Download Spanish

Do First:
• Pick up a copy of the Latin America
Packet.
• Read Pages 42 and 43 in the packet.
• On the last page in the packet (blank), put
todays date (10/15/15) and answer these
questions
– What type of government do you think
Chavez ran in Venezuela?
– How do you think the oil based economy of
Venezuela is doing now?
Physical Geography of Latin
America
• Latin America reaches from the border between the U.S. and
Mexico down to Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South
America
Mountains
• Andes Mountains
• Has many volcanoes
• They form a barrier to
settlement, so most of
population is on eastern
side of the Andes
• Mountain ranges were
home to Incas in Peru
Plains
• Llanos
 Located in Columbia and Venezuela
 Vast (large), treeless and grassy plain
 Area is used for livestock grazing and farming
• Cerrado
 Located in the Amazon River Basin in Brazil
 Savanna with flat terrain and moderate rainfall
 Area is suitable for farming
• Pampas
 Located in Argentina and Uruguay
 Areas of grasslands and rich soil
 Area is used for raising cattle and growing wheat
Rivers
• Orinoco River
 Winds thru northern part of continent
 Drains interior lands along Columbia – Venezuela border to the
Atlantic
 Home to the Native American tribe: the Yanomamo
 Some remarkable animals live in and around the Orinoco. They
include aggressive meat-eating fish called piranhas, 200-pound
catfish, and crocodile as long as 20 feet. More than 1,000 bird
species live in the Orinoco River basin.
Rivers
• Amazon River
 Starts in the Andes and flows to the Atlantic.
 Largest river in
the world.
Amazon carries
more water to
the ocean than
any other river
in the world
Rivers
• Parana River
 Origins in highlands of southern Brazil
 Travels through Paraguay and Argentina.
 Empties in the Atlantic
Major Islands of the
Caribbean
•
•
3 groups– The Bahamas, the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles
Islands are sometimes called the West Indies and were first land encountered by
Christopher Columbus
• The Bahamas are made up of hundreds of islands off the southern tip of Florida and
north of Cuba.
• The Greater
Antilles: larger
islands
• The Lesser
Antilles: smaller
islands
Resources of Latin America
•
Mineral Resources
 Gold, silver, iron, copper, bauxite, tin, lead and nickel are abundant
 Also mines produce precious gems, titanium and tungsten
 South America is among world’s leaders in the mining of raw materials
Resources of Latin America
•
Energy Resources
 Oil, coal, natural gas, uranium, and hydroelectric power are all plentiful
in Latin America
 Venezuela and Mexico have major oil resources
 Brazil is rich in hydroelectric power
 Trinidad has vast reserves of natural gas
Climate
• Ranges from hot and humid (Amazon River) to
dry and desert (northern Mexico and Southern
Chile).
• Reasons for varied Climate
 A large part of Latin America is on or close to the
equator
• Big change in elevation
• Warm currents of Atlantic an cold Pacific currents
affect climate
Vegetation
• Vegetation
 Rain forests, savanna (flat grasslands),
and desert areas all found in region
 Vegetation varies from tropical forests,
grasslands and desert shrub
 Much of the original savanna
vegetation inland has been cleared.
 Called deforestation
 It has been replaced by
plantations and ranches.
Tropical Climate Zones
•
Tropical Wet
 Climate is hot and rainy
 Amazon Rain Forest
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Largest forest in the world
2 million square miles
Mostly located in Brazil
Scientists have discovered 2500 varieties of trees
Animals include the Anaconda, jaguar, and the piranha
Tropical Climate Zones
•
Tropical Wet and Dry
 Savannas
 grasslands dotted with trees common in tropical and subtropical
regions
 Hot climates with seasonal rain
 Found in Brazil, Columbia and Argentina
 Semiarid
 dry with some rain
 Large grass- covered plains
 Desert shrubs
 Found in Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina
 Desert
 Northern Mexico, much of Peruvian coast
 Atacama Desert is in Northern Chile
 Argentina’s southern zone Patagonia has a desert
Mid- Latitude Climate Zones
•
•
•
•
Humid Subtropical
 Rainy winters and hot, humid summers
 Includes Paraguay, Uruguay, southern Brazil, and southern Bolivia
Mediterranean
 Hot, dry summers, cool moist winters
 Parts of western Chile
Marine West Coast
 Cool, rainy winters and mild, rainy summers
 Found in southern Chile and Argentina
Highlands
 Temperatures depend of elevation
 Moderate to cold
 Found in the mountains of Mexico and South America
Earthquakes
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent Mexico, Central America
and the Caribbean.
