Geography: Latin America (ch. 8, 9 and 10) page 1 p. 178: What areas make up Latin America? Mexico, Central Amer., Caribbean Islands, South America Chapter 8: Physical Geography of Latin America I. The Land Latin America = _8 mi._ sq. mi. and _16_% of the earth s surface Where does Latin America get its name? European settlers spoke Spanish/Portuguese- Languages based on Latin Geographers usually divide Latin America into 3 parts. Name the different areas that make up these 3 parts... 1. Middle America- Mexico, and 7 countries of Central America 2. the Caribbean- aka West Indies 3. South America- continent- 13 countries A. Mountains and Plateaus: 1. Why does Latin America have such a rugged landscape? Pacific Ring of Fire- Mountains, volcanoes, eartquakes 2. Why do people of Latin America live in the mtns? Escape the heat, natural resources(water, soil, timber, minerals) 4. Mexico s Mtns. and Plateaus: the Sierra Madre Mtns. (actually 2 mtn ranges that run close to the coast) and the _Mexican Plateau in between. 4. Central America s Mtns. and Plateaus: the Central Highlands (volcanic mountains that include the Caribbean islands!) 5. South America s Mtns. and Plateaus: the _Andes_ Mtns. run along the western coast of South America, stretching _4500 miles (the world s _longest_ range); actually made up of parallel ranges called _cordilleras. Famous plateau or high plain in Peru and Bolivia called the _altiplano. In Brazil, the Mato Grosso Plateau and the Brazilian _highlands, which spread across several
climate areas! They drop off into the _Atlantic Ocean(escarpment). B. Lowlands and Plains: 1. Many long strips of lowlands line the _coasts of Latin America, with mountain ranges not far behind them. 2. Inland South America s grasslands... _llanos in Columbia and Venezuela; the _pampas of Argentina and Uruguay. (Both plains provide grazing for _cattle and jobs for cowboys known as _llaneros and _gauchos. It also has fertile soil for the growing of _wheat_ and _corn. How big are their farms? Small to medium C. Water Systems: important for... _transportation 1. Rivers are _small in Central America, but _gigantic_ in South America. 2. The Western Hemisphere s longest river = the _Amazon ; it runs from _Andes to _Atlantic Ocean_. Compare it to the Mississippi R... 10 times the water volume Is it navigable? Yes.. Transportation 3. The _Parana, _Paraguay, and _Uraguay Rivers drain the eastern half of South America. Important for... Trade/transportation, hydroelectric power. 4. Lakes: very _few in Latin America. What is special about Lake Titicaca in Bolivia? World s highest navigable lake D. Natural Resources 1. Significant natural resources include... Minerals, forests, farmland, and water 2. Oil: where is it located? Gulf of Mexico,Carribean Sea, Which countries are major oil producers? Mexico, Venezuela 3. Name minerals mined in Latin America... Gold, silver, emeralds, copper, bauxite, aluminum, and tin 4. What keeps the Latin American countries from being equally blessed when it comes to natural resources? Inaccessibility, lack of business development, social and political divisions
II. Climate and Vegetation... LOTS OF Variety Much of Latin America lies between the Tropic of _cancer and the Tropic of capricorn, so vast areas have tropical climates broken up by mountains and wind. A. Tropical Regions: including southern _Mexico, eastern Central America, and the northern part of South America, especially the Amazon Basin.. 1. The Rain Forest: tropical vegetation area/climate region that includes dense cover of forest. Mostly located in Brazil around the Amazon R.. What kinds of trees are included? Tropical hardwoods, palms, ferns, bamboo, evergreen Name some plants and animals that live in the Amazon rain forest... reptilesboas/anacondas/iguanas/crocs(*more species of plants and animals per square mile than anywhere in the world.) 2. The Tropical Savannah: tropical vegetation/climate region that has lots of rain and a _dry season, too. Often covered in _grasslands. Mostly located in... Mexico, Islands, S. America 3. Humid Subtropical... winters = _short and mild_; summers = _long and muggy Mostly located in... Southern South America 4. Desert: where? northern Mexico, Peru, Chile 5. Steppe: where? Northeast Brazil, Northern Mexico, Southcentral S. America 6. Climate + Elevation... as elevation increases, climate changes. 3 zones... a. The tierra caliente or _hot land from sea level to _2500_ ft; average temp = _68 to _91_; crops include...bananas, sugar, rice, cacao b. The tierra templada or _temperate land_: from _2500_ ft to _6500 ft; average temp = _60 to _72; crops include... coffee and corn
