOT Germany or Austria

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What makes Western Europe?

• West of the Rhine, Scandinavia and Italy
• Area most affected by the Roman Empire and RCC
• This is what western in culture refers to

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Central Europe
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Present-day countries

• Germany
• Austria
• Czech Republic
• Slovakia
• Hungary
• Serbia
• Albania
• Croatia
• Slovenia
• Macedonia
• Poland

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What makes Central Europe?

• East of the Rhine as far as RCC influence extends
• Directly influenced by the Reformation,
  Counter-Reformation and the Enlightenment

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Eastern Europe Russia
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Present-day countries

• Russia
• Romania
• Bulgaria
• Lithuania
• Estonia
• Latvia
• Belarus
• Ukraine
• Moldavia
• Caucus nations
• NO LONGER Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary,
  Yugoslav nations

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What makes Eastern Europe?

• Eastern extremities of central Europe across
  Eurasia to the Pacific
• Orthodox Christianity, some Islam, no direct
  influence of Reformation/Enlightenment but they
  have a secondary influence

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Latin America and the Caribbean
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Present-day countries

• All of the western hemisphere south of the United
  States

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What makes Latin America the Caribbean?

• North American and African cultures with heavy
  overlay of Spanish and Portuguese influences
• RCC and Iberian outlook

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North America
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Present-day countries

• United States
• Mexico

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What makes North America?

• British/Western European cultures
• Enlightenment/Revolutionary attitude
• Exclusive Western European philosophy

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Australia Oceania (Polynesia)
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What makes Australia Oceania?

• Islands
• Mixture of cultures brought in through trade
• Widely disparate religious philosophy

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Avoid pitfalls

• Southern Asia
• South Africa
• Central America
• Balkans
• Mediterranean States
• Afghanistan