global Practice Regents Essay

Through out history, nations and regions have experienced barriers to

development as a result of geographic factors.

*Japan: Japan is a mountainous region geographically isolated from the rest

of the world with a lack of raw materials. They formed a barrier for trade,

development, industrialization, and cultural diffusion. They attempted to adapt to the

barrier by turning to imperilization of China to gain raw materials.

*Russia: Russia has very cold climatic conditions, the Ural mountains. The

adapted to their geological barrier by using their weather to avoid being invaded by

other nations. But they were unable to mine for minerals due to permafrost and the

cold temperatures.

*Switzerland: Waterpower is the chief natural resource of Switzerland.

Granite, limestone, and other building stones and salt are the only abundant

mineral resources; small deposits of iron and manganese ores are found. Agricultural

resources are limited, as most of the soil is leached and stony. Neither the soil nor

the climate favors agriculture, and Switzerland must import much of the food it

consumes and subsidize the farms that do exist. Nearly all the farms are family

enterprises, and most are small in size.

Global Regents Practice Essay No. #4

This artistic creations of different cultures reflect the values and goals of the

people. These works are created in a variety of artistic mediums.

*Traditional African/Dance: Like music, African American dance is rooted

in African and African American traditions. In Africa, dance is often an integral part

of religious ceremonies. The degree to which African slaves were able to retain

African dance forms in North America depended on their masters. In some parts of

North America, dancing was frowned upon by some Protestant slave-owners as

sinful. Since these slave-owners defined dancing as crossing the feet, slaves adapted

their dances to conform to European beliefs, creating a shuffling motion with the

feet that would be less offensive to Europeans.