GEOGAPHERS OF THE WORLD S3 GEOGRAPHY

WESTER HAILES EDUCATION CENTRE

Contents

1. Japan 2

2. Antarctica 5

3. Italy 16

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Japan

Key information: • Continent: Asia • Ocean: Pacific Ocean • Country type: chain of islands (4 large and over 6800 small islands) • Capital City: Tokyo • Language: 11 spoken languages (Japanese is the main language) • Population: 126, 672, 000

Landscape:

• Japan is a series of volcanic islands • Three quarters of Japan is mountainous • The remaining quarter is made up of basins, plains, oceans and lakes • As it is a chain of islands, Japan is surrounded by the sea • Japan’s highest in Mount Fuji which is 3776m high

Climate

Spring Spring is warm, and the winds are calm, but from around mid-June the country enters a month-long rainy season. Summer Japan's summers are usually sunny, and in most parts of the country the intense heat and humidity forces people to keep their homes and workplaces air conditioned. Autumn

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Many tropical storms develop in the Pacific that turn into typhoons by the time they reach Japan. The country's south-western districts get most of the typhoons, which can cause great damage with the rain, strong winds, and landslides.

Winter Winters on the Sea of Japan side of the country are usually quite snowy, but the Pacific Ocean side is relatively warm and free of precipitation. This is due to the currents that flow into Japan and the ridge of running down the country.

Natural Hazards

• Japan lies on the boundary of many tectonic plates • This is why Japan experiences so many earthquakes and tsunamis • Local governments within Japan have adopted disaster-prevention measures and have designated “danger zones” within particular towns and cities, including Tokyo • Schools and businesses have practice evacuation drills several times a year • The last big earthquake and tsunami was in 2011 • To prevent future disasters, scientists are working to develop better ways to predict earthquakes more accurately and design buildings that are more resistant to earthquakes

WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oArd_9uZOnE

TASK 1. Research the Japan 2011 earthquake and tsunami 2. Collect information on: • When did it happen • Where about • What happened • What was the impact on the landscape • What was the impact on the people • What help were they given after the disaster • How much did the recovery cost

Population

• Japan has a relatively large population, made up mainly of people of Japanese origin • Very few people migrate (move) to Japan

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• Japan currently has one of the highest life expectancies in the world (85.52 years) • Japan has a problem with an ever-increasing elderly population and shrinking birth rate • This puts a huge amount of pressure on those of working age • It has been suggested that by 2065 Japan’s population will shrink by one third • The government are currently offering incentives for women to have more children, keeping people working longer and reviewing their welfare system • They do not want to encourage large scale immigration to Japan

TASK • On the internet, google CIA World Factbook • On the drop down menu, select Japan • Scroll down and open the information on ‘people and society’ • Collect key information and write it in your jotter: o Size of the population o Birth rate o Death rate o Population distribution o Life expectancy o Years at school

QUESTIONS

1. Using the population pyramid, analyse Japan’s population a. Thinks to include: i. Number of males and females ii. Number of people in the three main population categories (young dependents, economically active, elderly dependents) iii. Overall population structure

2. How does Japan’s population structure link to the physical landscape of the country?

3. What things influence the population?

4. Can anything be done to change this?

PROJECT • Choose an aspect of Japan (culture, landscape, population, climate, natural hazards…) that you are interested in learning more about • You the internet and this booklet to do some research on your chosen topic – take detailed notes

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• You are going to use this information to create a presentation/poster/leaflet

Antarctica

Location

Antarctica

Key information:

• Antarctica is the most southern continent

• It is completely surrounded by the Southern Ocean

• 98% of Antarctica is made of ice which is roughly 2km thick

• It is a cold desert – really cold temperatures and very little precipitation. It is also very very windy!!

• The longest river is called the Onyx

• The largest lake is called Vostok

• The continent is divided into two by the Transantarctic Mountains

Climate

• As Antarctica is a cold desert, temperatures remain very cold all year

• They have very little precipitation (rain/snow)

• Watch the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GH-2Wke3do) and take notes on the extreme climate

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Climate change in Antarctica

• Temperatures on the west coast of the Antarctic peninsula rose by nearly 3°c during the second half of the 20th century – about 5 times the global average.

• Almost 90% of glaciers have retreated since 1960.

• Although it’s not predicted that the massive Antarctic ice sheets are likely to melt completely, even small-scale melting would raise global sea levels, and cause flooding around the world.