c. The tierra fria or _cold land from 6500 ft to _10,000 ft. ; _frost is common during the winter months; crops include... potato and barley What grows above the tierra fria? Who lives there? Why? Not much, few people, COLD! Geography: Latin America (ch. 8, 9 and 10) page 2 Chapter 9: Cultural Geography of Latin America I. Population Patterns Latin America s population = 525 mi. and _9 % of the earth s population Name the major ethic groups living in Latin America. Native Americans, Africans, Asians, Mixture! A. Human Characteristics: 1. Who were the indigenous people of Latin America? What is indigenous? Native Americans, first inhabitants and descendants 2. What groups immigrated/arrived in Latin America (beginning in the 1400s)? Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, British, French, Germans, Africans, Asians 3. Language... a UNIFYING factor! Primary language of Latin America is _Spanish, but also speak... Portuguese, French, English Even within these languages there are dialects. What is a dialect? Form of a language that is unique to a place. B. Where Latin Americans live: 1. Diverse population and lots of _growth_; by the year 2050, an estimated _800 mi. people in the region, increasing _55_ percent 2. Climate and landscape determine where people live... mostly along the _coasts_ (aka the populated _rim_ ). a. Highly populated areas include around _Buenos Aires, Argentina, Latin America s most populated region;
b. The government has actually built inland cities to draw people away from the coastal areas. 3. Population density varies... in South America (_more land area), population density is _low_; in the Caribbean countries (_less land area), population density is _high. 4. Migration... people come to Latin America, but many also _leaving, especially to the _US ; many people moving to the _cities of Latin America to look for jobs. 5. Growth of cities... Latin America s largest cities include: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mexico City, Mexico, Sao Paulo, Brazil a. Some megacities in Latin America. A megacity is... city with more than 10 million people Give an example... Mexico City, Mexico b. Mexico City is also a primate city. What is a primate city? City that dominates a country s culture, politics, and economy Others include...havana, Cuba, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Caracas, Venezuela, Montevideo, Uruguay, Santiago, Chile c. What are some challenges associated with city life in Latin Am? Scarce jobs and housing, overwhelmed schools and health care, family splits C. History and Government: 1. The earliest people of the area... Native Americans; 3 empires: a. The Maya in... Southern Mexico and North Central America b. The Aztec in... Central Mexico. c. The Inca in... South America(Andes Mtns.) Advanced civilizations with governments, education, architecture, military, religions, foods(chocolate)aztecs. 2. Native Americans conquered by European settlers, including the...
Spanish(conquistadors), Portuguese, brought Catholicism. 3. How did the Europeans affect Latin America s economy? Established farms, ranches, built cities, brought diseases and hardship(slavery, small pox, etc ) 4. When did most of the Latin American countries become independent? Mid 1800s 5. After becoming independent, many Latin American countries had _caudillo/dictators for leaders. What is a dictator? Were there problems? Absolute leader of a country based on owning land and control of the military. There is a lack of choice, no freedom, revolts, violence, etc 6. What has happened in the 1900s? widening gap between the rich and the poor, new governments(democracies), looking for more economic advances, power to the people. II. Cultures and Lifestyles A. Religion... important to Latin American culture; most people are _Christians (in fact, Roman Catholics; _82 %) but other religions remain, including... Protestantism, Native American and African religions, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism What is syncretism? Blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into a single faith. B. Art used to reflect European styles, but has become more ethnically/culturally oriented...woodcarving, mosaics, murals, Native American and African influences in Christian churches, native music = _calypso, reggae, samba C. Everyday life... 1. Families... Male/Father dominated society, but women in charge of home and
making many decisions there (and gaining more rights _outside home!) Often homes are shared among extended families. What are extended families? Parents, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all living in the same household. 2. What is the quality of education like in Latin America? Why? What changes are occurring? Some children finish elementary school, some drop out looking for jobs. Literacy rate has increased. There have been gains in attendance. 3. What is the standard of health care like in Latin America? Why? When do changes occur? Linked to standard of living. Where there are jobs and education the health concerns are less severe. Things are improving. 4. What sport are Latin Americans most passionate about/is the national sport? What other sports are followed closely? Soccer(futbol), baseball, basketball, volleyball, jai alai, handball 5. What is Latin America s most popular leisure activity? What is the best known festival? Fiesta(celebrations). Carnival(week before lent- 40 days of fasting and prayer before Easter). Geography: Latin America (ch. 8, 9 and 10) page 3 Chapter 10: Latin America Today I. Living in Latin America A. Many cities in Latin America show distinct class divisions... especially between the _rich and the _poor B. Most of the region s countries still rely on _agriculture to supply income... 1. Is the farmland evenly distributed between the rich and the poor? WHY? No
