1-2 Geography Reading Questions

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Alaska Pacific University *

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12500

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Geography

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Jul 1, 2024

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docx

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Geography Reading Questions Content Questions- Each content question should be answered in at least two complete questions. 1. Why would General Billy Mitchell describe Alaska in the 1930's as the "center" of the world? How could Alaska be both the "center" of the world and relatively isolated at the same time? General Billy Mitchell described Alaska as the "center" of the world because when looked at a globe, Alaska is approximately the center point of all the major urban industrials around the world. Although Alaska may be the "center" of the world, at the same time, it was relatively isolated. That is because Alaska did have a few connections that linked it to North America. However, that was only for the Northwest Territories. Leaving the rest of Alaska isolated from North America, hence the statement of Alaska being relatively isolated. 2. Alaska's landforms are dynamic, not static. How is the process of plate tectonics changing the shape of Alaska? How are these ongoing changes reflected in natural hazards? Due to plate tectonics changes the shape of Alaska because the process is dynamic, meaning movement in a way. The placement of Alaska is between two tectonic plates that are subducting, creating mountains and valleys. But because of the process, it makes natural hazards like earthquakes and volcanic explosions occur. 3. Identify and describe the major factors that shape the climates of Alaska? The main factors that affect Alaska’s climate are latitude, land, water, and other factors. Latitude has an extensive impact because depending on how many degrees you are below or above the horizon affects the amount of sunlight you would receive in an area. Land and water are other main ones because water heats up and cools down way slower compared to the land, which hugely affects how drastic seasonal changes can be on a region. While other factors like mountains can cause “rain shadow,” violent storms and fog conditions can have an impact that shapes the climates of Alaska, as well. 4. Where are glaciers found in Alaska and why are they located there? What are the great river systems of Alaska and where are they located? Glaciers found in Alaska are located in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska because of two reasons. Southcentral and Southeast Alaska is very mountainous with high latitude supplying cold temperatures and has a lot of moisture from the Pacific Ocean in the airflow, good conditions for glaciers. The river systems of Alaska are the Susitna, Yukon, Kuskokwim, Colville, Noatak, Copper, Koyukuk, Stikine, Kobuk, Porcupine, and Tanana rivers located in physiographic regions in Alaska. 5. Why is there a significant difference between urban and rural Alaska? Use details from the readings to support your ideas.

The significance between urban and rural is that they are polar opposite. Examples from the text are urban could be a cash economy and formalized government structure, while rural is like a subsistence economy and informal traditional governance. 6. Why has travel within Alaska historically, and today, been difficult? Use details from the readings to support your ideas and provide examples. Travel has been difficult in the past because of storms, and a modern-day difficultly could be hazardous weather conditions for air travel, lastly some excerpts from the text. “Even today, flights from Anchorage to Prudhoe Bay and between Nome and Kotzebue and communities in Chukotka are hampered by fog and hazardous weather conditions. Storms in the North Pacific Ocean had a significant impact on early Russian vessels that plied the Aleutian chain. Shipwrecks were not infrequent.” Critical Thinking Questions - Each answer should be at least four complete sentences. 1. How would you use the geographic concept of "place" to describe your community? Use details from the readings to support your ideas. Using the geographic concept, I would describe my community as quite populated with a couple of schools in the area using human geographic characteristics. The physical geographic features of my community are to the east are very mountainous and have dense wilderness. Excerpts from the reading helped form my ideas on how to describe my community.“Places, to geographers, also have tangible physical and human geographic characteristics. Physical characteristics would include landforms, climate, hydrology, vegetation, and animal life. Human characteristics would include buildings, stores, offices, communications systems, and transportation systems, and so on.” 2. How would you describe the geographic region in which your community is located? Use details from the readings to support your ideas. My community can be located in different types of regions, depending on what type. Whether it is a Functional, Formal, or Perceptual region which the reading defines. Functional regions are divided by “The geographic pattern formed by these movements constitutes a region-based around a central node such as a city. Geographers refer to the area formed by these movements as functional regions.” Formal regions are divided by “This type of region has its boundaries defined by a distinctive feature or features. Alaska has distinctive physiographic regions and regional government regions.” Perceptual regions are divided by “This type of region is usually based on a number of general criteria, and the exact boundaries are not sharply defined.” So my community would be a part of the Southcentral regions if going by Perceptual regions and Pacific Mountain System going by the Formal region. 3. How does the policy of land protection, as illustrated by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, both enhance and limit resource development in Alaska? With the act in play, a positive about it protects and keeps intact the integrity of one-third of Alaska’s wilderness. An excerpt to support my idea is “having approximately one-third of Alaska’s land area as federally reserved.” A negative is possibly limiting mineral resource development for Alaska. Aiding my idea from the reading stating, “do ANILCA lands hinder Alaska’s mineral resource development and Alaska National Interest Lands overlap zones of high mineral potential."

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