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Middle American Realm
QuestionsQuestions– Soviet Socialist RepublicsSoviet Socialist Republics– Cotton Production in KazakhstanCotton Production in Kazakhstan
ReviewReviewMiddle AmericaMiddle America– OverviewOverview– Natural hazardsNatural hazards– Meso-American Culture HearthMeso-American Culture Hearth– Mainland/Rimland FrameworkMainland/Rimland Framework
Introduction to Middle America
Defining the Realm– Mexico, Central America, Caribbean islands– North America– Latin America - IberianMajor Geographic Qualities
– Fragmented - physically and politically– Diverse culturally, strong indigenous influence
• Asian, African, West European influence– Colonial legacy, developing countries
Physical Geography
Land BridgeOcean BarrierArchipelago
Natural Hazards– Earthquakes– Volcanoes– Hurricanes
Hurricane Development
Typical Hurricane Life Cycle– Tropical disturbance→ Tropical depression→– Tropical storm→ Hurricane (=typhoon=cyclone)→dissipation– Heat and moisture from warm water is the energy source– high relative humidities in the lower troposphere reduce evaporation
in clouds and maximizes the latent heat released by precipitation.– Positive feedback process: low pressure, converging low level air,
which rises convectively in the eyewall, (condensing to yield precipitation) further reduces air pressure, pulling in more humid air
– Concentration of latent heat is critical to sustain the hurricane
Culture HearthOrigin of a cultural group: source of ideas, innovations, and ideologies that diffuse outward, creating a cultural landscape
HearthsAztecsMayans
Mesoamerica
Culture Hearths– Maya Civilization – lowland tropics
• 3000 Bp• Classic Period 200-900 Ad• Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Yucatan• Cotton exports, specialization
– Aztec Civilization-Valley of Mexico ~ 6,000 feet AMSL• Teotihuacán →Toltecs →Aztecs • 1300 Ad• Valley Of Mexico, Tenochtitlán (>100,000)
– Mexico City