Unit #4 Latin America Vocabulary
Maquiladores Assembly companies are called in northern Mexico Regional development Aid and other assistance to regions which are less economically developed.
Gross Domestic Product The value of all goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. Per capita per person
Urbanization The movement of people from rural areas to cities Standard of living The overall quality of life that people enjoy.
plantation Large farms with a single crop produced for sale or export. hacienda Small farms that grow a variety of crops for self subsistence.
colonialism Gaining control over another country, occupying it, and exploiting it. cultural influence Aspects of a culture that have been shaped by a different culture.
Cordillera Mountain range; usually used in Argentina to refer to the Andes llanos A vast tropical grassland plain situated at the east of the Andes in northwestern South America
pampas the vast grassy plains of northern Argentina river basin The land area drained by a river and its tributaries. Cerrado A grassy, treeless plain that surrounds the Brazilian rainforest.
altiplano The high plateau in southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia isthmus A narrow strip of land (with water on both sides) connecting two larger land areas
Political instability Government that is weak and changes easily and often Leftist government Governments that are considered to be radical and often anti-America Favelas Poor shanty towns (slums) on the outskirts of Brazil’s major cities
Peripheral development Economic development away from the centers of population Indigenous Native to a particular area or country. Cultural diffusion The spread of a culture and/or idea.
biodiversity The variety, of plants, animals and other living things in an area or region. deforestation the long-term removal of trees from an area because of changes in land use.
mestizo The people resulting from the blending of European, Indian, and African traditions in Latin America