Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download WG-4 - A Virtual Field Trip of Physical Geography in Ventura County
Document related concepts
no text concepts found
Transcript
MIDDLE AMERICA DEFINING THE REALM Topics: • Building a wall between two realms • Ciudad Juarez: Murder capital of the Americas • The natural vulnerability of Haitian Hispaniola and other Caribbean islands • Is small beautiful? The predicament of tiny islandnations • Supranational efforts to overcome economic fragmentation MIDDLE AMERICA MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC QUALITIES • Small realm—Mainland from Mexico to Panama and islands of Caribbean Basin • Land bridge connecting North and South America • Cultural and political fragmentation • Complex cultural geography—African and European influences in the Caribbean and Spanish and Amerindian influences on the Mainland • The America’s least developed territories • Mexico leads the realm in population, territory, and economic potential • Mexico and Panama connected beyond the realm with the United States MIDDLE AMERICA GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES A Troubled Border Zone • Illegal immigrants ‒ About 1 million migrants per year • Smuggling ‒ Drugs, people, etc. • Ciudad Juarez/El Paso The Realm’s Northern Land Boundary • Longest border in the world—3,169 km (1,969 mi) between North and Middle America • NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) ‒ Canada, United States, and Mexico (1994) • Maquiladoras—foreignowned assembly factories ‒ Assemble imported, duty- free raw materials into finished products ‒ Near U.S.A./Mexico border ‒ 4,000 factories with 1.2 million workers ‒ Mexico provides about 13% of all U.S. imports after Canada (24%) MIDDLE AMERICA PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY A Land Bridge • Land bridge—mainland Middle America • Isthmus—narrow strip of land Island Chains ‒ Archipelago—island chain Dangerous Landscapes ‒ Earthquakes • January 12, 2010, Haiti hit by 7.0 earthquake ‒ Hurricanes • Hurricane Alley—along all of the Greater Antilles, southern Florida, Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico The Regions • Mexico • Central America • Greater Antilles • Lesser Antilles MIDDLE AMERICA PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY Altitudinal zones—distinct local climates, soils, vegetation, crops, domestic animals and modes of life. • Tierra caliente—sea level to 750 m (2,500 ft) ‒ “Hot land” ‒ Coastal plains and low-lying basins ‒ Tropical agriculture • Tierra templada—up to about 1,800 m (6,000 ft) ‒ Temperate land—cooler ‒ Commercial crops—coffee, corn, wheat • Tierra fría—1,800 to 3,600 m (6,000 to 12,000 ft) ‒ Cold country of Andes ‒ Potatoes and barley • Tierra helada—3,600 to 4,500 m (12,000 to 15,000 ft) ‒ Above tree line ‒ Cold and barren ‒ Sheep grazing and hardy livestock • Tierra nevada—highest zone ‒ Permanent snow and ice MIDDLE AMERICA PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY Tropical Deforestation • Only 10% of tropical rainforest remains • Leading causes ‒ Clearing rural lands for cattle pasture ‒ Rapid logging of tropical woodlands ‒ Population explosion • Peasants must extract subsistence from inferior lands • Cutting trees for firewood and crop-raising space • Major effects ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ Erosion of top soil Loss of ecological resources Increased mining/extraction Biodiversity threatened • Coral reefs and fish • Tropical rainforest mammals • Foods, Medicines, Tools MIDDLE AMERICA CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY Mesoamerican Legacy Culture hearth • Source area from which new ideas radiated and whose population could expand and make significant material and intellectual progress. • Agricultural specialization, urbanization, transportation networks, writing, science, art. Mesoamerica—southeast of Mexico City to central Nicaragua • Low-lying tropical plains of northern Guatemala, Belize, and Yucatán Peninsula • Guatemala highlands • Plateau of central Mexico MIDDLE AMERICA The Highland Aztecs CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY • Intermontane highland zone of Mexico Mesoamerican Legacy The Lowland Maya • Only major culture hearth that arose in the lowland tropics • Great cities with stone pyramids and massive temples • Zenith from 3rd to 10th centuries AD • Powerful religious hierarchy *Population = 200 million people • Mexico is largest in size and population (114 million). ‒ Teotihuacan • North of Mexico City • First true urban center in the Western Hemisphere • Valley of Mexico ‒ Tenochtitlan • Functioning city and ceremonial center • Developed irrigation systems • Constructed walls to terrace slopes • Domesticated corn (maize), sweet potato, cacao bean, tobacco MIDDLE AMERICA CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY Spanish Conquest Introduced • Cattle and sheep • Wheat • Spanish town ‒ Plaza or market square ‒ Gridiron street pattern Collision of Cultures • Amerindian • Spanish • Other European ‒ British, Dutch, French • African • United States—later MIDDLE AMERICA POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FRAGMENTATION Independence • Mexico—1821 • Central America republics—end of 1820s • Spanish-American War— 1898 ‒ Cuba—independent ‒ Puerto Rico—under U.S. flag • Trinidad and Tobago—1962 • Jamaica—1962 Mainland • Euro-Amerindian—Mestizo • Mexico to Panama • Haciendas Rimland • Caribbean coast of mainland • Islands • European-African • Sugar and banana plantations • Imported Labor MIDDLE AMERICA POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FRAGMENTATION Connectivity: direct links between locations. •Connections and correlation to economic development. ‒ Higher GDP • Mexico’s connection with the United States. • Panama’s connection to world economy. •Economies best with countries bordering Middle America. The Push for Regional Integration • Economic Benefits ‒ CAFTA—Central American Free Trade Agreement (2005) with USA. ‒ CARICOM—Caribbean Community (1989) • 15 members, common passport (2009). MIDDLE AMERICA POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FRAGMENTATION Small-island developing economies: • Limited natural resources and heavy reliance on imports. • Cost of government is relatively high on per capita basis. • Specialized services brought in from elsewhere. • Local production cannot really benefit from economies of scale ‒ Local producers cannot compete with cheaper imports ‒ Unemployment, poverty • Caribbean tourism ‒ Money-maker for islands. ‒ Rising local resentment. ‒ Debases local culture. ‒ Can remove opportunities from local entrepreneurs in favor of large operators and major resorts. *Solutions: Fair-trade prices, environmental preservation/ecological restoration, cultural heritage education, and local ecotourism. MIDDLE AMERICA REGIONS OF THE REALM Topics: • Mexico’s drug wars • Indigenous peoples demand recognition and rights • Panama Canal expansion fuels boom in Panama City • Aftermath of Haiti’s 2010 killer earthquake • The debate over Puerto Rico’s status MIDDLE AMERICA Mexico Physiography • Peninsula of Baja • Yucatán Peninsula • Isthmus of Tehuantepec • Sierra Madre Occidental • Sierra Madre Oriental • Plateau of Mexico ‒ Valley of Mexico Regional Diversity •Core Area—Mexico City to Guadalajara •Hispanic-mestizo north •Amerindian south •Gulf Coast—Mexico’s petroleum center •NAFTA-driven north ‒ Economic development Mexico Population Patterns • Growth slowing, drop in fertility • Distribution ‒ Concentrated in core area ‒ Veracruz State to Jalisco State • Federal District of Mexico City ‒ Least-populated in North •High rate of urbanization ‒ 77% live in towns and cities •Low rate of urbanization ‒ Amerindian highlands Mexico City • Almost 30 million • 26% of national population • Largest urban concentration on Earth Mexico Mix of cultures Fusion of heritages •Acculturation—one-way incorporation of European culture. •Transculturation—two-way exchange of cultural traits. •Strong Amerindian influence ‒ Linguistic ‒ Dress, foods, artistic, and architectural styles and folkways Agriculture: Fragmented Modernization •Ejidos—government-held farmlands parceled to village communities and individuals (1917) ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ Amerindian legacy Half of lands “social landholdings” Reforms did not increase production Low yields and rural poverty •Northern agriculture ‒ Major irrigation projects, mechanized cotton production Mexico Shifting Economic Geographies Maquiladoras—foreign-owned assembly factories that export products back to USA. • One-fifth of Mexico’s industrial jobs • Long hours, low wages, few benefits • No job security ‒ Great Recession in the U.S. ‒ Plants relocated to Southeast Regional Disparities •North vs. South •Political consequences ‒ North: higher income, lower ‒ Guerrilla war in Chiapas— rural poverty. ‒ South: less economic growth and infrastructure investment. Zapatista National Liberation Army (ZNLA). ‒ 2006 presidential campaign— conservative versus populist. Mexico The Drug Wars • Colombian drug cartels established new bases in northern Mexico • Cartel competition ‒ Territorial control over entry points, processing, and transport routes • Failed state—loss of government control over parts of its own territory. Mexico’s Future • Government Challenges ‒ End violence, regional inequalities, wage gap. ‒ Increase NAFTA southward (infrastructure/education/antipoverty). • Possibility of a dry canal across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to compete with the Panama Canal MIDDLE AMERICA The Central American Republics A Land Bridge • Between Mexico and South America • Seven countries • Highland belt flanked by coastal lowlands on both the Caribbean and Pacific sides • Biodiversity hot spot ‒ Contains 7% of all the world’s natural species. ‒ Costa Rica and Panama ‒ Ecology threatened by humans. • Tierra templada—cooler uplands • Tierra caliente—tropical coastal lowlands Belize • British Honduras— Dependency of the United Kingdom until 1981 • Similar to Caribbean islands • Population of African descent • Becoming increasingly Hispanicized • Economic sphere ‒ Sugar, bananas, seafood- processing, clothing industries, tourism. ‒ Offshore