Human- Environment Interaction
•
•

Agriculture Reshapes the Environment
 Native people changed their environment to grow food
• They burned the forest to clear land
• They diverted streams to irrigate crops
Slash and Burn Agriculture
 Definition
 burning trees, brush, and grasses to clear fields for
farming
 Farmers use this practice today
 This is the main reason for the destruction and shrinking of the rain forests
Terraced Farming
 Definition
 technique for
growing crops on
hillsides or mountainous
slopes
 Farmers and workers
cut step-like horizontal
fields into hillside and
slopes
Urbanization: The Growth of
Cities
• Throughout Latin America, people are moving from rural
areas into cities in search of jobs and a better life
 From country to city
 Most urbanized areas in Latin America
 Argentina, Chile and Uruguay
 Many people in rural areas struggle to make a living and feed
their families. They are subsistence farmers
 Push and Pull factors
 Push and Pull factors move people from rural areas to the city
 Push factors are factors that “push” people to leave rural areas.
They include : poor medical care, low-paying jobs
 Pull factors are factors that “pull” people toward cities they
include: higher paying jobs, better schools, and better
medical care
Rapidly Growing Cities
Megacities
 Largest cities in South America.
 Mexico City, Mexico
 20 million people
 Sau Paulo and Rio de Janiero, Brazil
 Buenos Aires, Argentina
 Lima, Peru
 Bogota, Colombia
 Santiago, Chile
 Problems: slums, high crime, pollution , shortage of water
supplies, poor infrastructure
 Local governments cannot afford the maintenance of the
infrastructure
Education
 Many Latin American citizens
are unable to get a meaningful
job because of the lack of
education. This prevents
them from taking advantage of
a free-market system.
Tourism
•
•
•
Tourism is a growing industry in Central America and the Caribbean
Advantages of Tourism
 Tourists spend money and help create jobs
 New hotels, restaurants, shops popped up in the Caribbean
 Resorts offer activities that provide jobs for local people like being guides
 In this way, tourism closes the income gap. Jobs raise income and gives
the local people a stake in their society
Disadvantages of tourism
 As resorts are built, congestion occurs and pollution increases
 Gap between rich tourists and poor local residents sometimes creates
resentment
 Often owners of tourism places are not from there and sent profits back home which does not help local
economy
Handouts
Mexico
Native Americans and
Spanish Conquest

Earliest people in Mexico were Native Americas.
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Aztecs- Developed a large civilization. Teotihuacán was the capital of the Aztecs. Today it
is present day Mexico City.
Mayans- Developed a civilization on the Yucatan Peninsula.
Colonialism and
Independence
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Spanish Conquistadors
 In 1519, Hernando Cortés and his Spanish
soldiers conquered the Aztecs.
 Spanish were looking for gold and silver
 The Spanish ruled Mexico for the next 300 years.
Independence
 In 1821 Mexico became an independent country
Unequal distribution of land
 A few rich landowners owned haciendas
 Revolution and civil war in 1917.
 Redistributed land to peasants (farmers) after civil war
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)
 In 1929, a new political party called the PRI
helped to introduce democracy and maintain political stability.
A Meeting of Cultures
 Culture Divergence (Diffusion)
 The Spanish brought their
language and Catholic religion,
both of which dominate modern
Mexico.
 Mestizo
 A perosn of Spanish and Native
American descent
Economy
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Economic Challenges
 Attempting to close the gap between rich and poor
 Many are moving to the cities for jobs
 Develop a modern industrial economy
 Has traditionally been an agriculture economy
Oil
 Mexico has a large industry based on its oil reserves.
 Most oil is found in the Gulf of Mexico
Manufacturing
 Many new factories are located in Mexico’s north.
 Maquiladoras are factories that export mostly electronics, clothes, and furniture
to the United States
NAFTA
 Mexico signed an agreement with the United States and Canada
 This agreement has created a huge free trade zone
 It is expected to contribute to the prosperity of Mexico by creating jobs for
millions of people
Life in Mexico Today
 Jobs
 There is a shortage of jobs in Mexico
 Immigration
 Many Mexicans leave and travel to the United States
in search of work
 They use the money to improve conditions for their
families
 Education
 Education is important of Mexicans. It will be
important in the creation of new jobs and
industrialization.
Central America and
Caribbean
More than 35 million people live in the countries of Central
America.
Mayans
 Central America was home to the Mayans.
 Built many cities and temples and palaces
 Mayan culture is still an important part of Central America today.
Spanish Conquest
 In the early 1500s European countries began
establishing colonies in the region. Most of Central
America came under the control of Spain.
 European colonists established large plantations.
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The grew tobacco and sugarcane.
They forced Central American Indians to work on plantations and mine gold.
Millions of Native Americans were killed by diseases brought by Europeans
Many Africans were also brought to Central America as slaves.
Independence
 Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, and Nicaragua declared
independence from Spain in 1821.
 They formed the United Provinces of Central
America.
