1. Central America Central America is am isthmus.
a narrow strip of land connecting two larger area
1914 Panama Canal opened
Seven small countries make up Central America
Three major landforms:
mountains, the Caribbean lowlands, and the Pacific coastal plain
each has it’s own climate
Population includes:
Indians, Europeans (Spanish), mestizos, & people of African decent
most central Americans are poor farmers
the wealthiest are Europeans and mestizo, and are mainly
plantation owners

2. Central America armed conflicts
shortage of farmland is cause of unrest
government serves the interest of the wealthy
guerilla movements
Armed forces outside of the regular army
Fight in small bands against the government
controlled army

3. Caribbean Islands
Caribbean Islands divided into three groups and lie in the tropics:
the Greater Antilles
the Lesser Antilles
the Bahamas
the Bahamas form an archipelago and the Lesser Antilles form another archipelago
group of islands
The Greater Antilles include the four larger Islands
Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico

4. Caribbean Islands mountainous islands coral islands
tops of volcanoes
coral islands
Flatter islands created by the remains of tiny sea animals( coral polyps)
sea and wind effect climate
windward islands face the wind & get a lot of rain
leeward islands face away from wind & get little rain

5. Caribbean Islands
Caribbean people are descendants of Africans that were enslaved by European colonists and brought to work on plantations
many Caribbean people depend on farming(sugar, bananas, coconuts, cocoa, rice, cotton) and industries related to farming such as packaging rice products
Caribbean attracts tourism, but few islanders benefit
most islanders to find work or escape political unrest

6. Brazil nearly half of South America’s people and land
two main land forms
plains
plateaus
Coast of Northeast Brazil
1500’s Portuguese started sugar plantations (slavery)
poverty still today due to poor soil and uncertain rain

7. Brazil Southeast Brazil smallest region Economic heartland Coffee
Fertile soil
40% of Brazilians live here
Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo
Cities attract the poor who end up living in favelas
slum communities w/ houses made of mud, tin,&wood boards

8. Brazil Brazilian Highlands Amazon River Basin
Brasilia, capitol built here to attract people to the area
central plateau
Amazon River Basin
Home to 1000’s of plants and animals
10% of Brazilians live here including 200,000 indians

9. Brazil country of extremes attack poverty Rich in resources
Much poverty
attack poverty
increased industry
encourage settlement in the interior
Gave away land and mining permits
built roads

10. Brazil manufacturing now make sup 1/3 of Brazil’s GNP
Grows own fuel, gasohol
A new fuel that mixes gasoline with ehtonol (comes from sugar cane)
½ the population works in the service industry (hotels restaurants, stores, government)

11. Brazil economic change has been good except for…
favelas have grown larger (more moving to large cities)
settlers in Amazon River Basin cut down rain forest to plant crops
deforestation
permanent removal of woodland
threatens thousands of species of plants and animals