Thailand

Thailand is located in Southeast Asia. The country borders Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia. The southern part of Thailand is covered with forests and mountains. However, the highest mountains are located in the north.

The rainy season or monsoons in Thailand take place between May and September. The moist and humid weather creates a good place for a large variety of animals to live. The most spectacular animals live deep in the forests, such as elephants, wild ox, leopards and tigers. Crocodiles and cobras also live in Thailand.

Around 90% of the Thai population is Buddhist. There are many temples and Buddhist structures all over the country. Thai food is influenced by Indian and Chinese cuisine. Most dishes are very spicy. The most common ingredients are lemongrass, hot chilies, basil and coconut milk.

Until 1939, Thailand was known as Siam. Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that has never been colonized by European powers. In 1932, Thailand became a constitutional monarchy, after a revolution. The king is the leader of the country. But, his function is only symbolic.
Tourism and agriculture are Thailand’s most important industries.

The elephant is the national animal of Thailand and plays an important role in Thai culture and in the national symbols. According to Thai beliefs, the mother of Buddha (Queen Maya) was only able to get pregnant after dreaming about a white elephant. This is the reason why the white elephant is considered to bring good luck and has a royal status.

In the past, a lot of trees were cut in Thailand. Most forests are in the mountains. So, it was too difficult to use machines and trucks to collect wood. Many elephants were used to pick up the trees that were cut by people. The elephants carried the trees to the rivers. The trees then floated down the river to nearby villages where the trees where cut into pieces of wood. It took many years to teach elephants how to work. 

Each elephant had its own trainer, called a mahout. A mahout would spend his whole life with the same animal.It was definitely not an easy nor cheap task to train an elephant. An elephant eats 550 pounds of plants and drinks over 80 gallons of water each day! The mahout trained the elephant for 20 years and only after training would the elephant begin to work. They would work for around 35 years.

In 1989, the Thai government banned all logging in protected areas. It was a very wise choice to protect the vulnerable areas. But, it left many elephants without work. The rapid rise in tourism around that time solved that problem. Today, more than half of the population of domesticated animals work in tourism.

There are nearly 2,700 domesticated elephants in Thailand today. 

Check out this sad but cool article about Elephants in Thailand and this video that accompanies the information. 

This video is 8 minutes long so get cozy and answer the questions on your worksheet as you watch. 

Research and Practice

Compare two countries of YOUR choice. Visit this website. 

I have already printed out the worksheet for you. 

Visit the provided links for you to search for information about your two countries. Feel free to use other sources if you would like. 

Now is the time to start memorizing locations of  couturiers Southeast Asia. Learn them here.
Practice them here! 

Also, do some research on the culture of ONE of your countries.  Comment here and tell what country you researched and give five examples of cultural norms in this country. 

India

The population of India is 1,240,340,000 (Feb 2014 estimate). It is the 2nd largest population in the world. One in every six people in the world live in India. It is 31st most densely populated country in the world. 

India is in south Asia, a large country, it is the 7th largest country in the world. It borders with 7 other countries. They are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The capital city of India is New Delhi, which has a population 21,753,000 people living in the metropolitan area. This makes it the 3rd largest city in the world.

Watch four minutes of 

Sights and Sounds of India | National Geographic

Ganges River is the most important as well as the most sacred river in India. It is one of the longest river in India and also third largest river in the world in terms of water discharged into sea. Ganges River plays an important role in the life of Indian people. The river is used for irrigation, transportation and fishing and the Gangetic Plain is one of the most fertile and densely populated places on Earth. 

Watch two minutes of 

India’s Geographic Challenge

The river is referred as “Mother Ganga” in India, many ancient and historical cities are located on its bank . Ganges River is sacred to Hindus and it is regarded as goddess in Hindu mythology. 

Ganges water is sacred to every Indian and they use it for praying, drinking. Ganges water is believed to wash away sins and purify soul, ashes of dead bodies are dissolved here and it is very important ritual. Pilgrims while returning carry Ganges water that can be used for future prayer. It is believed that on auspicious day bathing in Ganges can wash away all the sins committed by man. 

watch this 5 minute video on 

Cleaning Up the Ganges.

Watch this brief biography of Gandhi. 

Comment and share two things that you learned. 

