Latin America and the Caribbean

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Latin America and the Caribbean
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Countries of Mexico and Central America

• Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras,
  Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama

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Countries of South America

• Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French
  Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay,
  Argentina, Chile, Uruguay

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Countries of the Caribbean

• Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto
  Rico (US)

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Physical Features

• Major Mountain ranges
• Andes Mountains
• Sierra Madre Mountains--Oriental and Occidental
• Rainforests
• Coastal Desert--Atacama Desert
• Amazon River Basin

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• Tropical Grasslands--Pampas, Llanos
• Archipelagoes groups of related islands
• Reversed seasons south of the Equator
• Volcanoes and Earthquakes

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• Vertical Zonation of Climates in Mexico
• Tierra Templada-temperate
• Tierra Fria-cold
• Tierra Caliente-hot

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Economic Characteristics

• diverse economies
• subsistence farming
• plantation agriculture
• slash and burn agriculture
• cash crops and food crops
• haciendas
• cattle ranches and gauchos

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• deforestation
• destruction of the rainforests
• oil resources--Ecuador, Venezuela, Mexico
• Heavy smog and pollution--Mexico City

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• disparity of income distribution
• NAFTA member
• diverse mineral resources
• copper in Chile
• iron ore in Venezuela and Brazil

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Cultural Characteristics

• Indian civilizations--Aztec, Inca
• African traditions--slaves
• influences of European colonization--Spanish
• predominance of the Roman Catholic religion
• rigid social structureno movement

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• Mestizos-European and Native
• location of settlements--coastal in South America
• Megacities with large squatter settlements
• rapid population growth
• out-migration

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Cultural heritage

• music--African influences, calypso, steel drum
  bands, reggae
• traditional dances
• Spanish and Portuguese languages

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Cultural landscape

• pyramids and cathedrals
• haciendas and ejidos (communal land)
• ruins at Machu Picchu
• ruins at Tikal

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Latin America

• From Mexico to Chile and Argentina

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Mountain Ranges

• Sierra Madres
• In Mexico
• 3 different areas
• ORIENTAL
• OCCIDENTAL
• DEL SUR

• Andes
• 2nd highest range in the world.
• Run from Chile to Panama

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Latin America in Pictures
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SquatterCity in Brazil
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Native American heritage
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Mayan
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Inca
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Inca Chieftain
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Steel Drums
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Steel Drum Band
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Cathedral in Mexico
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Cathedral in Mexico
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Macchu Picchuin Peru
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• Macchu Picchu is an ancient city that the Inca
  claimed was the center of the earth.

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Tikal in Guatemala
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• ancient Mayan city
• ceremonial and civic center
• Tikal is the "New York City" of the Maya, its
  skyscraper-like pyramids soaring up out of the
  jungle canopy.

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Gauchos in Argentina
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ANDES
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Peaks in the ANDES
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Looking up
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Inca city of Machu Pichu
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Sierra Madres
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Sierra rocky cliffs
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Green slopes
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Looking across the range
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Amazon River Basin

• Over 1000 tributaries feed the Amazon River.
• Drains an area almost the size of the USA.
• Amazon 2nd largest river in the world.
• Drains 60 times more water then the Nile.

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Amazon River Basin(dark green)
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Amazon flowing through the rainforest.
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Grasslands

• Llanos
• In Venezuela
• Used for grazing and farming

• Pampas
• In Argentina
• Used for grazing and farming

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Cattle on the Pampas
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Shade trees on the llanos
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A small pond on the llanos
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Rainforests

• Rainforests cover much of Latin America.
• Rain forests are near the equator.
• Amazon rainforest covers almost 2 million acres.

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Water fall in the forest
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Deserts

• Atacama Desert
• Driest desert in the World.
• Sheltered from the rainforest by the Andes

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Atacama
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Archipelagoes(groups of islands)

• Bahamas
• Hundreds of islands off the tip of Florida and to
  the North of Cuba
• Greater Antilles
• Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola

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• Lesser Antilles
• Smaller islands to the South of Puerto Rico

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Bahamas
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Bahamas from space
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The Beach
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Warm Blue Water
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FIN
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Latin America-- Review

• What is the main language of Latin America?
• Spanish
• What is the main religion of Latin America?
• Roman Catholic

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• Name the major mountain ranges of Mexico?
• Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre Occidental
• What is the most important and populous region of
  Mexico?
• Central Plateau

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• What do Tierra Fria, Tierra Templada, and Tierra
  Caliente have in common?
• All are climate zones from the Latin American
  mountain regions
• Ancient Mayan ruins can be found in which region
  of Mexico?
• Yucatan Peninsula

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• Which native civilization was conquered by Cortez
  and the Spanish in Mexico?
• the Aztecs
• What three cultures make-up Mexico?
• Ancient Indian, colonial Spanish and modern
  Mexican

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• What is an EJIDOS?
• Farmland owned collectively by members of a rural
  community
• What is a HACIENDA?
• Large Spanish-owned estates of land, usually run
  as a farm or cattle ranch

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• Who provided the labor on the Haciendas?
• Indians
• What is a mestizo?
• Person of mixed Spanish and native Indian
  ancestory
• What economic alliance is Mexico a member of?
• NAFTA

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• What is an isthmus?
• A narrow strip of land with water on both sides
• What is the main economic activity of Central
  America?
• Agricultural

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• What does an unequal distribution of wealth mean?
• Most money/resources controlled by a few

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• What do Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and
  Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic)
  make up?
• Greater Antilles
• What group was originally brought to the
  Caribbean to work on the sugar plantations?
• Africans

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• What is an archipelago?
• Island group or island chain
• What is subsistence farming?
• Growing only enough for your use
• What are the tropical grasslands of South America
  called?
• Llanos and pampas

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• What is the predominant climate in Latin America?
• Tropical climates
• Does Latin America have volcanoes and
  earthquakes?
• YES
• What do Ecuador, Venezuela and Mexico have in
  common?
• oil

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• What is the main problem in Mexico City?
• Smog and pollution
• What mineral resources does Chile have?
• Copper

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• What was the ancient South American native
  culture conquered by Spain?
• Incas

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• Describe Latin Americas social structure.
• Rigid
• What 3 things do most Latin American cities have
  in common?
• Coastal, megacities, squatter settlements

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• What is Macchu Picchu?
• Ancient Incan ruins
• What is the name of the ancient Mayan ruins in
  Guatemala?
• Tikal

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• Name the major mountain range of South America?
• Andes
• When it is summer in the US, what season is it in
  Argentina?
• winter

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• What is the largest economic activity in
  Argentinas patagonia region?
• Cattle ranching
• What are Argentinas cattle ranchers called?
• gauchos