banking—financial haven for foreign companies. Guatemala • • • • • Heart of Maya Empire Mestizo—59% Amerindian—41% Ladinos—better-off mestizos Mineral wealth ‒ Nickel and oil • Agriculture ‒ Coffee Honduras • Still recovering from Hurricane Mitch in 1998 (Cat-5). • Third poorest economy in the realm. • Potential for ecotourism. • Hindered by poor infrastructure and lack of funds. • Economic sphere ‒ Agriculture • Bananas and coffee ‒ Livestock ‒ Forestry ‒ Limited mining ‒ Apparel • Smallest country territorially • Most densely populated • Most homogeneous population—85% mestizo • Coffee republic • 1980-1992 Civil War El Salvador ‒ Arms supplied by outside states (US and Nicaragua) • Remittances sent by affluent émigrés—largest single source of foreign revenues. Nicaragua • Triangle of land ‒ Pacific side—country’s core ‒ Caribbean side—Amerindian peoples (Miskito) • Agriculture dominates economy. • Reliance on remittances from Nicaraguans who have emigrated and foreign aid. Costa Rica • Political stability ‒ Democratic tradition—no standing army since 1949 ‒ Remote from regional strife ‒ Concentrated on economic development • Region’s highest standard of living, literacy rate, and life expectancy. • Tierra templada—the Valle Central (Central Valley) ‒ Main coffee-growing area ‒ Leading population cluster— San José • Agriculture ‒ Bananas, coffee, tropical fruits, and seafood • Tourism - excellent. Panama • 70% Mestizo • Spanish—official language • Cólon (Cólon Free Zone)—entrepôt (designed to transfer and distribute goods bound for South America). ‒ Manzanillo International Terminal— ultramodern port facility • Panama City— financial center for canal revenues and drug industry. Which countries benefit most from Panama canal? • The Panama Canal (1914) • 1977-1999—staged withdrawal of the United States from the Canal Zone • Expansion of Panama Canal ‒ boost interoceanic traffic and increase business opportunities MIDDLE AMERICA THE CARIBBEAN BASIN Fragmentation and Insularity • Island arc in Atlantic Ocean from Cuba to Trinidad. ‒ Greater Antilles • Four larger islands in the west (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico) ‒ Lesser Antilles • Eastern segment of smaller islands reaching to the South American coast Ethnicity and Class •Social stratification ‒ Closely linked with ethnicity, as result of colonial times. ‒ Rankings • Europeans • Hispanics • Mixed European-African (mulatto) • Afro-Caribbean •Minorities hold power and exert influence (historic advantage). •South and East Asian presence ‒ After end of slavery, groups arrived as indentured laborers. CUBA • Largest island-state— territorially and in population. • Independence in 1898— Spanish-American War. • 1959-overthrew Americanbacked dictator. ‒ Fidel Castro—communist dictatorship ‒ 2006—Turned over to Raúl Castro • Economic opportunities ‒ Raw materials—nickel and • Former British dependency ‒ Member of British Commonwealth timber ‒ Agriculture—sugar, tobacco, rice, tropical fruits • Venezuelan oil JAMAICA • • • • English - official language Entirely Afro-Caribbean population Raw materials--Bauxite Agricultural—Sugar, bananas, tobacco • Must import all of its oil and much of its food • Tourism—largest source of income HAITI • Poorest state in the Western Hemisphere. • Environmental disasters ‒ Center of “Hurricane Alley” • 2008—four tropical cyclones in one season ‒ Atop dangerous fault zone • 2010—killer earthquake • Few natural resources, major deforestation. • History of political instability, repression, and deprivation. • Heavy reliance on aid and remittances. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC • Wider range of natural environments. • Stronger resource base—nickel, gold, silver. • Agriculture—sugar, tobacco, coffee, cocoa. • Tourism PUERTO RICO • 1898 Spanish-American War ‒ U.S. Commonwealth ‒ 1948 permitted to elect governor. ‒ Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. • Receives annual subsidies from the USA. • Long dependent on single-crop economy (sugar). • Massive emigration. • Trinidad & Tobago (Port of Spain) – exports shipped to wealthy nations. • Ex. Natural Gas, Ammonia, Methanol THE LESSER ANTILLES • The Bahamas—former British colony. • Trinidad and Tobago ‒ Oil/Natural gas producer. ‒ Influx of energy, chemical, and steel companies. ‒ Largest supplier of liquefied natural gas for United States. • Small-island developing economies ‒ Some islands chose to maintain a political relationship with former colonial ruler. ‒ Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten • “Countries” within the Kingdom of the Netherlands • Leeward Islands and Windward Islands • Environmental risks ‒ Earthquakes, volcanoes, and hurricanes. • Socioeconomic problems ‒ Limited resources, overpopulation, difficult agricultural industry, and market limitations. Homework 1. Read Textbook Chapter 4a/b 2. Homework: • Choose one “@from the Field Notes” subsection topic in Ch.4 textbook; research and summarize (1 page). OR • Choose a realm/region within or adjacent to Middle America to review in detail (1 page). Use Chapter 4b for ideas and information, research and summarize.
