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Latin America: Middle America and Caribbean ©CSCOPE 2009 INTRODUCTION DEFINING THE REGION – MEXICO – CENTRAL AMERICA – CARIBBEAN ISLANDS MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC QUALITIES – FRAGMENTED - PHYSICALLY AND POLITICALLY – CULTURALLY DIVERSE ©CSCOPE 2009 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY LAND BRIDGE- ISTHMUS ARCHIPELAGO – GREATER AND LESSER ANTILLES NATURAL HAZARDS – EARTHQUAKES – VOLCANOES – HURRICANES ©CSCOPE 2009 THE LEGACY OF COLONIALISM LANDS DEVOTED TO FOOD CROPS FOR LOCAL CONSUMPTION (subsistence farming) WERE CONVERTED TO CASH CROPPING FOR EXPORT (i.e. sugar) LAND ALIENATION INDUCES: – FAMINE AND POVERTY – MIGRATION – LITTLE AGRICULTURAL DIVERSITY ©CSCOPE 2009 MAINLAND v. RIMLAND ©CSCOPE 2009 MAINLAND – EURO-INDIAN INFLUENCE – GREATER ISOLATION – HACIENDA PREVAILED RIMLAND – EURO-AFRICAN INFLUENCE – HIGH ACCESSIBILITY – PLANTATION ECONOMY Agriculture: Plantation v. Hacienda PLANTATION •PRODUCTION FOR EXPORT •SINGLE CASH CROP •SEASONAL EMPLOYMENT •PROFIT MOTIVE $$$ •MARKET VULNERABILITY ©CSCOPE 2009 HACIENDA •DOMESTIC MARKET •DIVERSIFIED CROPS •YEAR ROUND JOBS •SMALL PLOT OF LAND •SELF-SUFFICIENT Mexico- Population ©CSCOPE 2009 Largest, most populated, and economically most developed of the Middle American nations Population - more than 100 million Also the most populated Spanish speaking country in the world. MAQUILADORAS Tijuana Nogales Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua Monterrey ©CSCOPE 2009 Reynosa Matamoros MAQUILADORAS Initiated in the 1960s as coupon houses Assembly plants that pioneered the migration of industries in the 1970s Today – >4,000 maquiladoras – >1.2 million employees ©CSCOPE 2009 MAQUILADORAS Modern industrial plants Assemble imported, duty-free components/raw materials Export the finished products Mostly foreign-owned (U.S., Japan) 80% of goods re-exported to U.S. ©CSCOPE 2009 MAQUILADORAS ADVANTAGES – Mexico gains jobs. – Foreign owners benefit from cheaper labor costs. EFFECTS – Regional development – Development of an international growth corridor between Monterrey and Dallas - Fort Worth ©CSCOPE 2009 U.S. TRADE WITH CANADA & MEXICO Canada remains as the United States’ largest export market. Since 1977, Mexico has moved into second place (displacing Japan). 85% of all Mexican exports now go to the United States. 75% of Mexico’s imports originate in the United States. ©CSCOPE 2009 CENTRAL AMERICA Guatemala Belize Honduras El Salvador Nicaragua Costa Rica Panama ©CSCOPE 2009 What type of export products do we get from these countries? THE CARIBBEAN BASIN The Greater Antilles – Cuba – Hispaniola (consists of Haiti/Dominican Republic) – Jamaica – Puerto Rico The Lesser Antilles ©CSCOPE 2009 Physical Geography Central America Mountainous with small coastal plain. ©CSCOPE 2009 Caribbean Basin Volcanic islands, mountainous with reef formation around them. ECONOMIC TRENDS (Central America & the Caribbean) Agriculture- varies with elevation Industry Services Tourism Environmental Issues – Deforestation, Hurricane Damage ©CSCOPE 2009 PRIMARY SECTOR DEPENDENCE El Salvador – Agriculture accounts for 24% of GDP and 40% of the labor force and contributes to 60% of exports. – Economic losses because of guerrilla sabotage total $2 billion since 1979. Honduras – Agriculture accounts for more than 25% of GDP, employs 62% of the labor force, and produces two-thirds of exports. – Economic loss because of natural disaster ©CSCOPE 2009 PRIMARY SECTOR DEPENDENCE ©CSCOPE 2009 Dominican Republic (49% Agriculture) – Sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, and tobacco Jamaica (22.5% Agriculture) – Sugar, bananas, and rum Cuba (20% Agriculture) – Sugar, tobacco, citrus, and coffee THE TOURISM OPTION Antigua and Barbuda – Direct contribution of 13% to GDP and affects growth in other sectors The Bahamas – Tourism alone provides 50% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs 40% of the population. ©CSCOPE 2009 TOURISM: A MIXED BLESSING? Advantages – State and regional economic options – A clean industry – Educational Disadvantages – Disjunctive development – Degrades fragile environmental resources – Inauthentic representations of native cultures ©CSCOPE 2009 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS Tropical Deforestation 3 million acres of woodland in Central America disappear each year! ©CSCOPE 2009 CAUSES OF TROPICAL DEFORESTATION ©CSCOPE 2009 Clearing of rural lands to accommodate meat production and export Rapid logging of tropical woodlands to meet global demands for new housing, paper, and furniture Population explosion: forests are cut to provide crop-raising space and firewood Middle America and Caribbean: Conclusions ©CSCOPE 2009 The landscape is mountainous with some coastal regions. Climate is tropical, varies with elevation, and dependent upon windward/leeward sides. Economic activity is dependent upon primary sector, although tourism is profitable. Population is primarily found in temperate areas. Culture is a mix of European, Indigenous and African populations.