 Between 1838-1839 they separated and
formed their own countries.
 Panama became a country in 1903.
 Belize became a country in 1981.
Caribbean islands
Christopher Columbus
 Christopher Columbus first sailed into the
Caribbean Sea for Spain in 1492.
 He called the islands the West Indies and the
people who lived there Indians.
Spanish Colonialism
 Spain established colonies there.
 They built large sugar plantations
 Many Caribbean Indians died from disease
 Many Africans were brought there as slaves.
 Other European nations established
colonies
 Including England, France, and the
Netherlands
 They profited from sugar plantations and African
slave labor
Independence
 Haiti won its independence for France in 1804
as a slave revolt.
 Dominican Republic won independence by the
mid 1800s
 The United States took Cuba from Spain in the
Spanish-American War in 1898. Cuba became
independent in 1902.
 Most other Caribbean colonies became
independent in the late 1900s
Culture of Central America
• Spanish is the official language in most
countries. However, many people speak
Indian languages. In Belize English is the
official language.
• Many Central Americans practice religions
brought to the region by Europeans. Most
are Roman Catholic. Spanish
missionaries converted many Indians to
Catholicism.
Culture of the Caribbean
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Wide variety of Europeans influence Caribbean culture
 Most islanders are of African or European descent or are a mixture
Language
 English, French, and mixtures of Europeans and African languages are spoken
on many islands.
 Haitians speak French and Creole.
 Jamaicans speak English
 Spanish is spoken in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
Religion
 Protestant Christians are most numerous on islands that were British.
 Former French and Spanish territories have large number of Roman Catholics.
 There are also a combination of Catholicism and African religions.
 Santeria, which comes from West Africa
 Voodoo is practiced in Haiti
 Rastafarianism is practiced in Jamaica
Economy in Central America
 Commercial farming
 Agriculture in the region can be
profitable where volcanic ash has enriched the soil.
 Coffee and bananas major corps.
 Timber is exported from the rain forests of Belize
and Honduras.
 Exports of minerals is important
Panama Canal
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Trade is important because of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
 Connects the Atlantic
and Pacific
 Ships from both
hemispheres use the
canal, making Panama
a crossroads of world
trade.
 The United States
built the canal in 1914.
 The canal played an
important role in the U.S.
economic and foreign
policy.
 The U.S. controlled the
canal until 1999.
Panama Canal
• http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camer
a-java.html?cam=MirafloresHi
Quick Check
• T/F: Chinese is the official language in
Latin America.
• T/F: Judaism is the major religion in
America.
Economy of the Caribbean
 Largest export is sugarcane
 Other exports include bananas, citrus
fruits, coffee and spices
 Many people work on plantations
 Pay is low
 Per capita income is low
Government in Central
America
 Dictatorships
 From time to time, Central America has been
ruled by dictators.
 The opponents of dictators often are arrested or
even killed.
 Dictatorship also has led to corruption in many
countries
 Democracy
 Today the region's countries have elected
governments.
Cuba
 Cuba is the largest and most populated
country in the Caribbean.
 Cuba has had a Communist government
since Fidel Castro seized power in 1959.
 Many Cubans have escaped Communist
by migrating to the United States (Florida).
Food and Festivals
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Food
Central America shares many traditional foods with Mexico and South America.
 These foods include corn and sweet potatoes.
 This region is also home to tomatoes, hot peppers, and cacao.
Festivals
 Saints’ Feast Day
 Each town and country celebrates special saints' feasts days.
 Images of the saints are paraded through the streets.
 Carnival
 Carnival is a time of feasts and parties before the Christian season of lent.
 It is celebrated with big parades and beautiful costumes.
Music
 Calypso
 Began in Trinidad and Tobago
 A blend of African, Spanish, and Caribbean
 Use of steel-drum
 Reggae
 Began in Jamaica
 Songs deal with poverty and
religion
 Bob Marley
Baseball
Baseball is a very popular sport in the
Caribbean. Many major league players
are from the Caribbean.
South America
 South America is divided into two regions
 Spanish Speaking South America
 Includes: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile,
Colombia, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru,
Uruguay, and Venezuela
 Portuguese South America
 Brazil
The Incan Empire
 The Inca ruled much of western South America.
 The Inca built structures out of large stone blocks
fitted tightly together without cement.
 Buildings in the Andean city of Machu Picchu have
survived earthquakes and the passing of centuries.
 Inca metalworkers created gold and silver objects,
some decorated with emeralds.
The Inca Empire
 To cross the steep Andes
valleys, the Inca built
suspension bridges of rope.
 Runners carried messages
throughout the land
 They used quipus.
 Numerical information about important events,
populations, animals, and grain supplies were
recorded on quipus.