China's Environment

China is famous for being the country with the highest population in the world. There are over 1.3 billion people living in the country and this number is growing by 10 million every year. 

Many cities in China are heavily polluted. The most serious pollution comes from coal-powered factories. Nearly 70% of the energy production in China requires coal. 

The living condition of people in the big cities is heavily affected by pollution.  Because of these unhealthy conditions, many people get sick. Chinese people who live in these cities wear breathing masks and buy air purifiers to combat this menace. 

The Chinese government is aware of the problem but is finding it difficult to make the situation better. If the government decides to reduce the number of cars and coal-powered factories, the economy will be affected. The Government feels that it is more important for the economy to grow than solving the problem of pollution. Local governments are implementing new rules to make their cities more environmentally friendly, but a lot more has to be done so as to get rid of all the pollution.

Watch the following two videos:  

Comment and tell us two things you learned that you didn't know before. 

China's Toxic Smog (2.05)

Unique ways to deal with China's air pollution (3 min) 

Homework: 

Below you will find your name. Each name is hyperlinked to a current news article about China. Please print out your article. Write a summary, in your own words, of the information presented in your article.  You will be teaching the class what YOU learned. After you write a summary, email your teacher three questions that students should be able to answer after hearing you tell them about your article. 

Cassie 

Hunter

Evan

Emma

Lauren

Elijah

Jon

Martin

Tim 

Shea 

Southeast Asia

South of China, east of India and north of Australia lays Southeast Asia, a sub region of Asia. Here you’ll find beautiful beaches, tropical jungles and fascinating cultures. Southeast Asia sits on two fault lines beneath the Earth’s surface. The area is prone to tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanoes. Southeast Asia has a tropical climate, consisting of a rainy monsoon season and a dry, hot season.

Southeast Asia is divided into two parts: mainland Southeast Asia, which includes Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam; and 

Maritime Southeast Asia, which is made up of many islands and includes East Timor, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Christmas Island.

 Each country has its own unique culture and traditions, but these cultures are similar. Most people in Southeast Asia are Buddhist, Muslim or Christian. Families and traditions are important. Parents, teachers and elders are treated with respect and honor.

Here are some facts for you:

Southeast Asia is located on an intersection of geological plates which causes a lot of seismic and volcanic activity.

Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands are governed by Australia, but are a part of Southeast Asia

Includes an area of about 1.6 million square miles.Population: more than 593 million people

More than 1/5 of the population (about 125 million) lives on the Java island of Indonesia.

Islam is the most widely practiced religion though Buddhism and Christianity are also practiced

The different countries making up Southeast Asia have developed local languages within their individual cultures though English is spoken in most of them

There are more than 700 living languages spoken in just Indonesia

Southeast Asia Vocabulary

Indochina: Group of countries in Southeast Asia located on the mainland and not made up of islands

Tsunami: Usually caused by a tremendous oceanic disturbance, this is a very large and destructive wave

Visit this website. There are ten facts listed about Southeast Asia. Click on one (pick one that NOBODY else has chosen yet) and learn some good stuff. 

Comment on the blog and tell us what you learned. 

Latin America & The Caribbean Test Practice

Practice Central America and Caribbean locations! 

Practice South American locations here ..... and here. 

We did not discuss the highest navigable lake in the world Lake Titicaca nor did we talk about the Magellan Strait. 

Practice location of these two water bodies as well as the oceans here. 

The Strait of Magellan, also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. 

It is safer for ships to travel this strait rather than the  Drake Passage which is a somewhat narrow body of water between Antarctica and South America that serves as an ocean-going connecting point between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.water between South America and Antarctica. 

Watch a short video on Lake Titicaca. 

Watch: How was this strait discovered? 

And: Strait of Magellan 

Rainforest

Visit the following websites and choose one product that originates in the rainforest that we enjoy today.

Do some research and write a paragraph about the product, including the natural resource that it comes from, and what we use it for here in America. 

The Global Importance of Amazon Natural Resources

Resources of the Rain Forest

Ten products and ingredients that come from the Amazon.

Argentina

What if you could visit a country that had rain forests, as well as grassy farmlands and even glaciers? 