2. What is a cash crop? Crops produced in large quantities to be sold or traded 3. Name some of Latin America s cash crops. Coffee, bananas, sugarcane, and cattle 4. What is the risk associated with cash crops? Droughts, floods, volcanoes destroy crops. These events can damage a whole country s economy. C. Industry... 1. What is a developing country? Country working toward manufacturing and technology. 2. What advantages help a country industrialize quickly in Latin America? Skilled workers, energy supply, efficient transportation, and natural resources 3. What factors have limited industrial growth in Latin America? Physical geography, ties to developed regions, political instability 4. What have some countries done to overcome these barriers of limited growth? Combining human resources and natural resources with stable govt s and active business communities. 5. What is a maquiladora? What are their benefits? What are the problems? Manufacturing plants set up by foreign countries. Low labor costs, low taxes, employment opportunities. Ignores labor and environmental protection laws. D. Trade and Interdependence... 1. How has NAFTA helped or harmed Mexican economy? Helped- trade growth, boosts Mexican exports, new jobs 2. During the 1980s, many Latin American countries borrowed funds to finance industrial development but had a hard time paying back the loans. How has the refinancing affected Latin America today? Because they are repaying the debt, a lot of countries cannot afford domestic programs. They also are paying back more now for the loans due to rescheduling
E. Transportation... 1. Why do some Latin American countries find it hard to build roads/railroads? It cost a lot of money and physical geography makes it difficult 2. Name Latin America s major road systems... a. from Mexico to Chile... Pan American highway b. thru the Andes, from Chile to Argentina... Trans Andean highway c. in Brazil... Trans Amazonian highway 3. Name some waterways that are important to Latin American transportation. Amazon R., Parana /Paraguay R., Panama Canal 4. Name Latin America s busiest airports. Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo F. Communications... how is communication in Latin America similar to the US? different? WHY? Similar- uses newspaper, radio, tv. Use telephones and cell phones. Differences- News, radio, television can be censored by govt. Telephone not in homes, fewer computers. Countries cannot afford equipment. II. People and the Environment A. Some Latin American countries face a difficult choice regarding the environment... what is it? Whether to preserve large tracts of wilderness or develop areas to raise standards of living/economy. B. One way of resolving the difficulty is sustainable environment... what is that? Technological and economic growth that does not deplete human or natural resources. C. Managing the Rainforests... 1. Why are the rainforests of Brazil being deforested? Tapping into minerals, building roads, and settlement
2. What are the problems associated with deforestation of the rain forests? Plant and animal species threatened, medical loss, less oxygen which leads to global warming, climate changes, rising ocean tides. 3. What is slash-and-burn farming? How does it affect the land of Latin America? Cut all plants and trees, dry out and then burn to clear land; ash acts as a fertilizer. Soil loses fertility and farmers do it again. 4. What is reforestation? How does it work? What are other ways of protecting the rain forests? Replanting- if you strip the land, you must replant trees or seeds; new farming, mining, logging methods, conservation, responsibility D. Urban Environments... 1. Why is there overcrowding in Latin American cities? People moving to cities to look for jobs 2. What are the affects of overcrowding in Latin American cities? Shantytowns, disease, malnutrition, air pollution, no jobs/housing. 3. How are Latin American governments addressing the overcrowding problems? New water systems, public transportation, neighborhood improvements, and retooling of buildings. E. Regional and International Issues... 1. What have the main Latin American disputes involved? Borders- locations/rights to natural resources 2. What are some of the problems associated with Latin Americans immigrating to the US? Illegal immigrants, people who could help LA leave- lose human resources
3. What natural disasters is Latin America prone to? How are governments preparing? Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes- cooperative use of technology to forecast 4. What has caused most of the pollution in Latin America? Industry, farm chemicals What circumstances might make environmental protection a low priority for some Latin American governments? Industrial and economic development= priority