SOCIAL SCIENCE  The Tropic of Cancer - A parallel line of latitude that is a quarter of the way from the

WORLD GEOGRAPHY equator to the North Pole. During the summer solstice, the sun is directly overhead.

 Meaning of Geography - The term Geography is derived from the Greek words Ge or
Gaea, both meaning "Earth", and graphein meaning "to describe" or "to write" or "to
map." Geography is the study of the Earth's characteristics and distribution of life and
habitat on it.
 The lines on a map - You can't see them, but they're there. Points and lines on a map
define not only where you are, but also when you're there. Navigators still rely on these
imaginary lines to get where they are going. You can use them, too.
 The Antarctic Circle - The Antarctic Circle lies three-quarters of the way between the
equator and the South Pole.
 The Tropic of Capricorn - This line of latitude is a quarter of the way from the equator to
the South Pole. During the winter solstice, the sun is directly overhead.
 The Hemispheres - The equator divides the earth into two halves, or hemispheres. The
Northern Hemisphere is the half of the earth between the North Pole and the equator.
The Southern Hemisphere is the half of the earth between the South Pole and the
equator. The earth can also be broken up another way: into the Eastern Hemisphere and
the Western Hemisphere. The Western Hemisphere includes North and South America,
their islands, and the surrounding waters. The Eastern Hemisphere includes Asia, Africa,
Australia, and Europe.

 The Arctic Circle - Three-quarters of the way between the equator and the North Pole
lies the Arctic Circle. Above this line is the Arctic region, where nights last for 24 hours in Geography Hall of Fame
the middle of winter. It is known as the Land of the Midnight Sun because in summer the
sun never sets. Largest Continent: Asia, 17,212,000 square miles

 DEW Line - The DEW (distant early warning) line is a 3,000-mile line of radar stations Smallest Continent: Australia, 3,132,000 square miles
north of the Arctic Circle. It should notify the U.S. and Canada of the approach of enemy
Highest Mountain: Mount Everest, Himalayan Mountains, Nepal-Tibet, 29,035
planes or missiles.
feet above sea level
 The Equator - This imaginary circle goes around the middle of the earth for 24,902 miles. Lowest Point on Land: The Dead Sea, Israel-Jordan, water surface 1,349 feet below
It divides the Northern Hemisphere from the Southern Hemisphere and is exactly half sea level
way between the North and South Poles.
Deepest Underwater Mariana Trench, 200 miles southwest of Guam in the Pacific
 The International Date Line - An imaginary line where the date changes one day when Trench: Ocean, 36,198 feet below the ocean surface
passed. It is one day earlier east of the line than it is on the west.
Largest Sea: The Mediterranean Sea, 1,144,800 square miles
 Meridians - Imaginary lines that run north and south on a map from pole to pole.
Meridians express degrees of longitude, or how far a place is away from the prime Highest Lake: The highest navigable lake is Lake Titicaca in Peru, 12,500
meridian. The prime meridian runs through Greenwich, England. Longitude is used feet above sea level
together with latitude to form a grid on which it is possible to locate any place on the
Lowest Lake: The Dead Sea, Israel-Jordan, surface of water 1,349 feet
earth.
below sea level
 Parallels - Imaginary lines that run east and west on a map. Parallels represent degrees Largest Lake: Caspian Sea, 152,239 square miles
of latitude, or how far a place is away from the equator. The equator's latitude is 0° and
the poles are 90° south and north. One degree of latitude equals about 69 miles. Largest Freshwater Lake: Lake Superior, U.S.-Canada, 31,820 square miles
 Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. The island groups in the Pacific are often called
Deepest Ocean: Pacific Ocean, average depth 13,215 feet
Oceania but this name does not imply that scientists consider them the remains of a
continent.
Largest Ocean: Pacific Ocean, 60,060,700 square miles
Approximate Approximate Percentage Elevation, feet and meters
Smallest Ocean: Arctic Ocean, 5,427,000 square miles
land area land area of total
Largest Gulf: Gulf of Mexico, 615,000 square miles Area sq. km sq. mi. land area Highest Lowest

