Geography Key Terms Ch. 8
What strait would be an alternate for the Panama Canal?
The Strait of Magellon.
Who is Toussiant L'Ouverture?
A Haitian leader who was a former slave that became a revolutionary general and a government leader in Haiti and fought for his people's freedom.
Who is Simón Bolivar?
A Latin American revolutionary leader who inspired revolutionary movements in Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
Who is Miguel Hidalgo?
A Mexican priest and revolutionary leader who led a revolt against Spain that eventually led to Mexico's independence in 1821. He is known as the father of Mexican Independence.
Who is Fidel Castro?
A Premier of Cuba, his revolutionary moment overthrew Cuba's government in 1959 and established the first Communist government in the Western hemisphere.
Lesser Antilles
A group of small islands in the Caribbean; they stretch from the Virgin Islands in the north to Trinidad in the south.
Archipelago
A large group of islands.
Cloud forest
A moist, high-elevation tropical forest where low clouds are common.
Isthmus
A narrow strip of land that connects two larger land areas.
Canal
A narrow, man-made channel of water that joins other bodies of water.
Dialect
A regional variety of a language.
Commonwealth
A self-governing territory associated with another county.
Greater Antilles
An island group in the Caribbean that includes Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico.
By how many miles does the Panama Canal shorten the trip from the East coast to the West coast?
By about 8,000 miles.
What does CAFTA stand for?
Central American Free Trade Agreement
Which two countries make up Hispaniola?
Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
How would the geography of Panama be described?
Large ranges of Mountains and thick jungles.
Which United States president urged Congress to finish the construction of the Panama Canal?
President Theodore Roosevelt.
Refugee
Someone who flees to another Country, usually for political or economic reasons.
Which two bodies of water do the Panama Canal connect?
The Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
Who built the Panama Canal?
The French planned and started to bouild it, but the United States completed it.
What is the invention called that makes it where ships are able to sail up mountain ranges?
The invention the makes it where ships are able to sail up mountain ranges is called locks.
Ecotourism
The practice of using an area's natural environment to attract tourists.
Which year did the Panama Canal open?
The year of 1914.
How would the climate of Panama be described?
Very hot and humid.
What natural disasters plague Central America and the West Indies?
Volcanoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes.