Geographic Regions of the

World

Physical and political

characteristics

East Asia

Present-day countries

• China

• Japan

• North Korea

• South Korea

• Mongolia

• Taiwan

North and South Korea

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

Southeast Asia

Present-day countries

• Vietnam

• Laos

• Cambodia

• Thailand

• Burma

• Malaysia

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

Southern Asia

Present-Day Countries

• India

• Pakistan

• Bangladesh

• Sri Lanka

What makes Southern Asia

• Cut off by Himalayas and Hindu Kush

• Dravidians—Aryans—Muslims

• Cyclical view of Hinduism and Buddhism until the Islamic incursions

Central Asia

Present-Day Countries

• Former Soviet Republics of Asia

• Afghanistan (NOT in the Middle East)

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

Southwest Asia & Egypt (Middle East)

Present-day countries

• Anatolian Peninsula (Turkey)

• Levant: Israel, Palestine and Lebanon

• Arabian Peninsula

• Syria, Iraq, Iran

• Egypt

• NOT Afghanistan

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)

North Africa

Present-day Countries

• Morocco

• Algeria

• Tunisia

• Libya

• Egypt

What makes North Africa?

• Sahara Desert

• Mediterranean Sea

• Extension of Arab Middle East, influenced by trans-Saharan trade and Islam

West Africa

Present-day countries

• Senegal & the Gambia• Guniea Bissau & Guinea• Sierra Leone & Liberia• Cote’ D’Ivoire & Ghana

• Togo & Benin• Nigeria

• Burkina Faso• MAYBE: W. Sahara, Mauritania, Mali & Chad

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

Central Africa

Present-day countries

• Cameroon• Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Republic of the Congo• Equatorial Guinea

• Central African Republic• Rwanda• Burundi

• Chad (maybe)• Angola (maybe)

What makes Central Africa?

• Congo basin, mostly rainforest, wet savannah

• Traditionally African with some Christian influence

East Africa

Present-day countries

• Kenya

• Uganda

• Tanzania

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

Southern Africa

Present-day countries

• Namibia

• Botswana

• Zimbabwe

• Mozambique

• Swaziland

• Lesotho

• Republic of South Africa

What makes South Africa?

• South of C/E Africa

• Tribal religions, Islam, little Christianity from W. Europe

Western Europe

Present-day countries

• Ireland• United Kingdom

• Norway• Belgium• Denmark

• Netherlands• Luxemburg

• France• Portugal and Spain

• Italy • Switzerland

• NOT Germany or Austria

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

Central Europe

Present-day countries

• Germany• Austria

• Czech Republic• Slovakia• Hungary• Serbia• Albania• Croatia

• Slovenia• Macedonia

• Poland

What makes Central Europe?

• East of the Rhine as far as RCC influence extends

• Directly influenced by the Reformation, Counter-Reformation and the

Enlightenment

Eastern Europe & Russia

Present-day countries

• Russia• Romania• Bulgaria• Lithuania• Estonia• Latvia

• Belarus• Ukraine• Moldavia

• Caucus nations• NO LONGER: Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary,

Yugoslav nations

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

Latin America and the Caribbean

Present-day countries

• All of the western hemisphere south of the United States

What makes Latin America & the Caribbean?

• North American and African cultures with heavy overlay of Spanish and Portuguese

influences

• RCC and Iberian outlook

North America

Present-day countries

• United States

• Mexico

What makes North America?

• British/Western European cultures

• Enlightenment/Revolutionary attitude

• Exclusive Western European philosophy

Australia & Oceania (Polynesia)

What makes Australia & Oceania?

• Islands

• Mixture of cultures brought in through trade

• Widely disparate religious philosophy

Avoid pitfalls…

• “Southern Asia”

• “South Africa”

• “Central America”

• “Balkans”

• “Mediterranean States”

• “Afghanistan”