Argentina sits at the very bottom of South America and it has a little bit of everything. In the north, where Argentina meets Brazil, the weather is wet and warm. Cougars, jaguars, alligators, turtles, flamingos and other heat-loving animals live here. 

Western Argentina is flanked by the Andes Mountains, which forms a natural border with Chile. The Andes Mountains includes the highest peak in the western hemisphere, Cerro Aconcagua, which rises 22,384 feet in the air.

In the middle of Argentina lies the Pampas, grassy plains where people grow crops. Cowboys, known as gauchos, have raised and herded cattle here for many years. People tell folk stories about gauchos just as Americans tell stories about our cowboys. 

To the south, lies Patagonia, a dry, windy area with cold winters. Seals, penguins and sea lions live on the coast of Patagonia.

Argentina is one of the wealthiest countries in South America. Spaniards claimed it in 1516 and ruled it for 300 years. Since it gained its freedom in 1816, it has slowly gained political stability. 

The people loved Eva Peron, the wife of President Juan Peron, because she took care of the poor. The people were very sad when she died of cancer in 1952.

From 1976 through 1983, the country was involved in a civil war, called the “dirty war.” During this time, over 30,000 people were killed or disappeared. Today, the country is a democracy.


Fun Facts About 

• 38,592,000 people live in Argentina.
• Argentina includes 1,073,518 square miles of land.
• The currency in Argentina is the Argentine Peso.
• The languages spoken in Argentina are Spanish, English, French, Portuguese and Italian. Most people in Argentina are descendants of European settlers. Most of the native people died out.
• Most people in Argentina are Roman Catholic.
• People in Argentina can expect to live 74 years.
• 97 percent of adults can read.

Visit this site to complete your worksheet

Watch a short two minute video Geography of Argentina 

Peru

• Peru contains the second largest segment of the Amazon rainforest after Brazil.
  
  
• The Peruvian Amazon covers 60% of the country.
  
  
• The large biologically diverse area of Amazon in Peru is home to the most bird species in the world, the third largest number of mammals and a very high number of species of butterflies and orchids.
  
  
• Peru shares borders with Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Bolivia.
  
  
• Modern day Peru has been home to many ancient civilizations, the largest and wealthiest of these was the Incas who's empire ruled for over 100 years until the Spanish arrived in the 16th century.
• 
  
• The capital city of Peru is Lima which is home to more than a quarter of Peru's population.
  
  
• The Inca Empire was centered around highlands of the Andes mountain range and the civilization's capital city Cusco and mountain top citadel Machu Picchu are popular with visiting tourist to this day.
  
  
• Spanish is the main language in Peru although many also speak the Inca language Quechua. The third official language is Aymara.
  
  
• The currency of Peru is the Nuevo Sol.
  
  
  
• While Peru remains a poor country it is one of the richest in terms of natural resources. It is one of the world's top producers of gold, silver, copper, lead, ironing zinc and also has reserves of oil and natural gas.
  
  
• Cut (Guinea pig) is a traditional meat used in Peruvian meals, it is estimated that 65 million guinea pigs are consumed in the country each year.

Comment: Watch this four minute video and share what you thought was cool. 

• Brazil is the largest country in South America.
  
  
• It is called Brasil in Portuguese, the official language spoken in Brazil.
  
  
• Brazil is the only country in South America that speaks Portuguese.
  
  
• Portugal claimed the land of Brazil in the year 1500. Independence was declared in 1822.
  
  
• Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world by both land area and population.
  
  
• The capital city is Brasilia, while the largest city is Sao Paulo.
  
  
• Other major cities include Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Fortaleza.
  
  
• In Brazil they drive on the right-hand side of the road.
  
  
• Brazil has a large coastline on the eastern side of South America, stretching 4655 miles.
  
  
• Brazil shares a border with all South American countries except for Chile and Ecuador.
  
  
• Brazil covers 3 time zones.
  
  
• Brazil has one of the largest economies in the world.
  
  
• Brazil is one of the 77 founding members of the United Nations.
  
  
• The Amazon River flows through Brazil, it is the 2nd longest river in the world (after the Nile).
  
  
• Around 60% of the Amazon Rainforest is located in Brazil.
  
  
• The climate in the majority of Brazil is tropical.
  
