World Geo

What makes up the present population?

Descendants from African slaves and from Europeans and native Iandians

From where did the sizable Asian population come and why?

Descendants of immigrants from East Asia and South Asia who came voluntarily to work in the Caribbean Islands in the 19th Century.

What makes one Indian group distinct from another?

Each Indian group has a traditional home, distinct history, culture, and language

What happened between 1979 and 1992?

El Salvador was in a civil war that involved the army, the death squads, and anti-government guerrillas. More than 70,000 people (many civilians) died. In 1992 a peace agreement mediated by the United Nations ended the war.

Why were millions of Africans brought to the islands?

European colonists needed laborers to do the work on their plantations, growing and harvesting sugar cane; Africans worked as slaves

Where does the largest number of Central Americans live?

Guatemala (more than 1/2 of population)

Who were the contras?

Guerrilla fighters( from the Spanish word for "against"); Nicaraguans who tried to overthrow the Sandinista government

What happened in Haiti between 1957 and 1986?

Haiti was ruled by a military dictatorship.Thousand fled to the US

What happened in 1986?

Haitians ousted their dictator but the military regained control of the government.

Describe Nicaragua's coastal plain:

Has several freshwater lakes.

Describe the 2/3 population of Central America that are poor?

Have little political power; millions of farmers who have little or no land; laborers who earn low wages on plantations or in factories; people of Indian and African descent

What did Fidel Castro do in 1959?

He led a revolution to topple Cuba's dictatorial government and he set up a Communist government.

Why is the language of Belize English?

In the 1500's Spaniards conquered and colonized the region.

Lake Nicaragua:

Largest lake of Pacific Coastal plain, Lago de Nicaragua, a large oval lake scattered with small islands. More than 100 miles long. Scientists believe it was once a bay, cut off from the Pacific Ocean when a volcanic eruption created a ridge of mountains. The lake is freshwater (sharks and swordfish swim in its deep blue water)

What makes the soils in the region extremely fertile?

Lava flows and deposits of volcanic ash make Pacific coast soils extremely fertile

How are the mountains a problem?

Make it difficult to cross (rugged), difficult for transportation, and many are active volcanoes

What were the death squads?

Through the civil war, the government ruled with a heavy hand of "death squads" who tortured and murdered critics, including student and labor leaders. >100,000 people killed, 40,000disappeared.

Why is sandy soil a problem?

cannot support much agriculture.

Why did the people of African descent come to the Caribbean islands in the early 1900's?

to work on banana plantations or to help build the Panama Canal

Describe the climate of the Caribbean lowlands?

tropical and wet.

What were the death squads?

wealthy landowners hired "death squads" to eliminate political opponents who wanted reform.

Tiempo muerto

dead season when harvest is over and workers must migrate to find job opportunities (8 mnths of year)

Who are the people of African descent?

descendants of African slaves and immigrants from the Caribbean islands

What caused varying landforms in the islands.

differing physical forces shaped the islands

leeward

facing away from the wind-rainfall may be only 30 inches a year.

Describe the vegetation of the Caribbean lowlands?

has a dense rain forest vegetation that covers most of the land.

Who helped build the Panama Canal?

migrants

Who were the caudillos?

military dictators that ruled Guatemala in 1821after gaining independence from Spain. Jorge Ubico was the last dictator after a liberal government was elected following WWII.

What runs througth the entire length of Central America?

mountains

windward

northern and eastern sides of the islands-facing the wind-rain can fall in torrents, reaching as much as 200 inches a year

Where are the Caribbean lowlands located?

on the eastern side of Central America.

Where do many idle workers go during the tiemp muerto?

other island of Central America or the US

What are most of the people of Central America?

poor (2/3 of population, with little political power)

How much rainfall does the Caribbean lowlands receive?

receives heavy rainfall year round.

Describe the problem of the shortage of available farmland.

shortage of farmland causes armed conflict; cannot meet the needs of the population; also because of the unequal distribution of land

How do most of the people in Central America earn a living?

some kind of farming (50% of workers in Guatemala and Honduras)

Name the crops grown from the fertile soils in the volcanic islands.

sugar, bananas, coconuts, cocoa, rice and cotton

Of what islands do the Greater Antilles consist?

the four largest islands of the region: Cuba Jamaica Hispaniola (Haiti, Dominican Republic) Puerto Rico

What are coral Islands?

the islands with flatter terrain, created by the remains of colonies of tiny, soft-bodied sea animals called coral polyps. All of the Bahamas are coral islands.

