Latin America
Describe the characteristics of a primate city.
Much larger than the next largest city Dominate the political and economic activity as well as services Usually capital city
What is the Humboldt Current
cold, low-salinity ocean current that flows north along the west coast of South America from the southern tip of Chile to northern Peru.
What is a "snow line"?
elevation point where north of it there are no crops Where there is snow and no crops
Know the structure of a river/watershed (i.e. trunk, chief tributary, tributaries).
trunk-main river chief tributary- second biggest river tributary- anything else
Know the three main physiographic regions of Central America.
Volcanic axis, interior highlands, coastal plains.
Name the two most popular forms of religious syncretism .
Voodoo & Santeria
Why do Latin America and the Caribbean have a primate city pattern?
"Coastal Orientation" In part due to colonial heritage In part due to the inhospitable nature of the interior Climate
Why did the earthquake in Haiti claim so many lives?
-Allowed less warning time to get out of buildings -Building standards were not good The mudslides.
Provide a list of five activities that are categorized under the informal sector.
-Street selling, shoe shining, street entertainment,
Define the subdivisions of the Caribbean.
..Greater antilles (larger islands), lesser antilles (smaller islands)..
Define Middle America.
..West Indies- includes Mexico and Central America..
What were the main civilizations that existed prior to the arrival of Europeans? And where did they settle?
1. Native population: amazon lowlands, higher evaluations 2. African population: Caribbean islands 3. Europeans: mid-latitude south America
Define altiplano.
A high mountain plateau (andes).
What is a watershed?
An area of ridge land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.
Define llanos.
An extensive grassy plain with few trees.
What is the western alpine system?
Andean range, central valley, Altiplano.
What is the eastern highlands?
Brazilian highlands, Guiana highlands, Patagonia plateau.
How does altitudinal zonation impact the vegetation and what kind of crops do we find in each zone?
Changes in climate and vegetation depending on elevation Tierra caliente(warm): sugar cane, bananas, maize Tierra templada(moderate): maize, coffee, dairy Tierra fria(cold): wheat, barley, potatoes Tierra helada(icy): sheep, llamas, alpaca
Why is there such a huge difference in the number of casualties between the Haiti earthquake and the Chile earthquake, when the latter was stronger than the former?
Chile occurred in ocean Haiti on land next to their capital Nazca plate Chile has stronger buildings
Besides the Iberian countries, what other European nations settled in Latin America and the Caribbean?
Dutch
Know the type of natural disasters that Latin America is vulnerable to and why?
Earthquakes Volcanic eruptions Hurricanes Building codes Deforestation
Know the three main physiographic regions of South America.
Eastern highlands, central lowlands, and western alpine system.
Explain the difference between El Niño and La Niña.
El Nino -Periodic warming of sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific off the coast of Peru. Results in world wide climate changes, droughts, and floods. La Nina -Periodic abnormal cooling of sea-surface temperatures in the tropical pacific off the coast of Peru. • El Nino - Cold water off Peru's coast begins to warm up - Effects: • High rainfall + flooding in Andes area • Droughts in northeast Brazil, Central America, and Australia • La Nina - Reverse pattern
Explain the factors that create the dry conditions in the Atacama Desert on the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile.
El Nino, which is cold becomes warm water, flooding the Andes and drying up Brazil and Central America.
Explain the difference between formal, nominal, and folk Catholicism?
Formal is strict, nominal is everyday, and folk is like voodoo -Formal: traditional & elite -Nominal: predominant (saying it but not acting on it) -Folk Catholicism: syncretism; Native and African forms Fastest growing is Islam, dominant is Catholicism
What are the climatological effects of El Niño and La Niña? Where do they occur?
High rainfall and flooding (andes area) and droughts (northeast brazil, central America, and Australia)
What is a favela?
Informal shanty towns, minimal access to drinking water
Know the difference between the inner arc and the outer arc of the volcanic islands in the Lesser Antilles.
Inner arc is close to Greater Antilles - Still active -Outer arc is close to Pacific Ocean - more dormant
What is the fastest growing religion in Latin America?
Islam
How did the demographic collapse in Latin America and the Caribbean fuel the Trans-Atlantic slave trade?
Mortality rates were high and a lot of the population was dying Led to abandonment of their settlements and fields
What is the Treaty of Tordesillas?
June 7, 1494 - Pope Alexander VI divided newly"discovered" lands along a north/south line (370 leagues (1800km or 1100mi) west of the Cape Verde Islands (46 west longitude)
What is the central lowlands?
Llanos, amazon plain, gran chaco, pampas.
Describe the three major forms of racial mixing that took place in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Mestizo: Native and European Mulatto: African and European Zambo: Native and African
Define the three main subdivisions of Latin America.
Mexico, Central America, Caribbean
Describe and explain why certain regions in Latin America and the Caribbean remained relatively unmixed.
Native Population: Amazon lowlands and higher elevations African Population: Caribbean islands Europeans: Mid-latitude South America Because of access and resistance -Europeans had a hard time getting in and navigating
Define Pantanal.
Natural region encompassing the world's largest tropical wetland area
What is religious syncretism?
Over time the merging and blending of religions
What factors contribute to false urbanization in Latin America and the Caribbean?
People live in cities but do not really have fulfilling jobs Slums and squatter settlements Growth of informal economy ("black market") Rapid rural to urban movement High rates of natural increase
What is a primate city pattern?
Primate city is used to identify cities that dominate the urban pattern of their respective countries
What is the demographic collapse?
Rapid die-off of indigenous populations of America
Know the three main physiographic regions of Mexico.
Sierra Madre (occidental W, oriental E), Central Plateau, Yucatan Peninsula.
What is the informal sector of the economy?
Small scale activities not organized into the "regular" economy -No fixed place of employment -Not taxed, no benefits, no regular salary
Explain the difference between true urbanization and false urbanization.
True urbanization: concurrent expansion of non-agricultural activities; city keeping up with expansion False urbanization: the rapid growth of cities is faster than the cities can accommodate
In what zone do we find the majority of the export crops from Latin America?
Teirra templada
Explain the factors that modify the climate in Latin America (i.e. latitude, altitude, ocean currents, winds, and mountains).
Temperature (latitude, altitude, ocean currents) & Precipitation (atmospheric pressure, prevailing winds, orographic effect)
Define the core and fringe areas of Latin America
The core is most of South America while the Fringe is some of Southwestern America and the Caribbean - Core: mexico & Brazil Fringe: Caribbean Fringe & SW united States
What is the Columbian Exchange?
The interchange of crops, animals, people and diseases From old world to new world and vice versa
How did the Treaty of Tordesillas impact the European settlement of Latin America?
The treaty allowed the European explorers to discover new lands and to trade more freely without the confusion of another nation. The Europeans were free to explore as they wished and they discovered many new places. Each of the exploring European nations were given an area in which they could explore, and they were only allowed to explore there.
How the people from the region increase their vulnerability to these disasters?
They live in unsafe houses or slopes because they have no money or power to live somewhere safe
What is altitudinal zonation?
Where you can plant plants. Where we plant plants based on the altitude