Largest Bay: The Bay of Bengal, 1,300,000 square miles WORLD 148,647,000 57,393,000 100.0% Mt. Everest, Dead Sea, Israel-
Tibet-Nepal, Jordan, 1,349 ft.
Largest Island: Greenland, 839,999 square miles 29,035 ft. below sea level (–
(8,850 m)1 411 m)
Largest Peninsula: Arabia, 1,250,000 square miles

Largest Archipelago: Indonesia, 3,500-mile stretch of 17,000 islands AFRICA 30,065,000 11,608,000 20.2 Mt. Kilimanjaro, Lake Assal,
Tanzania, Djibouti, 512 ft.
Largest Gorge: Grand Canyon, Colorado River, Arizona, U.S., 217 miles 19,340 ft. (5,895 below sea level (–
long, 4–18 miles wide, 1 mile deep m) 156 m)

Deepest Gorge: Hells Canyon, Snake River, Idaho, 7,900 feet deep
ANTARCTICA 13,209,000 5,100,000 8.9 Vinson Massif, Lowest land point
Longest Mountain Range: The Andes of South America, 5,000 miles Ellsworth Mts., hidden within
16,066 ft. Bentley Subglacial
Longest River: The Nile, Africa, 4,180 miles (4,897 m) Trench2

Shortest River: The Roe, Montana, U.S., 200 feet long ASIA (includes 44,579,000 17,212,000 30.0 Mt. Everest, Dead Sea, Israel-
the Tibet-Nepal, Jordan, 1,349 ft.
Largest River: The Amazon, South America, basin of 2,500,000 square
Middle East) 29,035 ft. (8,850 below sea level (–
miles
m) 411 m)
Longest Estuary: Ob River, Russia, 550 miles long, up to 50 miles wide
AUSTRALIA 8,112,000 3,132,000 5.3 Mt. Kosciusko, Lake Eyre,
Largest Lagoon: Lagoa dos Patos, Brazil, 150 miles long, 4,500 square miles (includes Australia, 7,310 Australia, 52 ft.
Oceania) ft. (2,228 m) below sea level (–
Largest Waterfall: Angel Falls, Venezuela, 3,212 feet high 12 m)

The Continents and Their Areas and Elevations EUROPE (the 9,938,000 3,837,000 6.7 Mt. Elbrus, Caspian Sea,
Ural Mountains Russia/Georgia, Russia/Kazakhstan
A continent is defined as a large unbroken land mass completely surrounded by in Russia form 18,510 ft. (5,642 92 ft. below sea
water, although in some cases continents are (or were in part) connected by land the boundary m) level (–28 m)
between
bridges. The seven continents are North America, South America, Europe, Asia,
Europe and …was pizza first made? Naples, Italy, is the home of the pizza. Neapolitan women first
Asia) created pizza pies about 200 years ago.

NORTH 24,474,000 9,449,000 16.5 Mt. McKinley, Death Valley, Calif., …are there baby palaces? In North Korea, nursery schools run by the government are
AMERICA Alaska, 20,320 282 ft. below sea called palaces.
(includes ft. level (–86 m)
Central (6,194 m) …are the streets “paved” with water? In Venice, Italy, the streets are canals, and the
America and people move about on boats called gondolas.
the
Caribbean)
…can you lead a double life? Andorra, a country sandwiched between Spain and France, is
ruled by co-princes, one Spanish, one French. There are two post offices, school systems,
SOUTH 17,819,000 6,879,000 12.0 Mt. Aconcagua, Valdes Peninsula, and courts.
AMERICA Argentina, Argentina 131 ft.
22,834 ft. below sea level (–
…are the streets of the board game Monopoly? You'll find Boardwalk, Park Place, Baltic
(6,960 m) 40 m)
Avenue, and all the rest in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Where in the World ...
…is Count Dracula's castle? In the Transylvania region of Romania. The castle where the
historical Dracula was born still stands in the town of Sighisoara.
…is a whole country a desert? There is a saying that Djibouti, in Africa, is “too hot for the
devil.” It's a hot, dry, desert country where less than 1 square mile is farmland.
…would you go for a Nobel Prize? Stockholm, Sweden, is the home of the Nobel Prize,
which is awarded yearly to people who have made extraordinary contributions to world
peace, the sciences, literature, and medicine. The Nobel Peace Prize is presented in Olso,
Norway.
…is London Bridge? The old granite bridge that was always falling down was taken apart in
London, shipped to the U.S., and rebuilt in Arizona. A new concrete bridge was built in
London.

