Central America & the Caribbean Ch. #11

I. Natural Environments

A. Landforms West Indies: 13 Independent countries & 12 territories Greater Antilles (BIG islands) Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico The Bahamas (700 islands) Lesser Antilles (small islands) 20 island countries & territories Volcanic (eastern part of Caribbean Plate) Netherlands Antilles (part of Lesser Antilles) Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire

Central America? Rugged terrain due to… Tectonic activity 7 countries south of Mexico Isthmus of Panama Rugged terrain due to… Tectonic activity Volcanic activity = FERTILE SOILS for ag. Cocos Plate is diving below Caribbean Plate = volcanoes *rugged terrain had an isolating effect & prevented unification following independence from Spain

B. Natural Resources & Hazards Warm climate, fertile soils, fish Environmental Hazards (3) Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes

II. Central America

A. Colonization & Independence Colonized by what Euro. country? Impact on Indigenous pops.? Spanish settlement? Culture traits? Belize (British Honduras) (1981) Independence (1820s) Foreign investment US & UK = built RRs to extract coffee & bananas = $$$$$$$$ United Fruit Company (Chiquita) – American firm = controlled banana business in Central Amer. Banana republics—unstable, non-democratic country dependent on limited agriculture & ruled by a corrupt, wealthy organization Supported by U.S. to maintain peace (prevent spread of Communism) & American business interests Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua = POLITICAL INSTABILITY! Wealthy landowners controlled most wealth & made most political decisions in their favor Aristocracy = govt. ruled by an elite class Civil Wars broke out betw. aristocrats & poor--ended in 1990s w/democracies

Costa Rica Less ethnic diversity (85% = white) Few natives when Spanish arrived--Euros did not develop large estates due to lack of labor, ALSO, no valuable minerals! Many small farms (coffee) & middle class developed = DEMOCRACY! No wealthy, corrupt aristocracy Became democratic & economically productive Tradition of democracy & education = foreign investment by foreign computer firms (highest literacy rate in Cent. Amer. = 95%) “Silicon Valley of Latin America” Microsoft, GE, Abbot Labs, Continental Airways & Intel have invested here (produce microprocessors) Ecotourism: guided travel thru natural areas Nature Preserves = 25% of land Cent. Amer’s. highest standard of living

Panama A territory of Colombia until 1903 Panama Canal 1881-1888: French attempted to construct canal FAILED b/c of Panama’s poor geology & mosquito diseases 1899: U.S. bought remaining lease from French ($40 mill) BUT, Colombia wanted a new lease----Pres. Roosevelt disagreed 1903: U.S. helped Panama gain their independence WHY WAS U.S. SO INTERESTED IN PANAMA?! 1904-1914: U.S. completed the canal US had control of canal until 1999 (Panama makes billions in toll fees How canals work Expansion of the canal Time Lapse Video Trip through the canal video

Expansion of the Panama Canal Construction = 2006-2015 Cost = $5.25 bill. Annual tolls = >$2 bill. (14% of Panama’s GDP)

B. People, Languages, & Religion The legacy of Euro. colonialism is present Wealth = still in the hands of a few Religion = ? Spanish is the official language except in Belize Most Central Amers. = Mestizos Some Central Amers. = Mulattoes People w/mixed Euro & African ancestry Guatemalan population? Largest Amerindian pop. (Mayan)

C. Economic Development Cash crops = coffee, bananas, sugar, CACAO Cacao = type of tree from which we get cocoa beans which are used to make chocolate

III. The Caribbean Climate? Merengue calypso

A. Colonization & Independence Christopher Columbus (1492) los indios? The West Indies Gold? Plantation agriculture Bananas, citrus, sugarcane, coffee Cuba, Dominican Republic, & Puerto Rico = SPAIN Haiti = FRENCH Jamaica = BRITISH Netherlands Antilles (Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire = DUTCH Caribbean populations descend from Euros & Africans Language/culture depends on who the island

Cuba 1898: Spanish-American War Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines = U.S. territories 1902: Cuban independence Havana = “the Las Vegas of the Caribbean” Money was NOT shared w/Cuban people 1959: Fidel Castro (dictator) overthrew corrupt leadership Castro = allied w/USSR (received $4-$6 bill/yr in aid) 1961: Bay of Pigs Invasion 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis U.S. Trade Embargo? 1991: USSR collapse = Cuban economic downturn Sugar plantations have led to food shortages?

The Island of Hispaniola Haiti French colony (1804) Poorest country in Western Hemisphere Poor infrastructure & political instability = no foreign investment Large wealth gap 80% live in poverty 36% = urban Literacy rate = 52% Most work in ag. Dominican Republic Spanish (1844) Tourism, cash crops, manufacturing Large wealth gap 10% of pop = 40% GDP 64% = urban Many great baseball players Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz

Puerto Rico Spanish colony 1898 = became U.S. territory 1952: became a commonwealth of the U.S. a self-governing territory associated w/another country Puerto Ricans = U.S. citizens Do not pay U.S. taxes Cannot vote in presidential elections Can vote in presidential primaries Has attracted Amer. industrial investment Free access to U.S. market & low corporate taxes Manufacturing has overtaken ag. Most industrialized economy of the Caribbean!

Jamaica British colony until 1962 Tourism, remittances, agriculture & bauxite Mineral used in aluminum Bob Marley (reggae music) Sang about poverty of Jamaica

Language/culture depends on who ___________ the country. Nearly all of the Caribbean islands today still show effects of ____________ & _____________.