World Cultures and Geography

Sarah Witham Bednarz

Ines M. Miyares

Mark C. Schug

Charles S. White

Senior Consultants

Sarah Witham Berdnarz is associate professor of geography at Texas A&M University, where she has taught since 1988. She earned a Ph.D. in educational curriculum and instruction in 1992 from Texas A&M University and has written extensively about geography literacy and education. Dr. Bednarz was an author of Geography for Life: National Geography Standards, 1994. In 1997 she received the International Excellence Award from the Texas A&M University International Programs Office.

Inés M. Miyares is associate professor of geography at Hunter College-City University of New York. Born in Havana, Cuba, and fluent in Spanish, Dr. Miyares has focused much of her scholarship on Latin America, immigration and refugee policy, and urban ethnic geography. She holds a Ph.D. in geography from Arizona State University. In 1999 Dr. Miyares was the recipient of the Hunter College Performance Excellence Award for excellence in teaching, research, scholarly writing, and service.

Mark C. Schug is director of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center for Economic Education. A 30-year veteran of middle school, high school, and university classrooms, Dr. Schug has been cited for excellence in teaching by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Minnesota Council on Economic Education. In addition to coauthoring eight national economics curriculum programs, Dr. Schug has spoken on economic issues to audiences throughout the world. Dr. Schug edited The Senior Economist for the National Council for Economics Education from 1986 to 1996.

Charles S. White is associate professor in the School of Education at Boston University, where he teaches methods of instruction in social studies. Dr. White has written and spoken extensively on the role of technology in social studies education. He has received numerous awards for his scholarship, including the 1995 Federal Design Achievement Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, for the Teaching with Historic Places project. In 1997, Dr. White taught his Models of Teaching doctoral course at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador.

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UNIT 1 - INTRODUCTION TO WORLD CULTURES AND GEOGRAPHY

Human-Environment Interaction - An orbiting satellite took these photographs of Earth after dark. They have been combined into one image. The glow of electric lights shows the locations of cities and towns.

Satellite view of the Earth at night

This image spans pages 2 and 3

Chapter 1 Welcome to the World

Chapter 2 The Geographer's World

CHAPTER 1 - Welcome to the World

SECTION 1 The World at Your Fingertips

SECTION 2 Many Regions, Many Cultures

Region - The people of the world live in an astonishing variety of ways.

Collage of images of children

This image spans both pages 14 and 15. It is a collage of images of children from around the world in native dress.

FOCUS ON GEOGRAPHY

How have geographic features influenced settlement patterns?

Movement • People settle where they can most easily and comfortably meet their needs for clean water, food, work, communication, trade, and transportation. Before there were good roads, boats were the easiest way to travel or send and receive goods. As a result, people often settled near rivers, lakes, and oceans. They also often settled where the land was suitable for cultivation, and the climate was comfortable. You will not find many cities in the frozen wastelands of Siberia.

What do you think?

Why are there few settlements in the desert?

Why is there often a city where two rivers meet?

READING SOCIAL STUDIES

BEFORE YOU READ

What Do You Know?

You live in the world, but how much do you know about it? The best way to find out is through social studies. Social studies is an umbrella term. It covers history, geography, economics, government, and culture. History, you probably know, is the study of the past. How clearly can you define the other terms? How do you think they can help you to learn about the world?

What Do You Want to Know?

Think about what else you need to know before you can come up with clear, complete, and accurate definitions. Record any questions you have in a notebook before you read this chapter.

Region • Citizens have more rights under some governments than others.

A crowd of people, all with their right hands over their hearts, one holding a small American Flag.

Region • Prepared for a flood, this house was built to suit its environment.

A house by a river

A house by a river, raised above the ground on wooden pilings.

READ AND TAKE NOTES

Reading Strategy: Categorizing

One way to make sense of information is to organize it in a chart. Writing your notes in a chart with categories can help you remember the most important parts of what you have read.

Copy the chart below into your notebook.

As you read the chapter, note the definition of each term listed on the chart.

Write these definitions next to the appropriate heading.

Term | Definition
history |
geography |
economics |
government |
culture |

SECTION 1 - The World at Your Fingertips

MAIN IDEA

Social studies includes information from five fields of learning to provide a well-rounded picture of the world and its peoples.

