World Geography—Semester A

The world according to Shmoop.

  • Credit Recovery Enabled
  • Course Length: 18 weeks
  • Course Type: Basic
  • Category:
    • History and Social Science
    • High School

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World Geography à la Shmoop is not:

  • Memorization
  • Dressing up in costumes for a few rounds of Model UN
  • Letting Europe get off the hook for that whole imperialism thing

On the other hand, Shmoop's World Geography is a full year of multi-faceted study aligned to Texas (TEKS) standards. We'll focus on two areas of geography: physical geography (land, formations, climate, and all that jazz) and human geography (people and their cultures and migrations). Oh, and just how closely the two are linked.

Through units based on geographic regions, as well as student-based, exploratory research, you'll soon be asking yourself questions you've never before considered. Questions like…

  • Which parts of Europe are just plain used up?
  • Why is water access so important that it even influences who wins Eurovision and the World Cup? 
  • How did I never know how darn awesome this free online heat-map-producing software is?

Get the picture? Geography à la Shmoop is all about questioning the world around you through research, critical thinking, and analysis. It's a thrill-ride combination of world history, earth science, statistics, sociology, and philosophy…and that's just Semester A.

Semester B coming soon!


Unit Breakdown

1 World Geography—Semester A - Welcome to Planet Earth

Have you ever taken time to stare at the earth from space, millions of miles away? No? In this introduction to geography, you can: It's all about looking at the larger special patterns of our planet. Why do humans tend to settle around rivers? Why do traditional maps have North America on top and Africa on the bottom? We'll step back and get a look at the bigger picture.

2 World Geography—Semester A - The Story of the Earth

We know, you didn't sign up for Earth Science 101. But it's still incredibly important to study the physical aspects of the earth, which is why Shmoop put "The Story of the Earth" so early on in the World Geography course. Climate, weather, natural disasters, the biosphere, and even soil affect everything humans do, so there's no studying migration without geologic representation.

3 World Geography—Semester A - People of Earth

In this unit, we'll learn the basics of human society. Specifically: Why is it that while people on earth look the same, talk the same, and basically act the same, human geography is based on difference? Think about it: We eat different food, believe in different religions, and carve out our planet with made-up borders to separate into countries and regions. This unit examines the how and why of human separation and how our constant change shapes a multicultural planet.

4 World Geography—Semester A - North America

Thought you've heard every joke available about Canadian accents? Think again! Unit 4—North America—is Shmoop's first stop in the region-by-region breakdown of the rest of our course. We'll look at two of the arguably most similar countries in the world, Canada and the USA. They share a continent, history, and many (but not all) of the same values. What's that cultural difference all aboot? You'll find out soon.

5 World Geography—Semester A - Middle America

It's not all sunshine and sandy beaches in Central America, although that may be all your average tourist sees. Unit 5 will give you a taste of communism, capitalism, bananas and why they matter, as well as how geography, location, and climate have shaped the culture and destiny of this region.

6 World Geography—Semester A - South America

South America is sorta like that kid in your class who wins every academic award: Biggest River, Most Intense Mountain Ranges, Driest Place on Earth, Highest Waterfall, and Funniest Lake Name (Titicaca, obviously). In Unit 6, you'll see how these physical extremes also extend into people and society, from the regional power of Brazil to the poverty of Bolivia and Guyana, and the income disparity prevalent between the very rich and the very poor. Like we said…South America has everything.

7 World Geography—Semester A - Europe

Europe is the second smallest continent on Earth, but it's had tremendous influence on the rest of the world due to centuries of exploitation. Up until the twentieth century, the history of Europe was one of segregation and separation—but after that whole World War II thing, it's tended toward integration through good vibes and the European Union. In this unit you'll learn all about Europe past and present, why Norway's quality of life is so dang good, and which geographic factors have made and will continue to make Europe the ultimate global player.

8 World Geography—Semester A - Semester One Research Project

Semester A concludes with a research project of your own creation. Where are the most McDonalds locations in South America? What would have happened if the South had won the Civil War? Why does Russia get all up in everyone's grill? Whatever caught your interest earlier this semester is yours for the taking, and you'll explore it through data collecting, graphic creation, and of course, Shmoop's fave: formal written analysis.


Sample Lesson - Introduction

Lesson 5.06: Banana Wars

It comes as no surprise by now to discover that bananas have a dark side. On the outside it seems like they're a ticket out of poverty and marginalization. On the inside…it's a different story.

There are all kinds of bananas in the world, but the Cavendish banana reigns supreme, accounting for nearly 95% of banana exports worldwide. These bananas are clones—literally—they are genetically identical, and seedless. This makes the banana appealingly uniform for supermarket consumers. But it also means that if something threatens one banana, it threatens all bananas.

So…banana wars are clone wars?

Well, no, but as we've said in the past: bananas are way more than "just bananas," and the violence that's risen up over the years because of them takes that statement to the next level.


Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 5.06a: The New Banana Wars

Bananas are nothing to laugh at—they're a serious agricultural moneymaker, and the cause one of the biggest trade disputes of the 20th century. Let's get into the dark side of the banana economy—darker even than that creepy Lesson Intro picture—with an interactive reading.