• The ocean surrounding the continent also support masses of the world’s sealife – including 15 species of whale and dolphin, and five species of penguin. The nutrient- rich waters encourage blooms of tiny plankton, the basis of the ocean food chain. These species are in great danger due to the rising temperatures and melting ice.

WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLGgILUqbcc

TASK:

• Read the arguments presented by ‘Sidney Suit’ and ‘Laura Leaf’ on the next few pages

• Decide which argument you agree with most

• Using the ‘thinking hats’ sheets, write down your ideas against each ‘hat’ on your worksheet (page 10)

• Create a poster highlighting your key arguments using the information your group has generated under the ‘hats’ for your chosen person (Sidney or Laura)

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Laura Leaf says: “Let it be!”

“At the moment, the Antarctic Treaty determines what people can or cannot do on the continent, but there is always a risk that governments will abandon the treaty. Discussions on opening up Antarctica for mining resources like coal and oil, or using it for a dumping ground for waste should never happen. The ban on these activities must be permanent. Antarctica is too precious – it should have guaranteed protection for another thousand years, not fifty.

Scientists from over 25 countries have already proved the importance of Antarctica in learning about life on Earth, both present and future. It is an essential place for measuring changes in the global climate and air pollution, yet no scientist can be certain about the impact of human activity in generations to come. That’s why it’s best to use ‘the precautionary principle’ for any decisions over Antarctica’s future – to play safe rather than be sorry later.

In 1985, scientists working for the British Antarctic Survey discovered the hole in the ozone layer. Since then, there has been an international effort to stop the causes of this life-threatening environmental problem. With improvements in technology, who knows what else we will discover so we can take action before it is too late. For example, soon there will gigantic telescopes at the South Pole to explore our atmosphere like never before.

I want to see the Antarctic Treaty as only a starting point. The Treaty’s rules and regulations should be tightened up so that in the future:

• Satellite technology will track illegal fishing boats to stop them even entering Antarctic waters.

• Stricter controls on will prevent damage from the growing number of visitors rather than dealing with the problem afterwards.

• All Antarctic research stations will be powered by renewable energy sources like solar energy and wind.

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• New rules will govern ‘bio-prospecting’, Antarctica’s newest industry. As a World Park owned by everybody, bio-prospector companies that create new medical treatments and products from life in Antarctica will make them cheap and available to anyone that needs them.

So my view of Antarctica’s future is keep it as it is today, except with better management and tighter controls to guarantee lasting protection for this special place.

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Sidney Suit says: “Dig it up”

“Most people couldn’t care less about Antarctica and know little about it. Some might have seen a TV programme about one of the heroic explorers like Shackleton, but they know little about the scientific research that goes on there, or how beautiful it is. To most, it’s like another planet - a cold, distant place, home to penguins. For them, signs of global warming and the gradual destruction of the last clean environment on Earth are easy to take. If only they knew. The value of Antarctica in money terms is as big as it gets - as a source of fish and squid, a new frontier for tourists or to use the treasure trove of minerals that may lie beneath the ice and the surrounding seas. In Antarctica, anything is possible. In the future, global companies could become more powerful than governments. In many ways they already are. Oil and mining companies will be some of the most powerful, and most are driven by profit. If there’s money to be made in Antarctica, technologies will be found to deal with the conditions. It is also easy to see a future where these companies will pressure governments to give up the Antarctic Treaty and let mining and drilling go ahead. I am certain that the future will see increased commercial activity in Antarctica, and I don’t think this is necessarily bad. I believe in progress - economic development makes the world a better place. Companies will come to Antarctica for profit, but I believe that shareholders, customers and even the board of directors will influence the ways in which they make money. These people are what we call, ‘stakeholders’ - they have a stake in the company and therefore can influence how it behaves. These stakeholders can guide companies to act in ways that don’t ruin Antarctica’s environment. Let’s face it, to make money you have to sell what people want, and you have to send out positive messages about what your company stands for. If the market cares enough about Antarctica, customers won’t put up with companies that wreck it. We need a new vision for Antarctica – one that focuses on the positive, much like the way people look at activities in space with awe and wonder, full of amazing possibilities. Companies could use Antarctica without destroying it. In return for a licence to mine resources, companies could put money into science projects, vital to us all. There are other business opportunities too. With the right marketing, vodka on million year old Antarctic ice could become the drink of choice. They could even tow an iceberg from the Antarctic to ease water shortages elsewhere – the technology for this already exists. So I think that Antarctica will be used commercially one day, but this can be controlled. At the same time we can draw on the pulling power and profit of global companies in ways that won’t destroy the host”.

