Lesson 8: The Geography of Latin America
hinterlands
outlying, sparsely populated peripheries
favelas/barrios
shantytowns or slums of LA
minifundia
smaller landholdings with a strong subsistence components; food for family use and local markets
pampa
subtropical grassland
land reform
the effort to transfer land from the wealthy to the poor; has long been one of the most contentious issues of political and social change in Latin America
distance-decay relationship
the highest tourism receipts in LA flow to Mexico bc it is nearest to the wealthy, neighboring country; tourism rates fall off in more far flung destinations
campesinos
the peasant farmers who sharecrop land owned by others or who have very small landholdings; lives are dominated by poverty
DR-CAFTA
-trade organization composed of the US and central american countries -patterned after NAFTA
Southern Common Market/Mercosur
Third largest trading group in the world; composed of 5 countries: Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay
false
True or False: Between the years 2000 and 2010, Brazil, Venezuela, and several other countries in Latin America elected right-leaning, pro-American governments.
false
True or False: Due to the legacy of the slave trade and the historic location of plantations, Latin America's black population is concentrated in the tierra fría.
false
True or False: During an El Niño event, ocean surface temperatures along the west coast of South America become colder.
false
True or False: Few people live around the coastal edge of South America or in the highlands of Mexico and Central America.
true
True or False: Most Latin American countries have a densely populated core and a lightly populated hinterland.
true
True or False: Remittances sent home by people working abroad are greater than the amount of money flowing into Latin America from foreign aid and foreign investment.
false
True or False: The United States has controlled the Panama Canal since the waterway was constructed in the early 1900s.
false
True or False: The introduction of new medical technologies caused a surge in the population of Native Americans shortly after European colonization.
Plan Patriot
US military personnel civilian contractors targeted FARC to both reduce drugs and secure oil in Colombia
haciendas
estates on which the commercial farming is done; owned by wealthy families or corporations
multi-Latina companies
experience workers come back home and establish these companies to invest in the United States; aid revival of downtrodden sectors of US economy
Bay of Pigs Invasion
failed attempt by the Kennedy administration to overthrow Castro by military force
Trading w/ Enemies Act
forbids Americans from spending more than $300 in Cuba
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
hemisphere-wide free trade organization that the US is taking the lead in trying to establish
balloon effect
in the case of drugs, concentrated eradication effort almost always shifts they production elsewhere
creole languages
languages that developed among the black slaves brought to work on the plantations in the Caribbean islands
latifundia
large estates with a strong commercial farming orientation
mestizo
most common mix of heritage; Spanish+Native American
paramos
alpine meadows that exists above the tierra fria
pre-Columbian times
anytime before 1492
Roosevelt Corollary (to the Monroe Doctrine)
declared that US had the right to supervise the internal affairs of LA countries to ensure US nat'l security
Monoroe Doctrine
doctrine that claims the US would prevent European countries from undertaking any new colonizing activities in the hemisphere
plaza
A cathedral and which of the following are the central features of typical Latin American cities?
mulatto/Creole
African+European+sometimes Native American
FARC
Colombia's narcoterrorist organization
Free-trade agreements
Forms the foundation of a recent push to move away from over reliance on raw materials (cash crops/minerals) and toward manufactured goods
Unevenly; Two main geographic population alignments: 1. The "Rimland" is a discontinuous ring around the margins of South America (2/3) 2. highland that extends along a volcanic belt from central Mexico southward into Central America
How are the populations of Latin America distributed?
-deal directly with the farmers to avoid brokers and intermediaries -also help farmers establish schools and health clinics
How do fair trade organizations ensure better prices for the farmers?
more than four times that of Sub-saharan Africa, but still very poor in comparison to N. America or Europe
How does Latin America's GNI PPP compare to other LDC's in different regions?
"Return to the Countryside" program -designed to purchase land from latifundia holders at market value and reallocate it to the more needy
How has the government of Venezuela tried to initiate land reform?
Union of South American Nations
Mercosur+the Andean community; modeled after the European Union
true
Most Latin American countries are classified as less developed countries (LDCs).
Colombia
Plan Patriot is a U.S. program designed to combat the production of drugs and to secure access to oil in which country?
Soviet Union
The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 brought the United States and which other country to the brink of war?
Washington Consensus
The political philosophy that the US would put for a democratic system for LA
-tropical rainforest/savanna -favored crops are rice, sugarcane, bananas, and cacao -large concentration of the black population due to the historic slave trade
Tierra caliente
-compromised of high plates, basins, valleys, and mountain slops -largest areas are in the Andes -extends to the upper limit of agriculture and tree growth -often the habitat of a Native American economy bc of colonial marginalization
Tierra fria
-supports some grain and livestock -major home of indigenous people & rural villages
Tierra helada
-favored crop is coffee -seven metropolises and other important cities located here
Tierra templada
product of local circumstances such as rain shadow and nearby cool ocean water
What are Latin America's dry climates a result of?
-Hurricanes and earthquakes
What are some natural hazards of Latin America?
1. Tierra caliente (hot country) 2. Tierra templada (cool country) 3. Tierra fria (cold country) 4. Tierra helada (frost country)
What are the four zones of elevation recognized in Latin America?
not maquiladoras, but household enterprises and small factories that employ fewer than a dozen workers and sell their products
What are the most numerous manufacturing establishments in LA?
Middle America (northern part)--includes Mexico, Central America and the islands in the Caribbean South America
What are the two main subregions of Latin America?
El Salvador, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean islands have heavy population densities
What countries do not exhibit the "core-hinterland" pattern?
The least developed Central Am. countries--Guatemala (2.8%) and Belize (2.3%)
What countries have the highest population growth rate?
