Latin America Population & Settlement Ch 4 section 2

Time line – LA population & life expectancy trends…  1950’s – pop = 150 million; Brazil Life ex. = 43 yrs;  1960’s & 1970’s = very high pop growth  1980’s – Life ex in Brazil = 63  1950 – 1980 – most LA countries saw 15 – 20 yr increase in life ex.; 80’s also saw slow growth in pop.  1995 – regional pop = 450 million  1990’s pop growth less than 2%;  2025 projected regional pop = 650 million

Urban Preference  Attributed to cultural and economic factors.  In many LA countries more than 85% of pop. lives in cities  Under Spanish rule living in a city meant high status & better economic opportunity  – condition in which a country has a “primate” city 3 to 4 times larger than any other city in the country.  Urban Primacy – condition in which a country has a “primate” city 3 to 4 times larger than any other city in the country.

Urban Primate cities…  Lima - Peru  Caracas - Venezuela  Guatemala - City  Buenos Aires - Argentina  Mexico City – Mexico

Squatter Settlements  Aka ranchos, favelas, barrios  Encircle LA cities – sometimes encompass more than 1/3 the population;  Makeshift housing on land not owned by the people;  – takes care of people’s needs because formal sector can’t.  Informal Sector – takes care of people’s needs because formal sector can’t.

Informal Sector  Provides housing, services & employment in squatter settlements;  provides low wage jobs that are untaxed and unregulated  Sometimes gov’t will take in the squatter settlement as part of the city.  Peru Peru  Brazil Brazil  Rio Rio

Rural settlement  130 million + live in rural areas;   Roughly the same number of people live in rural areas today as did in the 1960’s, however, due to improved transportation & communication systems in the region their lives are less isolated. There are wide gaps between the rural rich & poor; economic activity is more modern & varied (industry; mechanized farming). Social tension over uneven land distribution is a problem. *Agrarian reform has not been successful.  *  *Agrarian Reform refers to attempts to change patterns of land ownership from large plantations owned by few to small farms owned by many.

Population & Growth Movements…   High pop. growth rates in LA are attributable to both RNI & immigration/migration (waves of immigrants have moved into the region for various reasons AND there have been a number of migratory population shifts within the region as well)   MIGRATION TRENDS : European migration followed the wars for independence as new governments of LA opened their doors to European peasants which increased the region’s MESTIZO population (mixed Euro. & Indian ancestry); forced migration from Africa happened during the peak years of the Atlantic slave trade; when slavery ended in LA, Asian immigration began to fill that labor void & continued for economic reasons;

Population & Growth Movements…   MOVEMENT WITHIN LA & NA is caused by both political & economic factors. Some people migrate for employment; others migrate to escape civil war, although the region today is largely democratic.   Mexico is the largest country of origin of legal immigrants into the US & today over 60% of the US Hispanic population has Mexican ancestry.   These population shifts have greatly changed the cultures of LA & the US & have led to transnationalism (due to globalization 21 st century immigrants can maintain economic & social ties to their home country much more easily), & many transnational migrants see themselves as having a dual or hybrid cultural identity. ACLU on Immigration myths & facts ACLU on Immigration myths & facts