The old banana wars were the military and diplomatic battles fought with Middle American republics throughout the 20th century. The new banana wars were economic, and focused on trade restrictions. They started in 1993 and finally ended in 2009.

In a nutshell, the recent trade war over bananas had its roots in colonial history and Middle American ties to Europe. The battle pitched the rimland banana producers (mostly small scale) against the mainland banana producers (mostly multinational plantation scale—so, large). Behind the scenes, the United States and the European Union were the main combatants. Much of the conflict centered on the Windward Islands—islands in the Lesser Antilles, closest to the trade winds blowing across the Atlantic from Africa.

The main problem was that some banana-producing former colonies in the rimland (and especially in the Windward Islands) had special trade relationships with their former colonizer empires, while the mainland agribusinesses faced trade restrictions from the same European importers. Not very fair, is it?

The World Trade Organization mediated through years of conflict and escalation of trade barriers, and eventually a settlement was found (without the WTO, in the end), though it's honestly too early to tell if peace will last.

Let's get into all of that in a bit more detail. Work your way through the following readings, and answer the questions that follow along the way. By the end you should have a good grasp of some of the problems with bananas.

  1. Our first reading is this National Geographic NewsWatch article on bananas as the top fruit (though, little known fact: they're technically a herb). After you read, type some complete sentenced answers into the boxes below.

    1. Which 4 Middle American countries are on the list of top banana exporters? (Notice the distinction between banana producing and banana exporting—it's important.)

    2. What makes bananas relatively delicate, as plants go?

    3. Why did the banana trade pick up and start to globalize in the late 1800s?

    4. The early banana companies were some of the first multinational companies, ever. What aspects of the banana trade were they involved in?

  2. Now pick your way through this Q&A session from the BBC; the following questions apply to that article.

    1. What was the main dispute in the banana trade war?

    2. Why were the banana wars such a big deal in Middle America?

    3. What ended the banana trade war, and what were the terms of settlement?

  3. Now let's move on to an opinion about the end of the banana wars. Read this article, soon after the Geneva Agreement.

    Summarize the author's opinion, in approximately 30 words, on whether the settlement of the banana trade war matters.

  4. On a similar note, read this subsection of a viewpoint on the banana trade wars.

    Again, summarize the author's opinion (in approximately 30 words) on why the Caribbean region's dependence on bananas is unhealthy.

And that, good Shmoopsters, is the basic story of the new banana wars. Always remember that it's not "just about bananas"—they're a symbol of economic imperialism, and the same issues could affect any number of agricultural commodities, like coffee or cheese. What happened with bananas could (and does) happen with other commodities traded in the global economy.

Cue: dramatic suspenseful music.


Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 5.06b: Sustainable Bananas

Another big problem with bananas is the issue of sustainability. Agribusiness thrives on monoculture, or limiting an area to only growing one crop that's perfect for their environmental conditions.

Almost all of the bananas traded around the world are genetically identical—the seedless, appealing, large, and yellow Cavendish banana. But this hasn't always been the case. Not too long ago, the top banana was the Gros Michel (translation: the Big Mike), but it was almost completely wiped out by Panama Disease in the 1950s, which is when growers switched to the more resistant Cavendish variety. That's the problem with monoculture—there's little or no genetic diversity, so threats (like fungus) to a single plant become threats to a whole crop and a whole industry. An entire species can get wiped out by one disease.

As you can probably tell by now, there are tons of sustainability problems with the bananas themselves, and with the treatment of the people that grow them. In this activity we're going to act like banana activists and get all political and passionate about the perils of bananas, from the viewpoint of sustainability.

Create a brochure, using any of the templates in your word processor. Imagine yourself passing out the brochure at your local supermarket, maybe wearing a banana suit with Fairtrade emblazoned across it, imploring people to make smart and sustainable choices with their banana-buying. The brochure should have 6 to 10 sections detailing your basic argument for banana sustainability. Aim for about 50 words per section.

Our main resource for this activity is a website for banana activism. Check it out: BananaLink. Notice the topics in the menu on the left—we'll work our way through most of those as we prepare the brochure.

The layout, design, and message of your brochure are all up to you (though in general, you should aspire to a layout and sections like this on the front and back to make sure you can fit 3 – 4 for each side of your paper). Be sure to include the following topics:

  • how bananas are grown
  • where bananas are grown (focus of course on Latin America and the Caribbean)
  • problems with bananas—environmental, social, who earns what, women in the industry
  • issues of sustainability throughout—related to bananas themselves, or to sustainable development (=sustainability and people)

Prepare your brochure by summarizing or highlighting some of the key points in the BananaLink resource, and feel free to supplement it with everything you've learned about the banana trade in the last few lessons. Use text and use visuals (graphs, images, etc.) to communicate your understanding of the sustainability of the banana trade—specifically, what sustainability means to the bananas themselves, and to the people growing them.

Infographics, politics, and seasonal produce combined? Now that's what Shmoop's talking about.