WHY IT MATTERS NOW

Understanding your world is essential if you are to be an informed citizen of a global society.

TERMS & NAMES

history

geography

government

citizen

economics

scarcity

culture

culture traits

DATELINE

The information presented within "Dateline EXTRA" is displayed as the front page of a newspaper

San Francisco, USA, June 26, 1945

Fifty nations signed a charter today to establish a new organization called the United Nations. The organization will go into effect October 24.

The United Nations is a successor to the old League of Nations, founded after World War I to prevent another world war, which it failed to do. The purpose of the new organization is to maintain peace and develop friendly relations among nations.

The member nations hope to cooperate to solve economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems and to promte respect for human rights and freedom.

Region • Flags of member countries fly in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

The Peoples of the World

For centuries, people in different parts of the world have been trying to get along with one another, not always with success. Part of the problem is a lack of understanding of other peoples ways of life. Advances in communication and transportation, such as the Internet and high-speed planes, have brought people closer together. So have increased international trade and immigration. Knowledge of other societies is the key to understanding them.

Learning About the World

Place • The five fields of learning in social studies are well represented in daily life.

Social studies is a way to learn about the world. It draws on information from five fields of learning, geography, history, economics, government, and culture. Each field looks at the world from a different angle. Consider the approaches you might use if you were starting at a new school. Figuring out how to get around would be learning your school's geography. Asking other students where they come from is learning their history. Making choices about which school supplies you can afford to buy is economics. Learning the school rules is learning about its government. Clubs, teams, styles of clothing, holidays, and even ways of saying things are part of the school's culture.

History and Geography

Knowing history and geography helps orient you in time and space. History is a record of the past. The people and events of the past shaped the world as it is today. Historians search for primary sources, such as newspapers, letters, journals, and other documents, to find out about past events.

Vocabulary

orient:

to become familiar with a situation

A VOICE FROM TODAY

How can we know who we are and where we are going if we don't know anything about where we have come from and what we have been through, the courage shown, the costs paid, to be where we are?

David McCullough, Historian

Connections to Science

Digging into the Past - Archaeologists are scientists who study artifacts to learn about people's culture and history. Artifacts include pots, tools, artworks, and even food remains. Using special techniques and tools, archaeologists carefully remove artifacts from underground or underwater. Then they use their knowledge about the place and people they are studying to figure out how the artifact was used.

The Five Themes of Geography

Geography is the study of people, places, and the environment. Geography deals with the world in spatial terms. The study of geography focuses on five themes: location, region, place, movement, and human-environment interaction.

Place • Israel has a dry climate in the south, and a wetter climate in the north, with prosperous farms and thriving cities.

Region • Israel is a part of Southwest Asia.

Location • Israel is on the southeast shore of the Mediterranean.

A map of Israel and the countries that border it

A map of Israel and its cities Jerusalem (capital), Tel Aviv and Haifa. Surrounding countries are Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt.

Human-Environment Interaction • Irrigation systems supply Israel's dry climate with water.

Movement • Immigrants arrive in Israel.

Immigrants debarking from a plane

Immigrants debarking from a plane in Israel

Location tells where a place is. Several countries that have features in common form a region. Place considers an area's distinguishing characteristics. Movement is a study of the migrations of people, animals, and even plants. Human-environment interaction considers how people change and are changed by the natural features of Earth.

Government

Every country has laws and a way to govern itself. Laws are the rules by which people live. Government is the people and groups within a society that have the authority to make laws, to make sure they are carried out, and to settle disagreements about them. The kind of government determines who has the authority to make the laws and see that they are carried out.

BACKGROUND

Local, state, and national governments provide needed services, such as schools, parks, electricity, and roads.

Limited and Unlimited Governments

In a limited government, everyone, including those in charge, must obey the laws. Some of the laws tell the government what it cannot do. Democracy is a form of limited government. In a democracy the people have the authority to make the laws, either directly or through their elected representatives. The governments of the United States, Mexico, and India are examples of democratic governments.

Rulers in an unlimited government can do whatever they want without regard to the law. Totalitarianism is a form of unlimited government. In a totalitarian government the people have no say. Rulers have total control.