…would you find the queen of Sheba's kingdom? Yemen, in the Middle East, was once
…would you go for a safari? To Nairobi, Kenya,, in Africa, the world's center for tourist the kingdom of the queen of Sheba.
safaris.

…is a shaky country? New Zealanders call their country “shaky country” because about 400
…can you find the Temple of the Tooth? In Kandy, Sri Lanka, where Buddhists built a earthquakes rock it yearly.
temple to honor Buddha's tooth. Every year great festivals are held here.

…can you throw snowballs across the equator? In Ecuador, South America, a country
…does a country's government know who owns which trees? In Oman, in the Mideast. named after the equator. It is the only country where both the temperature and the latitude
Its date palms are so valuable, the country keeps a list of who owns which trees. reach zero. There are glaciers in the high mountains of this equatorial country.

…can you ride with gauchos? In South America, cowboys are known as gauchos. …is King Arthur buried? An ancient monastery in Glastonbury, England, is said to be the
Argentina is one of the countries where gauchos herd sheep and cattle. burial place of King Arthur and the sword Excalibur.
…is Sherwood Forest? In Nottinghamshire, England. At one time it was the royal hunting 6. It is considered as one of the worst eruption of the century that almost affects the earth’s
grounds for the king of England; now it is under the protection of the British Forestry atmosphere due to its ash falls
Commission. A. Mt. Hibuk-Hibok D. Mt. Pinatubo
B. Mt. Kanlaon E. Taal Volcano
C. Mt. Mayon
…is the home of the yodel? In the Swiss Alps, where cow herders first yodeled to call from
the 7. In what part of the world can you find the longest and largest coral reef which is also known
s the “Great Barrier Reef”?
A. Africa D. North America
B. Australia E. South America
C. Europe
SOCIAL SCIENCE: World Geography
Practice Test 8. Which of the following countries is not part of the Association of the South East Asian
Nations (ASEAN)?
A. Malaysia D. Taiwan
B. Philippines E. Thailand
C. Singapore
1. This continent is the largest and it covers almost 33% of the earth’s surface. It is consider
as the most diverse continent and home for earliest civilization and major religions of the 9. Among the South American nations, this country is the only Portuguese speaking country
world A. Argentina D. Mexico
A. Africa D. Europe B. Brazil E. Peru
B. Asia E. North America C. Chile
C. Austria and Oceania
10. The opening of the Suez Canal connects the trading route between these two bodies of
2. Which area of the world has been described as the “symbol of worldwide demographic, water
environmental and societal stress/problems”? A. Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean D. Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea
A. Africa D. North America B. Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico E. South China Sea and Philippine Sea
B. Asia E. South America C. Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal
C. Austria/Oceania
11. This is the known Peninsula in Europe that occupied by Norway, Sweden, Denmark also
3. The world’s largest island is: included is Iceland and Finland
A. Australia D. Greenland A. Apennines D. Jutland
B. China E. Madagascar B. Balkan E. Scandinavian
C. Iceland C. Iberian
4. It is the longest mountain chain in the world 12. Chernobyl will be remembered as
A. Andes D. Kunlun A. Commonwealth of Independent States
B. Himalayas E. Pamir B. Economic bloc of former USSR to European Community
C. Karakoram C. Place of the nuclear reactor explosion
D. Site of the 1992 Olympics
5. What religious group suffered heavily in Europe during the Nazi Holocaust? E. Space launcher of Russian Cosmonauts that blasted
A. Atheist D. Jewish
B. Buddhist E. Muslim 13. The following are general characteristics of an industrialized country except for one.
C. Christian A. Economic and political stability D. Low infant mortality
B. High literacy rate E. One child policy per family
 C. Longer life expectancy C. North Pole

