Chapter 8 Geography
tierra caliente and crops
"hot land" lies at elevations 2,500ft ( bananas and sugarcane are grown here)
volcanic axis
40 volcanic cones attain elevations of more than 12,000 ft
United Provinces of Central America
5 seperate countries: Costa Rica, El Salcador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua
cuba and independence from spain
cuba gained independence in 1898 but remained under United States protection until 1902
damage to rainforests
deforestation severly alters biologically rich ecosystems and threatens various plants and organisms from which key medicines are derived
temperatures and rainfall in the region
warm year around and abundant rainfall
biodiversity
biological diversity in an enviroment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals
central highlands
central americas most distinctive landforms -mountains- form the highlands
ring of fire
an area where a large number of volcanic erruptions occur
greater antilles and lesser antilles
are part of an archipelago. composed of the crests and peaks of a mountain range formed by collisions of tectonic plates
cottage industry
a business of recreational travel based on concern for the enviroment
vertical climate zones
a climate zone that occurs as elevation increases, with its own natural vegetation and crops
patois
a dialect used in everyday speech that blends elements of several languages
archipelago
a group of chain of islands
dialect
a local form of a language used in a particular place or by a certain group
isthmus
a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas
disputes over water
a wetlands area that is part of a nature reserve owned by costa rica
Lempa river
generates hydroelectricity from the energy of moving water
uniqueness of Montserat
has black sand beaches and coral reefs
PRODESEC
is a Nicaraguan plan aimed at providing new opportunities for rural families
latifundia
large agricultural estates owned by families or cooperations
Lake Nicaragua
largest freshwater lake in Central America
biodiversity hotspot
much of subregions timberland have been cleared by slash and burn farmers
panamal canal
one of the worlds most important human-made waterways ( shortened trade routes)
reforestation
replanting seeds where trees have been cut down
minifundia
small farms that produce food chiefly for family use
islands and agriculture
small islands colonized for intensive plantation agriculture became prone to soil erosion because of the elimination to natural vegetation
sedimentation
the action or process of forming or depositing sediment
deforestation
the cutting down and removing of trees
catholicism
the faith, practice, and church order of the Roman Catholic Church
Panama prior to independence
the governer, Pedaris slaved and murdered indigenous people
ecotourism
the practice and business of recreational travel based on concern for the enviroment
population pressure
the sum of factors within a population that reduce the ability of an environment to support the population, therefor resulting in migration or population decline
coral reefs
these reefs exhibit a wide variety of reef fish and sea life
shantytown
thousands of people are forced to live in slums on the edge of the city
population problems and the land
to increase food supplies farmers have cleared forested regions which destroys forest and cause soil to lose fertility
Central America climate zones and population
tropical climate zone
