This document outlines the key concepts and activities to be covered in a geography exam on water. Students are expected to define key terms related to the hydrosphere, water cycle, oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, and human water usage. They should understand the characteristics and differences between water bodies. Several map activities are included to locate major oceans, seas, rivers and lakes around the world, in Europe, and in Spain. Graphical analysis and comparison of Spanish and European rivers are also listed.

1. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
UNIT 3. THE WATER.
KEYS FOR THE EXAM (you have to know…):
- Define:
• Hydrosphere.
• Water cicle and each of their processes (Evaporation, condensation,
infiltration…).
• Wave, tides (Mareas) and sea currents (Corrientes marinas).
• Dam/reservoir (Embalse/presa).
• Basin (Cuenca), flow (Caudal), river system (Régimen fluvial).
• Planta potabilizadora/desaladora.
- Define and/or compare:
• Seas and oceans.
• Lakes and rivers.
• Drought (estiaje) and flood (Crecida).
- Resume and compare in a table the characteristics of the spanish rivers.
- Explain the effets of:
• Waves, tides and cold or warm sea currents.
• Relief in each different sector of a river.
- Explain the posibilities of use fresh water and salt water.
- Analyse graphics about:
• Water distribution on Earth.
• Annual variation of river flow.
• Water uses.
- Recognize the kind of river in graphics, estatistics, phrases…
- Apreciate the problem of water and the different access to it for
population.
- Point in a map:
• Oceans and main seas.
• Main rivers and lakes of the world, Europe and Spain.
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página1

2. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
ACTIVITIES. WATER IN NATURAL ENVIROMENT.
1. What is the Hydrosphere?
2. Describe the following diagram explaining each step of the water
cycle.
[You can hel yourself with the resume]
3. What is the water cycle?
[Search the meaning on the textbook and the resume but write it in
your own words]
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página2

3. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
ACTIVITIES: THE WATER OF THE OCEANS AND SEAS.
1. Define:
a) Seas:
b) Oceans:
c) Waves:
d) Tides:
e) Ocean current:
2. Look at the map and answer the questions:
[You have help in the textbook
a) Are cold current directed toward the poles or to Ecuador?
b) Where are warm currents directed generally?
c) Why doesn´t snow in the coast of Spain when is snowing in New York,
which is on the same latitude?
d) Why does not rain in the coast near to a cold current? Is cold water
evaporated?
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página3

4. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
ACTIVITIES: RIVERS AND LAKES.
1. Define:
a) River:
b) Lake:
c) Cauce o Cuenca:
d) Flow (Caudal):
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página4
e) Fluvial Regime:
f) Flood:
g) Low Water:
h) Delta:
2. Explain the differences between:
a) Seas and oceans:
b) Pluvial regime and snowy regime:
c) Erosion and sedimentation:
3. What means that a river is regular?
4. Look at the graphics and answer:
a) When does each of these rivers have the drought?
b) When does each of these rivers have the flood?
c) At what kind of flow regime belong each one?
5. What type of flow regime is each of these cases? Read the first
page of the resume
a) In Marbella, many rovers dry up in the summer because it does not
rain.
b) The houses cannot be built near the river because in April there is
always a rush of water.
c) This river brings the same amount of water throughout the year.

5. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
ACTIVITIES: THE PROBLEM OF WATER.
1. Look at the graphic and answer:
a) What is most abundant on Earth: fresh or salt water? At what rate?
b) Why do we say that water is a problem?
2. What is the drinking water?
3. Look at the graphic below and answer.
[You can find help on the textbook and resume]
a) How has the global consume of water changed?
b) What is water used mostly?
c) Do you think that this use is equal in poor countries and rich
countries? Why?
4. Define:
a) Water treatment plant (Planta Potabilizadora):
b) Reservoir/dam (Embalse o presa):
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página5

6. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
ACTIVITIES: RIVERS OF THE WORLD.
1. Draw in your notebook a world map and locate on it the following:
América Alaska.
Islas Aleutianas.
Estrecho de Bering
Grandes Lagos
Península de California.
Península del Labrador.
Río Missisippi
Península de Florida.
Península del Yucatán.
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página6
Antillas.
Golfo de México.
Mar Caribe
Río de la plata.
Amazonas
Orinoco
Cabo de Hornos
Estrecho de Magallanes.
Asia Península de la India
Mar Arábigo.
Península Arábiga
Indochina
Río Rojo.
Río Amarillo.
Golfo Pérsico
Filipinas.
Mar Caspio
África Mar Rojo
Golfo de Guinea
Cabo de Buena Esperanza.
Madagascar
Península de Somalia.
Río Nilo.
Río Níger.
Río Congo
Lago Victoria.
Oceanía Australia.
Melanesia
Polinesia.
Micronesia.
Nueva Zelanda

7. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
ACTIVITIES: RIVERS OF EUROPE.
1. Draw in your notebook a European map and locate on it the
following:
Seas Mar de Barents
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página7
Mar Báltico
Mar del Norte
Mar Tirreno.
Mar Adriático.
Mar Jónico.
Mar Egeo.
Rivers Loira.
Sena.
Rin
Elba.
Po.
Danubio.
Dniéster.
Dnieper.
Don
Volga.
2. Complete the table comparing the rivers of Europe. [Use the resume]
¿Are they
long or
short?
Why?
Are they
plentiful?
Why?
Are they
regular?
Why?
Which are the
most
important?
Atlantic rivers
Mediterranean
rivers

8. Departamento de Geografía e Historia
ACTIVITIES: RIVERS OF SPAIN.
1. Draw in your notebook a Spanish map and locate on it the following:
Rivers - Miño.
- Duero.
- Tajo.
- Guadiana.
- Guadalquivir.
- Segura.
José Carlos Núñez Vidal Página8
- Júcar.
- Turia.
- Ebro.
- Ter.
- Llobregat.
Seas
and
oceans
- Cantábrico.
- Atlántico.
- Mediterráneo.
2. Complete the table comparing the rivers of Spain. [Use the resume]
¿Are they
long or
short?
Why?
Are they
plentiful?
Why?
Are they
regular?
Why?
Which are the
most
important?
Atlantic rivers
Mediterranean
rivers
Cantabrico
Rivers