People and places differ in their occupations and governments. Occupations include the following:

• Farmers: Engage in agriculture, the art and science of cultivating the ground, including the harvesting of crops, and the rearing and management of livestock
• Miners: Perform mining, the activity of removing solid valuables from the earth, such as as gold, silver, lead, iron, coal, and salt
• Manufacturers: Execute manufacturing, the transformation of raw materials into finished products
• Merchants: Conduct commerce or trade, the exchange of products
• Quarry Workers: Perform quarrying, the taking out building stone, as granite, marble, etc.

Other occupations include health care, science and engineering, the arts and music, information technology, home repair, landscaping, sales and marketing, hospitality, teaching, and government work.

Commerce is the exchange of products between different countries or states. The goods or products sent from a country are exports. The goods or products brought into a country are imports. Foreign commerce is conducted between different countries. Domestic commerce occurs between different parts of the same country. Products are conveyed on ships, airplanes, trains, trucks, and for those that are non-tangible, the Internet.

The Political Divisions of the world include Republics, Empires (in the past), Kingdoms, States, Provinces, Counties, etc.

• Republic: A country or nation whose laws are made and executed by men elected by the people. Examples include the United States of America, Peru, and Switzerland.
• Empire: A region comprising several countries governed by an Emperor. In modern times, there are no empires. In past times, Russia, Germany, and China had empires.
• Kingdom: A country governed by a King or a Queen, such as the United Kingdom, Belgium, Bhutan, Bahrain, Denmark, and Cambodia.
• Monarchy: A government in which the supreme power belongs to one person, called a monarch, who inherits the office.
• Limited or Constitutional Monarchy: A government in which the power of the monarch is limited by law. For example, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Bhutan, Denmark, and Cambodia.





• Absolute Monarchy or Despotism: The power of the ruler is unlimited as in Brunei, Swaziland, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Vatican City (ruled by the Pope).
• Federal Republics: Composed of states which are independent in the management of their local affairs, but united under one general government. For example, the United States of America, the Republic of Austria, the Federal Republic of Brazil, and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

States are divided into counties, which contain cities, towns, and villages.

• A Village is a small collection of houses and inhabitants. Towns are larger than villages. Cities are large towns having special privileges.
• The Capital of a state or country is the city in which the laws are made, and where the chief officer resides.
• The Metropolis, or chief city, is that which contains the largest number of inhabitants.

A city, town, or village, is generally located with reference to some natural features, such as, on a bay or harbor, where ships may anchor safely, on a navigable river, at the junction of two rivers, where water power can be obtained for mills and manufactories, near mines or quarries, or at the end of a lake.

Discussion:

1. Which occupation(s) would you like to pursue as an adult?
2. What education, training, or skills must you acquire to succeed at your desired occupation(s)?
3. Where do you see yourself living someday?
   • A big city, a small town, the country?
   • Near the mountains, on the seashore, in the jungle, near the forest, on a plains, or in a desert?
   • Where it is hot, temperate, or cold?