1. Latin America
Chapters 9-11

3. Landforms The Andes Mountains Highlands
Part of a chain of mountain ranges that include the Rocky and Sierra Madre mountains of US and Mexico.
Many active volcanoes in region
Creates a barrier for travel inland
Highlands
Area in Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil

4. Plains Contains rich soil for farming and grass for grazing livestock
Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela
Grassy, treeless areas used for livestock
Similar to the great plains of the US
Amazon River basin
Found in Brazil
Known as the Cerrado savannas
Flat with moderate rainfall
Still underdeveloped
Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay
Great area for maintaining cattle and wheat.

6. Rivers Latin America does not have an extensive network of rivers
Most areas border water however
The Orinoco River
Found mostly in Venezuela
Amazon River
Flows about 4,000 miles
Carries the most water to the ocean than any other river in the world.
Parana River
Origins in the Brazilian highlands

8. Islands The Caribbean Islands consist of three major groups:
The Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles
The Bahamas
Hundreds of islands spanning from Florida to Cuba.
Christopher Columbus landed here in search of new lands
The Greater Antilles- bigger islands
Include Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico
The Lesser Antilles- smaller islands
Divided into Windward and Leeward islands
Windward islands face winds
Leeward islands have a more sheltered position

11. Resources
Minerals- abundant supply of gold, silver, iron, copper, tin, lead, and bauxite (aluminum ore)
Mined in South America and shipped throughout the world
Example: Jamaica used to be plantation economy, selling bananas and sugar until they mined bauxite and has raised their GDP.
Energy Resources
Plentiful oil, coal, natural gas, and uranium
Trinidad and Tobago has vast reserves of natural gas
Progressing the nation rapidly

12. Climate Climate Zones- Tropical Wet Tropical Wet and Dry Semiarid
Rainforests that contain over 2,500 types of trees and the world’s largest snakes, jaguars, and piranhas
Tropical Wet and Dry
Support savanna- large grasslands dotted with trees
Hot climates with seasonal rains
Semiarid
Dry with some rain
Deserts
Northern Mexico and much of the Peru coast
The Atacama desert is located in Chile

14. Agriculture
Native peoples burned large quantities of forest for planting and diverted streams to irrigate these areas.
The process is called Slash-and-Burn
Method is still used today and is one reason the rainforests are shrinking rapidly.
Terraced Farming
Growing crops on hillsides or mountain slopes
Cut steps into the hills
Reduces soil erosion

16. Urbanization
People are moving from rural to urban areas throughout Latin America.
In Argentina, Uruguay, and Venezuela, 90% of the population live in cities.
Why do people move to cities?
Better lives- more jobs, better pay
More food and clothing available
Push and Pull factors
Push factors= why people leave the rural areas
Poor medical care, poor education, low-paying jobs
Pull factors= why people move to the city

17. Tourism Growing industry in Latin America Tourism Advantages:
Tourists spend money, bring job to area
Reveal the culture in a positive light
Tourism Disadvantages:
Resorts take up vital lands
Great strain on small communities
Tourist spots cost lots of money to the local government

19. Mexico
Native groups, Aztecs and the Mayans lived there until Spanish Conquest, 1519, colonized the area.
Aztecs and Mayans were very advanced cultures before Spanish conquest.
Mixed population of Native and Spanish blood is called mestizo.

21. Mexican Economy Two main struggles in economy:
The gap between the rich and poor is very large
Mexico is attempting to modernize industry
Mexicans are moving to cities for better economic opportunities
Oil and Manufacturing
Mexico has a large oil reserve industry
Have helped to finance development
Maquiladoras are factories that assemble imported materials into finished products
NAFTA
North American Free Trade Agreement
Allows trade between Canada, US, and Mexico

22. Mexican Challenges Safety Emigration Work and School
Illegal drug cartels compete for control of the billion dollar industry
Drug cartels has hurt tourism and driven away foreign investment
Emigration
Mexicans leave their country in search of work
Money made in US is sent back to Mexico and helps stimulate local economies
Work and School
Mexico has high unemployment due to poor education and training for jobs