14. The security council consists of 15 seats, of which five are permanent. Which of these 22. It is a common knowledge that all bodies of water are interconnected with one another but
countries does not have a permanent seat? this ocean covers 1/3 of the world from Arctic to Antartica
A. India D. China A. Arctic Ocean D. Pacific Ocean
B. United States E. France B. Indian Ocean E. South Atlantic Ocean
C. Russia C. North Atlantic Ocean

15. The United Nations has its headquarters in New York City. It also has two offices in two 23. It is known to the ancient and modern world that this is the home of rich and key cities of
other cities in the world. Can you name one? the world. It is also of the major tourist destination and it provides a well designed airports
A. Vienna D. Bangkok and railways across the continent
B. Hongkong E. Sydney A. Africa D. Europe
C. Manila B. Asia E. South America
C. Australia
16. The biggest and most populated island in the Philippine Archipelago
A. Cebu D. Mindanao 24. When these imaginary lines are used in combination, it gives you a unique destination to
B. Leyte E. Negros every point on Earth?
C. Luzon A. International Date Line (IDL) D. North Pole and South Pole
B. Lines of Longitude and Latitude E. Prime Meridian & Equator
17. Which of the following is not included in the main geographical and political-cultural C. North, East, West and South Hemisphere
subdivisions of Asia?
A. North Asia D. Southeast Asia 25. Manila has a good medical facilities but there is a great need for medical people specially
B. Northwest Asia E. Southwest Asia in the rural areas, the main factor for this situation is:
C. South Asia A. Great exodus of medial practitioners like Nurses, Medical Technician and
Medical Doctors going abroad
18. If the Caribbean Islands may be combined with Mexico and Central America, it could be B. Low quality of graduates that cannot passed both local and international
collectively and properly described as: standards for medical practices
A. Latin America D. South America C. Political unrest and security of rural hospital across the nation due to
B. Middle America E. The Americas terrorism and local conflicts
C. North America D. Small number of medical graduates like medical doctors and nurses to
support the needs of the country
19. What country is considered as largest producer of Diamond, although few of its diamonds E. Traditional medicine is a strong competitor for the scientific advancement of
are of gem quality? our Medicinal Science in rural areas
A. Australia D. New Zealand
B. Canada E. South Africa 26. In the 19th century, most Europeans considered Africa as “The Dark Continent” because:
C. Mexico A. Most African nations had been subjected to European domination
B. Most inhabitants are literally black or dark people of this continent
20. What sea is often included in the physical definition of North America? C. Most of its economic and political activities were dependent to industrialized
A. Baltic Sea D. Read Sea nations
B. Caribbean Sea E. South China Sea D. Most of the African land area is covered by vast desert and rugged
C. Mediterranean Sea mountains
E. Most of the African interior was unexplored and not colonized by European
21. In what part of the world can you approximately find the International Date Line (IDL)? and other neighboring nations
A. Atlantic Ocean D. Pacific Ocean
B. Greenwich, England E. South Pole
27. The following statement refers to the general characteristics of African people in terms of B. Beijing, Sydney, Washington DC E. London, New York, Tokyo
their cultural traits except for: C. Berlin, Mexico City, Singapore
A. Few nations have developed a strong sense of national unity among its
people 33. Below are listed 5 continents
B. Imposition of colonial boundaries among African people further divide the i. Africa 4 North America
continent ii. Antartica 5 South America
C. Indigenous churches brought common traditions and practices among iii. Europe
African people
D. Traditional values prevailed over the African Tribes Arrange the continents from biggest to smallest in terms of land area.
E. Various languages further perpetual tribal identities over and above national A. 3 1 2 5 4 D. 4 3 2 5 1
identity B. 2 3 4 1 5 E. 5 2 4 1 3
C. 1 4 5 2 3
28. One of the major issues between US and Mexico which led US government to take action