What causes the difference in climate on the two coasts?

the moist winds that sweep from the northeast across the Caribbean toward Central America.

What are the three regions that make up Central America:

the mountainous core the Caribbean low lands the Pacific coastal plain

Why do tourist come to the islands?

the natural beauty of the islands and the tropical climate

What limits the amount of farming in the rain forest of the Caribbean lowlands?

the soil is not very fertile.

What shaped the Greater Antilles?

the tops of volcanic mountains that have been pushed up fro the ocean floor

ARCHIPELAGO

A GROUP OF ISLANDS

Sandinista's governed how?

A socialist system taking property from landowners and giving it to their supporters; government control of agriculture and industry caused a lower production and a drop in exports

What is the economic activity of many Caribbean islands?

Agriculture

What affects the climate of the Caribbean Islands more than elevation?

Sea and wind

Of what does the Bahama archipelago consist?

The Bahama archipelago (group of islands) includes nearly 700 islands northeast of Cuba:

Name three islands that are not independent?

The British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and several others remain colonies of the United Kingdom: Jamaica and the Bahamas are independent members of the British Commonwealth; The U.S. Virgin Islands is US territory Puerto Rico is a US Commonwealth

Section 2

The Caribbean Islands

Name the 3 island groups in the Caribbean?

The Greater Antilles The Lesser Antilles The Bahamas

Where have many of the Puerto Ricans settled?

The US ( a large portion in New York City)

How have the Caribbean islands benefitted from the emigration?

The millions of dollars that emigrants sent home have helped reduce the burden of poverty throughout the Caribbean.(improving their homes)

What shaped the Lesser Antilles?

The western arc of islands, formed by more recent volcanoes (still active)

What do the Lesser Antilles form?

another archipelago, a curing arc that separates the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean.

What has troubled Central America for much of its history?

armed conflict

What are guerilla movements?

armed forces outside the regular army, who often fight in small bands.

Islanders from the Caribbean Islands have had to travel to wealthier countries to find opportunities their homelands cannot yet offer.

.

Who are the Sandinistas?

...In 1979, a small group called the Sandinista Front for National Liberation, led a movement that overthrew Nicaragua's government. For 40 years the country had been controlled by the wealthy Somoza family.

Describe the climate and vegetation of the Pacific Coastal Plain?

.a tropical, wet and dry climate with savanna, or grassland, vegetation..

Describe the two climate zones in the high elevations of Central America's mountainous core?

At 3,000-6,000 feet, Central America's mountainous core has a year round springlike climate, free of frost, and cool enough to grow corn, wheat, and coffee. Above 6,000 feet, Central America's mountainous core has a cold climate and few crops besides potato and barley can grow.

Name seven countries of Central America:

Belize Guatemala Honduras El Salvador Nicaragua Costa Rica Panama

Give examples of how African roots influenced Caribbean culture.

Calypso music (a form of folk music) spread from Trinidad throughout the Caribbean;

What happened in the 1960's?

Civil war erupted as leftist guerrilla movements challenged the harsh military regime.

Where is the largest European settlement?

Costa Rica (90% of people are European , mostly Spanish, descent.

Name the independent countries of the Caribbean:

Cuba Haiti the Dominican Republic Barbados Jamaica the Bahamas Trinidad and Tobago (one country made up of 2 islands)

Decribe geographic location of Central America?

Curves between North America and South America

Who lives by subsistence farming?

Most of the rural population

What else affects the land of the Pacific Coastal Plain?

Pacific Coast can depend on rain only during the summer. Volcanoes high in the mountains above the Coastal plain affect the land. During the rainy season, the land is lush and green.

How do sea and wind affect the climate of the Caribbean islands?

When the winds blow onshore, they moderate the land temperature. As the breeze blows over the Caribbean Sea, it takes on the cooler temperature of the water. prevailing winds also affect the amount of rainfall

Who are the Mestizos?

a mix of Europeans and Indians (a large population of Mestizos are in El Salvador and Nicaragua)

isthmus

a narrow strip of land (with water on both sides) connecting two larger land areas

What did the wealthy landowners fear?

a popular revolution

Describe the middle class people of Central America?

a small but very important group; farmers who own small, non commercial farmland and some employees of urban industries and services

Who are the wealthy people?

a tiny portion of population; plantation owners (European or Mestizos): dominate government and politics