Latin America

Chapters 9-11

Landforms

• The Andes Mountains– Part of a chain of mountain ranges that include

the Rocky and Sierra Madre mountains of US and Mexico.

– Many active volcanoes in region– Creates a barrier for travel inland

• Highlands– Area in Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French

Guiana, and Brazil

Plains

• Contains rich soil for farming and grass for grazing livestock• Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela

– Grassy, treeless areas used for livestock– Similar to the great plains of the US

• Amazon River basin– Found in Brazil – Known as the Cerrado savannas – Flat with moderate rainfall– Still underdeveloped

• Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay– Great area for maintaining cattle and wheat.

Rivers

• Latin America does not have an extensive network of rivers– Most areas border water however

• The Orinoco River– Found mostly in Venezuela

• Amazon River– Flows about 4,000 miles– Carries the most water to the ocean than any other river in the

world.• Parana River– Origins in the Brazilian highlands

Islands

• The Caribbean Islands consist of three major groups:– The Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles

• The Bahamas – Hundreds of islands spanning from Florida to Cuba.– Christopher Columbus landed here in search of new lands

• The Greater Antilles- bigger islands– Include Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico

• The Lesser Antilles- smaller islands– Divided into Windward and Leeward islands

• Windward islands face winds • Leeward islands have a more sheltered position

Resources

• Minerals- abundant supply of gold, silver, iron, copper, tin, lead, and bauxite (aluminum ore)– Mined in South America and shipped throughout the

world• Example: Jamaica used to be plantation economy, selling

bananas and sugar until they mined bauxite and has raised their GDP.

• Energy Resources– Plentiful oil, coal, natural gas, and uranium– Trinidad and Tobago has vast reserves of natural gas

• Progressing the nation rapidly

Climate

• Climate Zones-– Tropical Wet

• Rainforests that contain over 2,500 types of trees and the world’s largest snakes, jaguars, and piranhas

– Tropical Wet and Dry• Support savanna- large grasslands dotted with trees• Hot climates with seasonal rains

– Semiarid• Dry with some rain

– Deserts• Northern Mexico and much of the Peru coast• The Atacama desert is located in Chile

Agriculture

• Native peoples burned large quantities of forest for planting and diverted streams to irrigate these areas.– The process is called Slash-and-Burn– Method is still used today and is one reason the

rainforests are shrinking rapidly.• Terraced Farming– Growing crops on hillsides or mountain slopes– Cut steps into the hills– Reduces soil erosion

Urbanization

• People are moving from rural to urban areas throughout Latin America.

• In Argentina, Uruguay, and Venezuela, 90% of the population live in cities.

• Why do people move to cities?– Better lives- more jobs, better pay– More food and clothing available

• Push and Pull factors– Push factors= why people leave the rural areas

• Poor medical care, poor education, low-paying jobs

– Pull factors= why people move to the city

Tourism

• Growing industry in Latin America• Tourism Advantages:– Tourists spend money, bring job to area– Reveal the culture in a positive light

• Tourism Disadvantages:– Resorts take up vital lands– Great strain on small communities– Tourist spots cost lots of money to the local

government

Mexico

• Native groups, Aztecs and the Mayans lived there until Spanish Conquest, 1519, colonized the area.

• Aztecs and Mayans were very advanced cultures before Spanish conquest.– Mixed population of Native and Spanish blood is

called mestizo.

Mexican Economy

• Two main struggles in economy:– The gap between the rich and poor is very large– Mexico is attempting to modernize industry

• Mexicans are moving to cities for better economic opportunities• Oil and Manufacturing

– Mexico has a large oil reserve industry – Have helped to finance development – Maquiladoras are factories that assemble imported materials into

finished products• NAFTA

– North American Free Trade Agreement– Allows trade between Canada, US, and Mexico

Mexican Challenges

• Safety– Illegal drug cartels compete for control of the billion dollar

industry– Drug cartels has hurt tourism and driven away foreign

investment• Emigration

– Mexicans leave their country in search of work– Money made in US is sent back to Mexico and helps stimulate

local economies• Work and School

– Mexico has high unemployment due to poor education and training for jobs

Central America and the Caribbean

• Central America is an Isthmus, a land bridge between North and South America.