Vocabulary

totalitarian government:

a government in which the rulers have total control

Citizenship

A citizen is a legal member of a country. Citizens have rights, such as the right to vote in elections, and duties, such as paying taxes. Being born in a country can make you a citizen. Another way is to move to a country, complete certain requirements, and take part in a naturalization ceremony.

Movement • One way people become American citizens is by participating in a naturalization ceremony.

Vocabulary

naturalization:

the process of becoming a citizen

Economics

Looking at the long list of flavors at the ice cream store, you have a decision to make. You have only enough money for one cone. Will it be mint chip or bubble gum flavor? You will have to choose. Economics is the study of how people manage their resources by producing, exchanging, and using goods and services. Economics is about choice.

Some economists claim that people's desires are unlimited. Resources to satisfy these desires, however, are limited. These economists refer to the conflict between people's unlimited desires and limited resources as scarcity.

Resources

Resources Economists identify three types of resources: natural, human, and capital. Natural resources are gifts of nature, such as forests, fertile soil, and water. Human resources are skills people have to produce goods and services. Capital resources are the tools people make, such as machines and equipment, to produce goods and services.

Biography

Amartya Sen (b. 1933)

Amartya Sen (ah MART yah sen) was born in India. As a professor at Trinity College in Cambridge, England, he taught and studied economics. An important part of his research was to look at catastrophes, such as famine, that happen to the world's poorest people. By showing governments that food shortages are often caused by social and economic conditions, he hoped to prevent famines in the future. In 1998, Sen won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his research in welfare economics.

Kinds of Economics

Blue jeans are a product. Who decides whether to make them and how many to make and what price to charge? In a command economy, the government decides. In a market economy, individual businesses decide, based on what they think consumers want.

Reading Social Studies

A. Contrasting - How does a market economy differ from a command economy?

Levels of Development

Different countries and regions have different levels of economic development. In a country with a high level of development, most people are well educated, have good health, and earn decent salaries. Services such as clean running water, electricity, and transportation are plentiful. Technology is advanced, and businesses flourish.

Vocabulary

literacy:

abiity to read and write

life expectancy:

average number of years people live

A country with a low level of development is marked by few jobs in industry, poor services, and low literacy rates. Life expectancy is low. These countries are often called developing countries.

Citizenship IN ACTION

High Tech for the Developing World - Mae Jemison, below, is a former astronaut and the first African-American woman to orbit Earth. In 1992, she left the space program and set up the Jemison Institute for Advancing Technology in Developing Countries. This organization uses space program technology to help developing countries.

One project uses a satellite-based telecommunication system to improve health care in West Africa. Another project is an international science camp for students ages 12 to 16.

Culture

Some people wear saris. Others wear T-shirts. Some people eat cereal and milk for breakfast. Others eat pickled fish. Some people go to church on Sunday morning. Others kneel and pray to Allah five times a day. All these differences are expressions of culture. Culture consists of the beliefs, customs, laws, art, and ways of living that a group of people share.

Reading Social Studies

B. Recognizing Important Details - What are three characteristics that can define a culture?

Religion is part of most cultures; so is a shared language. The ways people express themselves through music, dance, literature, and the visual arts are important parts of every culture; so are the technology and tools they use to accomplish various tasks. Each kind of food, clothing, or technology, each belief, language, or tool shared by a culture is called a culture trait. Taken together, the culture traits of a people shape their way of life.

SECTION 1 ASSESSMENT

Terms & Names

1. Identify:

(a) history

(b) geography

(c) government

(d) citizen

(e) economics

(f) scarcity

(g) culture

(h) cultural trait

Taking Notes

2. Use a chart like this one to list the five themes of geography and their characteristics.

A chart with two column headings, Theme and Characteristic, and 5 rows, is given as an example.

Theme
Characteristics

Main Ideas

3.

(a) What five areas of learning does social studies include?

(b) What are the three main kinds of resources, and how is each one defined?

(c) What is the difference between limited and unlimited government?

Critical Thinking

4. Making Inferences

Does the United States have a shared or common, culture?

Think About

What you eat and wear, where you live, how you spend your free time

Who else shares these activities with you

ACTIVITY OPTION

Reread the section on citizenship. Make a poster showing the rights and responsibilities of a citizen.