Spanish Conqueror
 Led by Francisco Pizarro the Spanish
conquered the Incas and controlled South
America.
 Spanish were looking for gold and silver
 Forced Incas and other natives to work on
plantations
 Millions of natives were abused and killed
 Converted many natives to Christianity
Independence
 Inspired by the American
Revolution, Spanish colonies
began to revolt beginning in
the mid 1800s.
 Simon Bolivar
 Helped liberate Colombia,
Ecuador, and Bolivia
 Jose de San Martin
 Helped free Argentina, Chile, and Peru
Oligarchy and Dictatorship
 Oligarchy (government by a few) and
Dictatorship (military rule) have
characterized South America since
independence.
 Authoritarian rule which stresses
obedience to authority over individual
freedom has delayed the development of
democracy.
 Today most counties are democratic.
Cultural Mosaic
 The Andes Mountains and deserts
has isolated many societies within
South America.
 These countries form a cultural
mosaic—a number of societies with
different cultures living near each
other but not mixing.
T/F
• T/F: Mountains have historically isolated
civilizations and forced them to implement
terrace farming in order to produce crops.
Economy of South America
 Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana grow crops for
export on large farms.
 Colombia and Venezuela both have huge oil reserves
 In the west, Peru has an important fishing industry.
 Ecuador exports huge quantities of shrimp.
 Bolivia has deposits of tin, zinc, and copper.
 Argentina and Uruguay produces great quantities of
grain and livestock on its vast pampas.
 Paraguay exports products such as soybeans, cotton,
and animal hides.
Mercosur
 Mercosur is an economic common market that
operates in the southern part of South America.
 Goals of a free-trade zone among member
nations:
1. to make member economies more stable
2. to increase trade within region and decrease
dependency on unstable global markets
3. to channel some of the profits of improving
economies to those people and groups that
most need help.
Education and the Future
 Education is an important issue in South
America as more people are moving from
the rural area to the city.
 It is necessary for South America to
decrease the income gap between rich
and poor.
 South America has a very high literacy
rate
Brazil
History
Most Brazilians are descended from three
groups of immigrants.
1.Native Americans
2.Portuguese
3.Africans
Colonialism and
Independence
Portugal established colonies in Brazil.
They established sugar plantations.
They enslaved Africans.
Brazil gained independence from Portugal in
1822.
Treaty of Tordesillas
The Treaty of Tordesillas was a line drawn
by the pope. This line divided South
America. West of that line all land was
controlled by Spain. East of that line all
land was controlled by Portugal.
Treaty of Tordesillas
Why?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax2W6
O4Xvo0&feature=related
People and Culture
More than half of Brazilians are ethnic
European.
40 percent are people of mixed African and
European descent.
Portuguese is the official language.
Catholic is the main religion.
Important holiday is Carnival.
Brazil Today
Brazil is the largest and most populous
country in South America. It ranks as the
fifth-largest country in the world in both
land and population.
The main economic activity is farming.
Coffee is the main crop.
A samba is a Brazilian dance with African
influences.
Development Shift
Amazon
The Amazon region covers much of
northern and western Brazil. Isolated
Indian villages are scattered throughout
the region’s dense rain forest. Some
Indians had little contact with outsiders
until recently.
Development threatens the wildlife and
environment. Deforestation is causing the
rain forest to disappear.
Cities
• Brasilia is the capital of Brazil.
• Sao Paulo and Rio de Jannerio are two
of the worlds major cities.
Sao Paulo
Rio de Janeiro
Today’s Issues in Latin America
Biodiversity
Scientists have just begun to investigate and
understand the rain forests’ biodiversity.
Its wide range of plant and animal species.
Deforestation
Farmers are cutting down the forest
because timber is in high demand.
Farmers can also use this land to grow cash
crops likes sugarcane, coffee, and
bananas.
Ranchers are clearing the forest for cattle
grazing.
Nearly 50 million acres are being destroyed
each year. This is causing erosion of the
land.
Plants and Animals in Danger
It is estimated that 50 percent of the world’s
plant and animal species are from the rain
forests. Many plants are used by medical
researchers. Many animals are in danger
of extinction.
T/F
• T/F: Destruction of the Rainforest is due to
the demand for Timber, farmland, and
grazing land.
Debt-for-nature swap
One solution is to pay Latin American
counties to preserve the rain forests.
From Dictatorship to
Democracy
After many Latin American countries
became independent, they were usually
ruled by a dictator or an oligarchy.
These rulers were sometimes a junta. A
junta is a government run by a general.
Over time most Latin American countries
have become democratic.
Sometimes this change has been violent.
Land Reform
Latin American countries had been ruled by
a wealthy elite. Land reform is the
process of breaking up large landholdings
and giving portions of the land to land-poor
peasant farmers.