against the growing population of Mexico. 34. Based on the early historical accounts of Europe these two nations had strong ties with
A. Assist rapid economic growth of Mexico to eliminate poverty the European culture and the Asian nations.
B. Control the great demand of farmers for the south flowing Colorado River for A. Australia and New Zealand D. North Korea and South Korea
dry region B. India and Sri Lanka E. Turkey and Russia
C. Control the increase of illegal crossing of Mexicans to the US border in C. Iran and Iraq
search of employment
D. Manifest a virtual veto power of US towards Mexico’s economic policy 35. The following statements refer to the African condition that hinders its potential towards
E. Support peasant rebels stage war against the state economic growth except for one:
A. Diverse natural resources
29. Which of the following is not a human activity that threats the incredible biological B. Insufficient capital technology
diversity of the Amazon Wildlife? C. Political instability
A. El Niño Phenomenon D. Massive deforestation D. Poorly trained workforce
B. Development of rural settlement E. Road construction E. Small purchasing power
C. Increased in demand for lumber
36. Which of the following Asian countries has historical ties with European city and it was
30. The word “Narcotraficantes” is associated with: considered as the heart of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empire?
A. Annual occurrences of El Niño Phenomenon A. Iraq (Mesopotamia) D. Saudi Arabia
B. Colombia’s illegal drug trade B. Israel E. Turkey
C. Destruction of the Amazon Forest C. Russia
D. Trading of Black slaves from Africa
E. Volcanic and earthquake activities in the Andes mountains 37. The following occurrences are all natural hazards that the world is experiencing across
the time except for one:
31. Which of the following reasons why people cannot establish a permanent settlement in A. Deforestation D. Tsunami
Antartica? B. Diastrophism E. Volcanic Eruption
A. Danger of nuclear weapons testing over the territory C. El Niño and La Niña
B. Environmental problems like oil spills
C. It is the coldest place on earth and experiencing the strongest wind 38. China has over one fifth of the world’s population and its leaders believe that its large
D. Ozone concentration in the area above the continent population hinders the economic progress of the country and to address this problem they
E. The growing controversy over the claims of different nations over the territory want to achieve equal death rate and birth rate in population. This government action to limit
the population is known as the
32. The three leading financial centers of the world included the following key cities of: A. Baby Boom C. Population pyramid
A. Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Seoul D. Hong Kong, Paris, Rome B. Population distribution D. Zero population growth
39. Most scientists believe that El Niño phenomenon which was greatly experiences in 1982,
1983 occurred when trade winds that normally blow from east to west slow down and actually
change direction. The winds blow warm water toward South America where the normal
weather patterns are changed for a time. Given this global change, which among the
following conditions is not considered as direct effect of the El Niño phenomenon?
A. Occurrences of hurricanes and heavy rainfall in the mid-Pacific region in a
normal condition
B. Some species of fish like cold-water loving salmon disappeared along the west
coast of the United States but tuna and shrimp were attracted to the warm waters
C. The gradual warming of the earth is known as the Greenhouse effect could
dramatically change climates worldwide
D. Water temperature in some parts of the Pacific Ocean rose to as much as 14
degrees higher than to normal condition

40. The following statements refer to the characteristics of the Philippines as one of the
important territories of Asia, except for one
A. It is a tropical country and geographically located in the northeastern part of the
world.
B. Philippines has one of the highest literacy rates in Asia with existing policy of free
and compulsory six years in elementary.
C. The establishment of the first Philippine Republic gave birth to the first
constitutional democracy in Asia
D. The free port of Manila is one of the world’s busiest ports, compared with other
Southeast Asian nations