Interdisciplinary Challenge: Investigate Your World

Suppose that someone has given you a globe as a gift. What a great present! Unlike a flat map, your globe gives you a more accurate view of the world. Best of all, this new globe is programmable. You can input new information about different features and places on Earth. In fact, the manufacturer has set up a contest, the Global Game, giving prizes for the best and most creative approaches to programming the globe. Good luck!

COOPERATIVE LEARNING

On these pages are challenges you will meet in trying to win the Global Game. Working with a small group, choose which one you want to solve. Divide the work among group members. Look for helpful information in the Data File. Keep in mind that you will present your solution to the class.

HISTORY/ECONOMICS CHALLENGE

"... you want to know more about the world closer to home"

Now that your globe has shown you the worldwide picture, you want to know more about the world closer to home. How has geography influenced the history of your community? What features or resources brought settlers there? Choose one of these options. Look in the Data File for information.

ACTIVITIES

1. Make a time line of major events in the growth of your community. If possible, begin with the Native Americans who originally inhabited the area. Include the arrival of immigrants from various places.

2. Draw or trace an outline of your state. Then make a thematic map of its major products and industries. Use words or symbols (such as a cow, a factory, a computer) and create a map key to identify each product.

STATE CAPITOL: Austin

NICKNAME: Lone Star State

POPULATION: 20,851,820 (2000 U.S. Census)

This group of images spans both pages 22 and 23. The map of the state of Texas and the photograph of the state capital, Austin, are on page 22. The image of the state flag and the image of a mass of people are on page 23. There are radiating arcs going from the state map to the other three images, crossing the two pages.

LANGUAGE ARTS CHALLENGE

"... you are taken on an audio journey to new places"

Your new globe has built-in sensors activated by a laser wand. When you point the wand at a spot on the globe, you are taken on an audio journey to new places. The sound clip introduces you to a place's culture, the things that make it unique.

As part of the Global Game, the manufacturer is looking for new ways to present this information. What will you include in your approach? How can you add to the globe's popular appeal? Choose one of these options. Look in the Data File for help.

ACTIVITIES

1. Choose one continent and write a script about it for a seven-minute "audio journey". Remember to include information about geographic features as well as aspects of culture.

2. Design another geography game that the manufacturer can use to market its globe. The game should appeal to students of your age. Write a brief description of the game and its rules.

DATA FILE

WORLD STATISTICS

Circumference at Equator: 24,902 miles.

Earth's speed of orbit: 18.5 mi./sec.

Total area: 197,000,000 square miles; land area: 57,000,000 square miles

Highest point: 29,035 feet Mount. Everest.

Lowest point: 35,800 feet below sea level -- Marianas Trench, Pacific Ocean.

Lowest point on land: 1,302 feet below sea level, Dead Sea, Israel.

HIGHEST ELEVATIONS BY CONTINENT

Asia: Mount. Everest, Nepal-Tibet, 29,035 feet

South America: Mount. Aconcagua, Argentina-Chile, 22,834 feet

North America: Mount. McKinley (Denali), Alaska, 20,320 feet

Africa: Mount. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, 19,340 feet

Europe: Mount. Elbrus, Russia, 18,510 feet

Antarctica: Vinson Massif, 16,864 feet

Western Europe: Mont Blanc, France, 15,771 feet

Australia: Mount. Kosciusko, 7,310 feet

SOME MAJOR RIVER SYSTEMS

Nile, Africa: 4,1 60 mi.

Amazon, South America: 4,080 mi.

Mississippi-Missouri, North America (U.S.): 3,740 mi.

Chang Jiang (Yangtze), China: 3,720 mi.

Yenisey, Russia: 3,650 mi.

Plata, South America: 3,030 mi.

Huang He (Yellow), China: 3,010 mi.

Congo (Zaire), Africa: 2,880 mi.

To learn more about Earth's geography, go to RESEARCH LINKS: CLASSZONE.COM

Activity Wrap-Up

As a group, review your solution to the challenge you selected. Then present your solution to the class.

SECTION 2 - Many Regions, Many Cultures

MAIN IDEA

The world can be divided into regions according to cuture.

WHY IT MATTERS NOW

Understanding other cultures can help you understand how people in other regions live and think.

TERMS & NAMES

culture region

interdependence

DATELINE

The information presented within "Dateline" is displayed as a page in an open magazine.

