Sample Essay On Geography Questions

- A. This is the North Atlantic Drift. Why is it there and why should we care?
The North Atlantic Drift is there because it warms Europe. We should care because the North Atlantic Drift keeps the climate temperate despite its high northern latitude. The North Atlantic Drift is thought of as the boundary between the cold, sub polar region and the warm, subtropical gyre of the Northeastern Atlantic. The current is unique in that it transports warm waters to latitudes higher than in any other ocean, thereby producing the moderate climate of Europe and western Scandinavia. Because of the rapid advection of the North Atlantic gyre, the temperature of the surface waters of the North Atlantic Drift almost always exceeds its surrounding waters temperature.
- B. This is Cyprus. Why is it there and why should we care?
Cyprus is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea that joined the European Union (EU) in 2004. It is included because it’s part of a geographic issue because of the European Union and its inclusion into the EU. We should care because Turkey is a candidate to become the next member of the EU. The debate over the status of Cyprus is an issue that holds up Turkey’s inclusion into the EU because the northern portion of the island has been occupied by Turkish Cypriots who claim the territory as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognized by Turkey. Turkey has also received criticism from the EU over its treatment of the Kurdish ethnic minority.
- C. This is Yugoslavia. Why is it there and why should be care?
Yugoslavia is there because it was a communist state during the Cold War. It wasn’t part of the USSR but it entered into a civil war in the 1990s. Yugoslavia was a multi-ethnic state that was governed by a centralized authoritarian government. We should care because it was a gateway between the East and the West and the Balkan Peninsula housed dozens of different ethnic groups, languages, and religions. The Balkan Wars brought havoc to several different areas of the former Yugoslavia because of internal issues and conflicts.
- D. This is what’s known as the iron curtain. Why is it there and why should be care?
The “iron curtain” is there because of the Soviet Union and its bordering Western European states. The “iron curtain” stands for the militarized border between the two. We should care because it was an attempt by the Soviet Union to block itself off from non-Soviet controlled areas. Both sides developed their own alliances internationally whether it be economic or military; the physicality of the “iron curtain” was mostly just border defenses between the European countries in the middle of the continent and the rest of the world. The symbol of the “iron curtain” as a whole is most notably recognized as the Berlin Wall and its Checkpoint Charlie.