• Area is known as a crossroads of ideas, cultures, and old world civilizations (Mayans, Aztecs, etc)

• The Mayans built many temples and cities in each Central American countries.– Each state was ruled by a god-king

Central America and the Caribbean

• Spain may have ruled Central America but the land was claimed by many European powers

• After Columbus settled the region, European slave traders brought African slaves to work on plantations– European countries wanted the profits from the

sugar trade– Each island had to fight for their independence• Most came by slave revolt

Central America and the Caribbean

• Culture:– Central America: mainly Catholic due to European

settlers’ influence• Speak Spanish• Spanish altered way of life from bringing new crops to

cutting down trees for animals to graze

– The Caribbean: very mixed ancestry• Includes European and African ancestry• Catholic and Protestants

– Santeria: African practices with Catholic elements– Voodoo and Rastafari also practiced

Central America and the Caribbean

• Economy– Most people are poor• Still due to colonialism (sugar plantations)

– Farming sugar, bananas, citrus fruit is main exports• Most make their living from farming these

– Panama Canal allows trade from either hemisphere pass to the other fairly quickly

– Education and jobs for the population are concern

South America

• Divided into two main regions: Spanish-Speaking and Portuguese-Speaking South America.– French Guiana part of France– Suriname speaks Dutch

• The Inca People– May have crossed from Siberia, to Alaska, and into South

America.– Built very sophisticated society.– By the time the Spanish arrive, the Incan empire extended

2,500 miles– The Spanish came and brought new diseases and weapons

South America Spanish Side

• Like the American and French revolutions, South American countries sought freedom from Spain in the 1800s.– Two leaders for independence were Simon Bolivar

(Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia) and Jose de San Martin (Argentina, Chile, and Peru)

• Two characteristics of these governments:– Oligarchy- ruled by a few people– Military rule

South America Spanish Side

• Economy– Most countries economy based upon agriculture

and mining oil and minerals.– The gap between the rich and the poor reflects

poverty and the failures to develop the lives of the majority of the population.

– Economic Advantages: wide variety of products• Due to unique combo of landforms, resources, climate,

and vegetation

Brazil

• Spain and Portugal reached an agreement about South American lands in the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas

• Before Portuguese settle Brazil, area was home to 100s of tribes and groups estimated to be over 1 million – Portuguese tried to find silver and gold– Settled for clearing out forests and raising sugar

plantations• Popular settlement due to sugar boom

Brazil

• Settlements and cities are found mainly on the coast and away from the interior rainforests– Slaves were brought over to work on large plantations– As a result many Brazilians are a mix of European, African,

and native ancestry• Culture

– Becoming a hot-bed for European immigrants – Speak Portuguese and are mainly practicing Catholics– Celebrate Carnival, which is a colorful festival to the music of

Samba– Slums are called favelas- which are violent drug-ridden areas

Brazil

• Economy– Natural resources have helped make Brazil an

industrial power– Power plants along Amazon and other rivers help

power the country– Still a wide gap in between rich and poor– People are moving to cities but urbanization has

been slow– People are also moving inland and away from the

cities of the coast

Latin America Issues

• Rainforests– Important for cleansing the earth’s atmosphere,

regulate climate, and provide shelter to thousands of animals

– Poor farmers need the land for growing crops• Deforestation- cutting down and clearing out trees

– The world needs the timber for population growth• Countries need the money

– How do you advance society, but keep the earth healthy?

Latin America Issues

• Democratic Governments– Oligarchy is not democracy, ruled by a few– Junta- Military control of the government – Caudillos- Military dictators or political bosses• Can be elected by the people (wealthy elite)

– Governments are reforming to make a constitutional governments• Also trying to increase women’s roles in politics