23. Central America and the Caribbean
Central America is an Isthmus, a land bridge between North and South America.
Area is known as a crossroads of ideas, cultures, and old world civilizations (Mayans, Aztecs, etc)
The Mayans built many temples and cities in each Central American countries.
Each state was ruled by a god-king

25. Central America and the Caribbean
Spain may have ruled Central America but the land was claimed by many European powers
After Columbus settled the region, European slave traders brought African slaves to work on plantations
European countries wanted the profits from the sugar trade
Each island had to fight for their independence
Most came by slave revolt

26. Central America and the Caribbean
Culture:
Central America: mainly Catholic due to European settlers’ influence
Speak Spanish
Spanish altered way of life from bringing new crops to cutting down trees for animals to graze
The Caribbean: very mixed ancestry
Includes European and African ancestry
Catholic and Protestants
Santeria: African practices with Catholic elements
Voodoo and Rastafari also practiced

27. Central America and the Caribbean
Economy
Most people are poor
Still due to colonialism (sugar plantations)
Farming sugar, bananas, citrus fruit is main exports
Most make their living from farming these
Panama Canal allows trade from either hemisphere pass to the other fairly quickly
Education and jobs for the population are concern

29. South America
Divided into two main regions: Spanish-Speaking and Portuguese-Speaking South America.
French Guiana part of France
Suriname speaks Dutch
The Inca People
May have crossed from Siberia, to Alaska, and into South America.
Built very sophisticated society.
By the time the Spanish arrive, the Incan empire extended 2,500 miles
The Spanish came and brought new diseases and weapons

30. South America Spanish Side
Like the American and French revolutions, South American countries sought freedom from Spain in the 1800s.
Two leaders for independence were Simon Bolivar (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia) and Jose de San Martin (Argentina, Chile, and Peru)
Two characteristics of these governments:
Oligarchy- ruled by a few people
Military rule

32. South America Spanish Side
Economy
Most countries economy based upon agriculture and mining oil and minerals.
The gap between the rich and the poor reflects poverty and the failures to develop the lives of the majority of the population.
Economic Advantages: wide variety of products
Due to unique combo of landforms, resources, climate, and vegetation

33. Brazil
Spain and Portugal reached an agreement about South American lands in the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas
Before Portuguese settle Brazil, area was home to 100s of tribes and groups estimated to be over 1 million
Portuguese tried to find silver and gold
Settled for clearing out forests and raising sugar plantations
Popular settlement due to sugar boom

34. Brazil
Settlements and cities are found mainly on the coast and away from the interior rainforests
Slaves were brought over to work on large plantations
As a result many Brazilians are a mix of European, African, and native ancestry
Culture
Becoming a hot-bed for European immigrants
Speak Portuguese and are mainly practicing Catholics
Celebrate Carnival, which is a colorful festival to the music of Samba
Slums are called favelas- which are violent drug-ridden areas

36. Brazil
Economy
Natural resources have helped make Brazil an industrial power
Power plants along Amazon and other rivers help power the country
Still a wide gap in between rich and poor
People are moving to cities but urbanization has been slow
People are also moving inland and away from the cities of the coast

39. Latin America Issues Rainforests
Important for cleansing the earth’s atmosphere, regulate climate, and provide shelter to thousands of animals
Poor farmers need the land for growing crops
Deforestation- cutting down and clearing out trees
The world needs the timber for population growth
Countries need the money
How do you advance society, but keep the earth healthy?

41. Latin America Issues Democratic Governments
Oligarchy is not democracy, ruled by a few
Junta- Military control of the government
Caudillos- Military dictators or political bosses
Can be elected by the people (wealthy elite)
Governments are reforming to make a constitutional governments
Also trying to increase women’s roles in politics