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Thinking Hat Question How do you personally feel about this view of the future? Happy? Angry? Disturbed? Or do you feel something else?

What’s bad about this view of the future?

How would this future be put into practice? Who would manage it?

What’s good about this view of the future?

How could this view of the future be improved?

What facts do you have? What further information might you need?

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Tourism in Antarctica

Extreme tourism: tourism that involves visiting locations with difficult environments – often with difficult climates and remote places that are sparsely settled or not occupied at all.

Can you think of any extreme environments and activities that may occur there?

TASKS 1 Copy the table below, then use the information on the next few pages to complete it.

Who goes to these extreme environments?

Why are the numbers growing?

What are the impacts of this type of tourism?

Why people visit:

• Dangerous landscape with difficult climate • Areas where access is difficult, and few people live there • are irrelevant – rough sleeping is part of the appeal • People want to avoid mass tourism • Thrill seeking activities (e.g. rock , …) • Extreme tourism is one of the fastest growing types of tourism in the world

Activities people do:

• To enjoy a with an element of risk (e.g. ) • To do something adventurous (e.g. ice climbing) • To see wildlife that can’t be seen anywhere else (e.g. polar bears) • To see scenery that can’t be seen elsewhere (e.g. icebergs)

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Target market:

• People who are more likely to take part in adventure tourism include: • People aged around 30 • People with no children • People with high powered jobs • People with a good income (extreme tourism trips are very expensive – trips to Antarctica range from £3500 per person to over £20, 000)

Why are more people going? • Improvements in have made it easier and quicker to get to them. • People are keen to see these places while they can (e.g. before the polar caps melt) • TV travel programmes are making adventure holidays more appealing.

Impacts of tourism:

• Economic benefits for remote communities • Littering • Deforestation • Pollution • Footpath erosion • Wildlife disturbed/habitats destroyed

2 Your task is to plan a trip to the Antarctic

• You must fill in all boxes on your planning sheet • An itinerary is a plan of what someone will do *useful website: https://www.responsibletravel.com/holidays/antarctica

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Extreme Tourism Planning Sheet

Who goes to these extreme environments?

Why are the numbers growing?

What are the impacts of this type of tourism?

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Extreme Tourism Itinerary

Assessor Candidate’s name checklist Achieved

(Insert tick)

Customer name

Contact details No. in party. Adults: Children: Special needs

Dates requested: Duration:

Destination(s):

Accommodation

(name and address)

Board basis (B&B, self-catering, all inclusive…)

Activities:

(things people can do)

Attractions:

(things people can visit)

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Amenities:

(things people use)

Itinerary Plan of what people can do for 4 days include morning, afternoon and evening activities)

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Italy Key information: • Continent: Europe

• Sea: Mediterranean Sea • Country type: attached to southern Europe with some small islands • Capital City: Rome • Language: Italian • Population: 60 550 075

Climate:

• The climate varies considerably from the north to the south of Italy. • In the north of the country - the area between the Alps and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines - the climate is harsh, with very cold winters and very hot, particularly humid summers. • In central Italy the climate is milder, with a smaller difference in temperature between summer and winter and a shorter and less intense cold season than in the north; summers are longer, but the sultriness of the northern cities is mitigated by the sea. • In southern Italy and the islands winters are never particularly harsh, and spring and autumn temperatures are similar to those reached in the summer in other areas of Italy.

Tourism:

• With 63.2 million tourists a year (2018), Italy is the fifth most visited country in arrivals. • People mainly visit Italy for its rich culture, cuisine, history, fashion and art, its beautiful coastline and beaches, its mountains, and priceless ancient monuments. • Italy also contains more World Heritage Sites than any other country in the world. • Tourism is one of Italy's fastest growing and most profitable industrial sectors, with an estimated revenue of €189.1 billion.

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TASKS 1. Research a tourist area in Italy (Rome, Venice, Milan…) a. Find out where it is b. Climate c. Why people visit d. What attractions there are

2. Research a natural disaster in Italy (Pompeii, 2016 earthquake, Coronavirus)

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