Check out This Mindmap for Organizing Information

Research Project

Objective: to use the Five Themes of Geography to learn more about a particular country and present what you have learned in an organized, meaningful way.

Overview: You are going to use your geography skills to research Australia/Asia prior to 1500. You will present your findings to your classmates in one of a few ways. You will be divided into groups and each member will research a specific theme of geography. You MAY NOT use wiki or ask.com.

Check out this mindmap for organizing information: http://www.mindomo.com/mindmap/ss-5-themes-of-geography-research-paper- 1fd79590461c4c1eb5cb6cfe836f02ce

Begin your research using these sites: factmonster.com worldatlas.com altapedia.com

You must include the following in your research all information is prior to 1500: Place: Region : * population *nation * languages *ethnicity/race * temperature *history * weather conditions *religion * land area *language * highest point *holidays * landforms (mountains, lakes, rivers, plains, rainforest, etc.) *trading partners * other details you think are important (for example, are there hurricanes?) *international disputes

Human-environment interaction: Movement: * technology *transportation * pollution *communication * resources *currents * imports *winds * exports *borders DIRECTIONS:

1. You will be assigned a region of Australia/Asia.

2. Research your region. Use the Five Themes of Geography as your guide. Find out details that describe your region according to Location, Place, Human-Environment Interaction, Regions, and Movement. You should take notes organized around those five themes. Try having a page or two in your notebook labeled with each theme that you can turn to as you research your country. Keep a list of resources that you use so that you may create a bibliography later on.

3. Create a presentation to share your research with your classmates. No matter which format you choose, you will need to organize your presentation around the Five Themes. You will need to complete the checklist provided in addition to a presentation.

4. Create a bibliography listing all the resources you used for your research. You must have at least four (4) sources. At least two (2) of them must be books or articles from a journal or magazine. Encyclopedias and your textbook do not count. Your bibliography must be in the proper format. (We will discuss this a little later).

5. Share your final product with the class on the assigned due date. DUE DATES:

All papers and presentations will be due January 7, 2013. Presentations will be given January 8 through January 11.

Work Days: You will have in-class work days Mon. – Thurs. You MUST have materials in class to work with.

Regardless of the presentation option you choose, your final product should be organized according to the following outline and answer the following questions. You may not deviate from this outline, although you should feel free to be as creative as you'd like as long as you follow this structure. I. Location - What is the location of your region? A. Relative location B. Exact location - Give the location of the country's capitol in latitude and longitude in your region.

II. Place - Describe the theme of Place for your region. A. What are some physical features of your region? B. What are the human features of your region? 1. What is the economic system? Describe it. 2. What is the region’s political system? Describe it. 3. What is the major language(s) of the region? 4. What are the major religions in the region?

III. Human-Environment Interaction A. Describe the natural resources of the region. B. What challenges face the people or the environment of the region? Why? Give examples if possible.

IV. Movement – Describe movement in the region. A. What are the region’s major imports and exports? B. Does the region have a high or low immigration rate? Why? (You may not be able to answer all of these questions, or you may have more you wish to mention). C. How was the region found and developed, conquests

V. Regions – Historical significance of the region advancements, and growth. Does your region have places where specific groups of people live, or areas with unique geographic features? Maybe there are places where a different language is favored over another. Mention things like this here.

VI. Extra Information (Optional) – Put anything else you’d like to say about your region here, such as unique foods the people of your country enjoy, or traditions they follow. EXAMPLE of minimum information!!!! This is a 1 on the rubric!

In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, successive Moorish dynasties began to rule in Morocco.

In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under MOROCCO AFRICA Ahmad AL-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age.  Large Color Map  Capital Cities Map

In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a  Outline Map  Continent Map half century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode.  CIA Map  Landforms Map

In 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country.  Morocco Maps, at  Outline Map A protracted independence struggle with France ended University of Texas successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and  Political Map most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new country that same year.  Name the Country Test

Morocco virtually annexed Western Sahara during the late 1970s, but final resolution on the status of the territory remains unresolved.

Morocco is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament.

The King has extensive executive powers and can deploy the  Morocco - (complete) information on the (GDP) military, dissolve the government along with other privileges. overall economy, imports and exports, resources, government, The current King, Mohammad VI, assumed the throne in July population, military, transportation, and more... 1999, following the death of his father, King Hassan II, who ruled from 1961 until 1999.  Morocoo Tourism and Travel Guide

In the past several years, several opposition political parties  Morocco Embassy (U.S.) have been formed, which are legal.  Morocco Photos at TrekEarth.com Morocco was the first country in North Africa to install a 3G network. Offshore service centers and IT activities, by 2015, will contribute over $500 million to the country's GDP. Morocco is the world's largest exporter of phosphate and the third- largest producer of phosphorous.

  Morocco Travel Info and Warnings  Official Name Kingdom of Morocco  Sahara Desert Photos  Population 34,343,220 Travel Recommendations Before finalizing and/or making  Capital City Rabat (pop. 1,787,307) your travel plans to any worldwide destination, we strongly recommend you authenticate and research all of the important  Currency Moroccan Dirham details regarding applicable health, passport and visa requirements.  Currency Converter If you require additional assistance, the experienced  Languages Arabic (official), French, others professionals at Travel Visa Pro can answer all of your questions!  Religions Muslim, traditional beliefs

The climate in Morocco is dry, although small amounts of rain do fall between November and March.  Morocco Flag Temperatures vary by season and location. The southern and  Flags of all countries southeastern desert regions can reach extremely high temperatures during the hot summer months. The higher altitudes of the mountains are cool in summer evenings and freezing in winter. The early summer months are the most pleasant, as rain is not a threat and temperatures are warm during the day and cool at night.

 Land Area 446,300 sq km (172,316 sq miles)

 Latitude/Longitude 32º 00 N, 5º 00 W General Rubric

• 4 (Exemplary) - Your work is completely free, or almost completely free, from factual, spelling, or grammatical errors and the like. Your project demonstrates research, thought, creativity, and learning above and beyond the basic guidelines. It shows independent learning and initiative on your part.

• 3 (Accomplished) - Your project is free of, or nearly free of errors. Your work meets or exceeds all of the basic requirements for this project. You demonstrate your new found knowledge clearly and accurately.

• 2 (Improving) - Your work has a few, or more than a few, errors. Your project may not meet all of the requirements mentioned above. Your work may not show your best effort. All of the required elements of the project are present, but one or more may not be complete. It does not demonstrate mastery of all the required skills, terms, or concepts.

• 1 (Beginning) - Your project has more than just a few errors. It does not demonstrate your best effort. There may be elements of the project that are incomplete or missing. Your work does not show mastery of the skills or concepts needed to successfully complete this project.

Bibliographies: Your bibliography will need to be in the proper MLA format that your Language Arts teachers have taught you. There are examples on how to do this in your Language Arts books. You may not use EZBib or any other online bibliography generators. Remember to record the following information as you do your research.

• Title of book, article, web page, etc. • Author’s name or names or Editor’s name

• Publisher

• Copyright date

• City and State (unless it’s a big city, like New York or Chicago)