Meerut, India, May 10, 1857--

Indian troops serving in the army of the British East India Company rebelled today. Reasons given for the revolt include anger at the way the company has been taking over Indian lands and a lack of respect for Indian customs. The immediate cause was the new Enfield rifles issued to the troops. To load them, soldiers have to bite off the ends of the cartridges. Word quickly spread that the cartridges were greased with cow and pig fat. This was an insult to both Hindu and Muslim soldiers. Hindus hold cows sacred and never kill them. Muslims believe the meat of pigs is unclean.

Place • The rebellion in Meerut spread to the city of Lucknow and left the Chutter Munzil Palace in ruins.

Different Places, Different Cultures

Indian soldiers and British officials belonged to cultures with different beliefs. The British came from a region of the world where most people ate the meat of pigs and cows. The Indians lived in a region where most people did not. A culture region is an area of the world in which many people share similar beliefs, history, and languages. The people in a culture region may have religion, technology, and ways of earning a living in common as well. They may grow and eat similar foods, wear similar kinds of clothes, and build houses in similar styles.

Culture • Cows are sacred to Hindus in India.

Culture Regions of the World

The map of the world is divided into the following cultural regions: United States and Canada; Latin America; Europe and former U.S.S.R.; North Africa and Southwest Asia; Africa south of the Sahara; South Asia; and East Asica, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. The key is inset at the bottom of the map and the regions are colour coded.

GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting a Map

Region • How many culture regions are shown on this map?

Location • Name three culture regions in the Eastern Hemisphere.

The World's Culture Regions

The map above shows the major culture regions of the world. Latin America is one culture region. The Spanish and Portuguese languages help to tie its people together. So does its common history. Southwest Asia and North Africa is another culture region. Most countries in this region share a common desert climate and landscape. People have adapted to the desert in similar ways, thus creating a common culture. Islam, which is the major religion in this region, also helps shape a common culture.

Usually, not every person in a region belongs to the dominant, or mainstream, culture. Some regions are multicultural. For example, the United States and Canada contain other cultures besides the dominant one. Although most people in this region speak English, many people in eastern Canada speak French. Many people in the United States speak Spanish, especially in the Southwest. In both countries, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and members of other religions all flourish.

Strange but TRUE

Children Invent Language - In the late 1800s, most people in Hawaii spoke English or native Hawaiian. In 1880, people began arriving from other countries to work in the sugar cane fields, and they spoke Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and Portuguese.

At school, the children of these immigrants began speaking a form of English that was a blend of native Hawaiian, Pidgin English, Pidgin Hawaiian, and their native languages, especially Portuguese. Eventually, children began to learn this form of English as their native langauge. This was the beginning of Hawaii Creole English, and it soon became the language of the majority of Hawaiians.

Child's drawing of a house.

Child's drawing of a house with a cat sitting outside the front door, with the words, Da kaet ste in da haus, written in child's handwriting at the bottom.

Reading Social Studies

A. Recognizing Important Details - Name two characteristics that make the United States multicultural.

Culture Regions Change

For thousands of years, culture regions have changed and evolved as they have borrowed culture traits from one another. They have also come to depend upon each other economically. Decisions and events in one part of the world affect other parts. Advances in transportation and communication have increased this interdependence. When oil-producing nations in the Middle East raise the price of oil, for example, the price of gasoline at the neighborhood gas station is likely to rise. If there is an especially abundant banana crop in parts of Latin America, the price of bananas may drop at the local grocery store. More and more, people of different countries are becoming part of one world.

Region • Home life can differ greatly in different culture regions, sometimes depending on a region's climate or natural resources.

Photo of many tall, identical-looking apartment buildings. Photo of several houses in a village Photo of a wood shack on stilts.

Three photos, the first is of many tall, identical-looking apartment buildings clustered together; the second of several houses in a European-looking village, surrounded by pastures with a horse grazing in the foreground; and the third of a wood shack on stilts by a river. A clothesline is attached to the back of the house.

SECTION 2 ASSESSMENT

Terms & Names

1. Identify:

(a) culture region

(b) interdependence

Taking Notes

2. Use a chart to list the major culture regions of the world.

Major Culture Regions of the World

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Main Ideas

3.

(a) List at least three things people in a culture region may have in common.

(b) Which continents have more than one culture region?

(c) What is one cause of cultural change?