  
• Brazil is home to a wide range of animals, including armadillo, tapirs, jaguars and pumas.
  
  
• Human activities such as logging, mining fishing and agriculture are important to the Brazilian economy but are also a serious threat to Brazil's diverse environment.
  
  
• Millions of tourists visit Brazil every year.
  
  
• There are around 2500 airports in Brazil.
  
  
• Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Brazil with the national team consistently among the best in the world, winning the World Cup a record 5 times.
  
  
  Watch this twelve minute video about Brazil.      (Okay, this video might make you a little crazy. Hang in there as it does have good information) 
  
  
  Check out these games to memorize locations of South American countries
  
  
  Learn the countries of Central America as well
  
  
  Comment: 
  Using this website  or another website of your choice tell us something you learned that you found interesting about Brazil. Then make a comment on one of the others student's comments. 

South America fast facts

The main languages spoken in South America are Portuguese closely followed by Spanish

South America is connected to North America by a narrow strip of land called Isthmus of Panama

The largest South American country in both size and population is Brazil. The largest city is Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is also one of the ten largest cities in the world. 

The highest waterfall in the world is Santo del Angel (also called Angel Falls). It is almost 1000 meters high! 

More than 30% of South America is covered by rainforests; the largest rainforest is the Amazon forest which is mainly enclosed within Brazil.

The Atacama Desert in Chile is

 considered to be one of the driest places on Earth.

The longest river in South America is the Amazon River. Measuring a distance of 4,001 miles. it is considered to be the second longest river in the world after the Nile Africa.

Watch this 5 minute video 

And, this 6 minute one

Comment: Do some research on your own and give us three more cool facts about one of the above mentioned facts or places. Choose a different place (or fact) than the other students who have already posted their comments. 

Fun Facts

Fun Facts about Europe 

Europe is made up of 46 different countries.

The Caspian Sea and the Black Sea as well as the Ural Mountains mark the divide between Europe and Asia.

The most visited place in Europe is Disneyland, Paris.

Bulgaria is the oldest country in Europe and it hasn’t changed its name since 681 AD.

Iceland has no mosquitoes at all. Not even one.

Greenland is the biggest island in the world.

Europe is home to the Danube, Rhine, and Volga Rivers.

Europe is home to the smallest country in the world, the Holy City or the Vatican. 

Europe is home to the birthplace of democracy and Western culture in the ancient civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. 

Most of Europe now uses the same currency called the Euro. 

The area of Russia that is west of the Ural Mountains is usually considered part of Europe. The area to the east of the Urals is considered part of Asia. 

The Industrial Revolution began in Europe in Great Britain.

Play Europe map puzzles and practice ALL COUNTRIES.

YOU are responsible to know the locations of all European Countries.

.

Regions of Europe

The warm, sunny climate of Southern Europe creates a vastly different culture than that of Northern or Eastern Europe. Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece are just some of the countries of this region, which enjoys a casual, easygoing atmosphere. The majority of these countries speak Romance languages, which are descended from Latin. The cuisine in this region tends to be spicier and makes use of local in-season produce and seafood caught on the coasts of these countries. Most of the residents of this area are Roman Catholic or Orthodox.

England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Austria are some of the countries that make up Western Europe. Cuisine varies widely from one country to the other and no one dish or one way of cooking symbolizes the entire area. The languages and religions vary greatly as well, making Western Europe more diverse and harder to define by region. Even the currency varies, as the countries of the United Kingdom, except for Ireland, have not followed suit in adopting the euro but have retained their own system.

Several Eastern European countries share a history of Communist rule. While Communism has left its mark in this region, it's now a thing of the past for countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania. Most residents of Eastern European countries belong to either the Roman Catholic Church or a variety of Orthodox churches, which play a large part in determining many of their holidays and celebrations. The residents of countries in this region typically speak variations of Slavic languages.

Northern Europe includes the Nordic countries, such as Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The occupants of these countries speak Nordic languages -- also known as North Germanic or Scandinavian languages -- such as FInnish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. These countries offer a wide mix of traditional small towns and modern, big cities. Commercial fishing plays a large part of the cultures of these lands that alternate between long hours or daylight and long hours of dark during the course of the year.

Comment on the Blog and tell us which regions you would prefer to live and why?