-collective exploitation of land -accumulation of lifelong personal bonds -devotion to a whole series of supernatural beings (who have Christian names, but non-western origins) -ritualized remembrance of deceased relatives -reverence for political leaders
What did the mestizos inherit from their Native American roots?
-bubonic plague, measles, chickenpox, tb, worst of all was small pox -diseases and colonization brought one of the largest population declines in the history of humankind
What diseases did the colonizers bring to the New World?
extremely low; some averaging fewer than two people per sq mile
What do the figures on population density look like for the greater part of Latin America?
thinks that China may be seeking to develop a classic mercantile relationship--taking raw materials and profitably selling its own manufactured goods
What fears does Latin America have in regards to China?
Native Americans, like in Guatemala, due to systematic exclusion and violence
What group almost always has the lowest standing in societies?
-Castro's failing health -Cuba's oil reserves
What has opened discussion about reopening US doors to Cuba?
-event that happens every few years in early December due to the reversal of winds -causes weather patterns to shift -torrential rainfall/drought/massive wildlife losses
What is El Nino (Southern Oscillation)?
area in the Andes rain shadow
What is Patagonia?
The Panama Canal--although control was transferred to Panama in 1999
What is a good example of the legacy of American hegemony in LA?
rural-to-urban migration by both push and pull factors
What is a major element that is causing Latin America's rate of urban growth to increase?
many of their resources are placed under governmental control and the native americans are often forbidden from setting up their own businesses
What is one negative of then government protecting the indigenous peoples?
-would have the highest population rate if not for the rampant spread of HIV/AIDS (highest infection rate in W. hemisphere) -lowest GNI PPP of all Latin America
What is significant about Haiti?
US funded cocaine eradication program
What is the Plan Colombia program?
remittances; some gvmts are trying to figure out ways for people to pay taxes on them
What is the largest source of income for LA economies?
"banana republics"
What is the nickname for Central America?
-Basic spatial configuration reflected in the population of Latin America: well defined population core (or multiple) with one or more outlying hinterlands -Brazil and Argentina; also Mexico and the Andean countries
What is the pattern of core and hinterland? Where is this most apparent?
Atacama and Peruvian deserts; aridity is created by combined effect of shifting coastal winds, cold offshore currents, and the Andes mtns
What is the world's driest area?
gold and silver
What lured the settlers to the Andes and Brazilian highlands?
Second; characterized by high birth rates and low death rates due to the advances in medical technology
What stage of the demographic transition are many of these countries in?
mestizo
What term is used for a Latin American who has a mix of Spanish and Native American ancestry?
latifundia
What term is used for large agricultural estates in Latin America?
-the ejido program broke up large estates and other holdings and redistributed the land as gvmt property to be worked collectively -system was ineffective and unproductive -since then, the land has been sold and now is owned by the wealthy
What was the ejido movement introduced in Mexico?
-build port cities -then have agricultural districts develop around the ports so they products could be shipped back home
What was the first major settlement task for the Europeans?
Roman Catholicism; 80% of the region is this religion today
What was the one accepted faith in the new world?
when the Aztecs joined forces with the two neighboring cities and developed an empire that stretched across central Mexico
What was the triple alliance?
-Maya (Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala) -Teotihuacanos (inhabitants of the first true urban center in the W. hemisphere) -Aztecs/Mexica -Inca (northern Ecuador to central Chile) -Nazca (Peru) -Chibcha (Colombia)
What were some of the major indigenous civilizations of Latin America before the Spanish Conquest?
1521-destroyed Tenochitlan and laid the foundation for Mexico City in its ashes
When did Cortes defeat the aztecs?
-most live in highlands as opposed to lowlands -elevation moderated the tropical heat
Where do most people live in Pacific Central America?
Highest-Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina Lowest-Haitia and Nicaragua
Which LA countries have the highest GNI PPP? Lowest?
Venezuela
Which LA country is a member of OPEc and helped found it?
Inca
Which Native American civilization is famous for constructing an extensive road system?
1. Tropical rainforest (along the equator) 2. Tropical savanna (runs from tropic of capricorn to cancer) 3. Humid subtropical (lies poleward & includes pampas) 4. Mediterranean (small strip on the Pacific side esp. in Chile) 5. Desert and steppe dry climates
Which biomes can be found in Latin America?
Cuba--due to its Communist government's stress on family planning
Which country has the lowest rate of population growth?
Brazil
Which country is not a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
China
Which country's rapid economic growth has led its commercial interests to seek minerals, energy, and other natural resources in Latin America?
Italian
Which is not one of the main Indo-European languages spoken in Latin America today?
uranium
Which of the following is not one of the major mineral resources of Latin America?
Monroe Doctrine
Which policy did the United States adopt in order to prevent European countries from undertaking new colonizing activities in the Western Hemisphere?
coffee
Which product, the world's second most widely traded commodity, provided the original stimulus for the growth of the fair trade movement?
wealthy farming families, agribusinesses, and the Catholic Church
Who owns majority of the arable land in LA?
-far-left elected as leader of Venezuela -despised capitalism and the US; turned the tide of LA shifting to a democratic system
Who was Hugo Chavez and why was he significant?
want to secure their petroleum
Why is Colombia the third largest recipient of US aid?
due to the fact that air temp decreases with elevation
Why is Latin America separated into elevation zones?
-because of the marginal quality of the land and the simple agricultural techniques used in peasant farming -little capital is available to buy machinery, fertilizer, and better seeds
Why is agricultural productivity generally so low?
economically vulnerable to changes in market conditions, competition from other sources, and changing consumer appetites.
Why is it bad that many LA countries are over reliant on a narrow range of exports?