Critical Thinking

4. Clarifying

Why might Brazilian coffee at your local supermarket suddenly cost more?

Think About

price setting

coffee supplies

ACTIVITY OPTION

Write a dialogue between you and a visitor from another country in which you explain what makes the culture in your region different from others.

SKILLBUILDER: Reading a Time Zone Map

Defining the Skill

A time zone map shows the 24 time zones of the world. The prime meridian runs through Greenwich (GREHN•ich), England. Each zone east of Greenwich is one hour later than the zone before. Each zone west of Greenwich is one hour earlier. The International Date Line runs through the Pacific Ocean. It is the location where each day begins. If it is Saturday to the east of the International Date Line, then it is Sunday to the west of it.

Applying the Skill

Use the strategies listed below to help you find times and time differences on a time zone map.

How to Read a Time Zone Map

Strategy 1 Read the title. It tells you what the map is intended to show.

Strategy 2 Read the labels at the top of the map. They show the hours across the world when it is noon in Greenwich. The labels at the bottom show the number of hours earlier or later than the time in Greenwich.

Strategy 3 Locate a place whose time you know. Locate the place where you want to know the time. Count the number of time zones between them. Then add or subtract that number of hours. For example, if it is noon time on the west coast of Africa, you can see that it is 7:00 A.M. on the east coast of the United States. That is a difference of five hours.

1) World Time Zones

Map of the time zones of the world.

This map shows the time zones of the world. This map is intended to be used with the strategies which describe how to read a map. The title is label '1' and provides the information for Strategy 1. The time zones are label at the top and bottom of the map and are referenced in Strategy 2. There are vertical lines going from the top of the map to the bottom marking each time zone. The far left of the map begins in the Pacific ocean east of the area in which Japan lies, with 11 p.m. shown at the top and +11 at the bottom. The next time zone is label Midnight and +12, -12. The International Date line is contained within this zone. The times change by one hour from time zone to time zone. Prime Meridian, which is label '3' passes through eastern Europe and eastern Africa.

Practicing the Skill

Practice determining the difference in hours between various time zones. For example, if you select the yellow zone in western Asia and you live in Texas, you will have a time difference of 11 hours. Now select one time zone in Africa, one in Europe, and one in Australia. For each location, determine the number of hours' difference with the time zone in which you live.

LITERATURE CONNECTIONS

The Giant Kuafu Chases the Sun

FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES, people have created myths and legends to explain the natural world. Some stories explain why earthquakes occur or lightning strikes. Others tell how rivers, deserts, canyons, and other landforms came to be. This ancient Chinese myth, dating back at least 2,500 years, comes from the area of northern China where Chinese civilization first began. The myth explains how the province of Shaanxi got its mountains.

Shaanxi, also known as Shensi, is in northern China.The southern part of the province contains the high and rugged Qinling Range, also called the Tsinling Mountains, where the average peak is 8,000 feet high and some are over 12,000 feet high.

Long ago, soon after time began, giants roamed the flat and fertile Earth. One of the largest, bravest, and fastest of them all was named Kuafu-and his strength knew no bounds. Every day, Kuafu watched the sun rise in the east and set in the west.When night came, he became greatly saddened. He thought, "I do not like the darkness. All life falls into a silent slumber. If I could catch the sun, then I could keep night as bright as day. The plants could grow forever, and it would always be warm. I would never have to sleep again."

The next day, Kuafu stretched his legs and started to race after the sun. He ran like the wind over several thousand miles without rest. Finally, he chased the sun to the Yu Valley where it came to rest every day but Kuafu was thirsty and very, very tired. His thirst grew, and soon it became overwhelming. He had never known a thirst like this, and his body seemed to be drying up like mud bricks in an oven.

Kuafu found the nearest stream and drank it dry. It was not enough.With a giant's stride, he quickly reached the mighty Yellow River. He drank it dry, but again, it was not enough. He continued toward the Great Sea-surely it held water enough to quench his thirst.

On his journey, he drank dry every well and every stream and every lake he came across. His thirst became overpowering, and Kuafu fell to the ground before he reached the Sea. In a fit of anger, with a branch of a peach tree, he made a final swing at the sun. But before the branch reached the sun, Kuafu died of thirst.

