REGIONS OF THE WORLDDistribution of Resources

Climate & VegetationLandforms

Group ProjectYour teacher will divide you into groups.Each group will be assigned one of the 9

regions of the world.You will research and present the following

information about your region to the class:Major Resources (limit to the top 5)Climate VegetationMajor Landforms

United States and CanadaResources – fertile soil, a

lot of fresh water, vast forests, coal, oil and natural gas.

Climate – ranges from tundra to tropical

Vegetation – ranges from tundra to tropical rain forest

Landforms – Appalachian and Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Great Lakes

Latin AmericaResources – gold, silver, oil,

natural gas, tin, lead, nickel and timber

Climate – ranges from hot and humid to dry and desert-like

Vegetation – varies from rain forest to grasslands to desert scrub

Landforms – Andes Mountains, highlands, plains, islands, Orinoco river, Amazon river and Parana River

EuropeResources – coal, iron ore,

oil, natural gas, a lot of agricultural land

Climate – marine west coast climate (warm summers/cool winters)

Vegetation – mostly broad fertile plains

Landforms – Europe itself is a peninsula and has many smaller peninsulas, the Alps, Danube river and fertile plains.

Russia and the RepublicsResources – coal, iron ore,

other metals, oil, natural gas and timber

Climate – “climate of extremes”, humid continental (warmer) and subarctic (colder) climates

Vegetation – tundra, taiga, temperate grasslands and desert

Landforms – Northern European Plain, Lake Baikal, Ural mountains and many other mountains and uplands

AfricaResources – large amounts of

gold, platinum, copper, diamonds, many other minerals and oil

Climate – mostly warm and tropical, extreme conditions in the Sahara Desert

Vegetation – tropical grassland, rainforests and a variety of plantlife

Landforms – Africa’s plateau, Nile river, basins, Sahara Desert, volcanic mountains such as Mt. Kilimanjaro

Southwest AsiaResources – oil (1/2 of the

world’s oil reserves), water used for hydroelectric power

Climate – extremely arid (dry) or semiarid

Vegetation – can grow crops along the coastlines

Landforms – Arabian Peninsula, Anatolian Peninsula, deserts, plains, highlands, rugged mountains, Tigris and Euphrates rivers

South AsiaResources – coal,

chromium, iron ore, water, soil

Climate –wet and dry, hot and cold, monsoons (seasonal winds) greatly affect climate

Vegetation –rainforests, forests of evergreens, oak, chestnut and palms

Landforms – Himalaya mountains, rivers, deltas, plains and islands

East AsiaResources – petroleum,

coal, natural gas, water for hydroelectric power

Climate – subarctic to tropical

Vegetation – deciduous and coniferous forests, temperate grasslands, mosses and shrubs in colder areas

Landforms – mountains, plateaus, plains, peninsulas, islands, great river systems

Southeast Asia, Oceania & AntarcticaResources – fertile soil,

fish, some petroleum, tin and gems

Climate – parts have a moderate climate, others have hot and cold deserts

Vegetation – tropical plants, forests, deciduous forests

Landforms – mainland, islands, mountains and volcanoes

What do you think???Based on the distribution of resources, which

regions of the world should be the wealthiest???

In reality, are those regions actually the wealthiest?

Why do you think this is the case?

World Resource mapLabel the 9 different regions of the world.Draw in symbols for all of the major resources of

the world and where they are located.Provide a key with a description of all of your

symbols.Label the major resources that you listed in your

notes packet.Don’t worry about Southeast Asia, Oceania &

AntarcticaUse the following pages in your text book to help:

P120, p204, p276, p462, p483, p554, p622,

The brown shaded areas are coal deposits.

The brown shaded areas are petroleum basins.

The colored portion is all different types of timber