The sun set in the Yu Valley, and night came. When the sun rose again, Kuafu's body had been transformed into a mountain range. The peach tree branch extended from his side and formed a peach tree grove.To this day, the peaches in this grove are sweet and moist, always ready to relieve the thirst of those who would choose to chase the sun.

Reading the Literature

Before you read, examine the title. Why might the title character want to chase the sun? What abilities will he or she need to catch it?

Thinking About the Literature

Contests involving the sun, as well as efforts to reach the sun, are common in the myths and legends of many societies. Why do you think stories about the sun are told in so many cultures?

Writing About the Literature

Although Kuafu was not a real person, his myth has survived for thousands of years. Why? What does it teach about human behavior?

Further Reading

Legends of Landforms by Carole G. Vogel explores Native American legends about the origins of many places in the United States.

Why Snails Have Shells by Carolyn Han retells the folk tales of the Han people and other Chinese ethnic groups.

CHAPTER 1 - ASSESSMENT

TERMS & NAMES

Explain the significance of each of the following:

1. history

2. geography

3. government

4. citizen

5. economics

6. scarcity

7. culture

8. culture trait

9. culture region

10. interdependence

REVIEW QUESTIONS

The World at Your Fingertips (pages 17-21)

1. What are the five themes of geography?

2. What are the main differences between a limited and an unlimited government?

3. How can someone become a citizen of a country?

4. What is the difference between a command economy and a market economy?

5. What are some characteristics of a culture?

Many Regions, Many Cultures (pages 24-26)

6. How can decisions made in one part of the world affect people in another part of the world?

7. What aspects of daily life might people in the same culture region share?

8. What makes the United States and Canada a multicultural region?

CRITICAL THINKING

Remembering Definitions

1. Using your completed chart from Reading Social Studies, p. 16, tell how understanding the culture could help you make friends in a new country.

Making Inferences

2. Why might someone's life expectancy be low in a region with a low level of development?

Identifying Problems

3. If countries in the Middle East stopped producing oil, how might that affect the economy of the United States?

Visual Summary

1. The World at Your Fingertips

History, geography, government, economics, and culture are five ways to understand Earth and its peoples.

2. Many Regions, Many Cultures

People live, dress, and think differently in each of the world's culture regions.

SOCIAL STUDIES SKILLBUILDER

SKILLBUILDER: Reading a Time Zone Map

1. If it is 2 P.M. in Houston, what time is it in Chicago?

2. What is the time difference between Los Angeles and New York City?

Time zone map

A Time Zone map, showing the U.S. states Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada in Pacific Time, 12:00 (Noon). Montana, part of Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, parts of North and South Dakota, part of Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah are in Mountain Time, 1:00 P.M. The greater portions of Norh and South Dakota and Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, most of Tennessee and part of Kentucky are in Central Time, 2:00 P.M. The remaining states, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, most of Kentucky, part of Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are in Eastern Time, 3:00 P.M.

FOCUS ON GEOGRAPHY

1. Human-Environment Interaction • What needs determine where people settle?

2. Place • What geographic features made the location of this town a good place to settle?

An illustsrated, fictional map

An illustrated, fictional map showing a town on the mouth of a river, in a harbor. A compass shows North, South, East and West. Different features of the map are indicated: farmland, pasture, forest; pond, river, harbor.

CHAPTER PROJECTS

Interdisciplinary Activity: Art

Making a Poster - Research what kinds of clothing people wear in other parts of the world. Create a poster that shows the clothing, both modern and traditional, that different groups of people wear. Use photographs or drawings with captions that illustrate the types of clothes.

Cooperative Learning Activity

Setting Up a Peace Conference - With a group of three to five students, set up a peace conference to help two warring groups make peace. Choose two specific groups and a specific issue that caused the hostility, such as harming a cow in a Hindu society.

Take on the roles of intermediary and spokesperson for each group.

See how understanding the other group's perspective helps you agree.

Present your conference to the class as a skit.

INTERNET ACTIVITY

Use the Internet to research a culture, such as the people of Lebanon or Hong Kong. Find out what most people value, what jobs they have, what foods they eat, what governments they live under, and what difficulties they face.

Writing About Geography - Write a report of your findings. List the Web sites you used to prepare your report.

For Internet links to support this activity, go to RESEARCH LINKS: CLASSZONE.COM