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Central America & the Caribbean Ch. #11
I. Natural Environments
A. Landforms
West Indies:13 Independent countries & 12 territories Greater Antilles (BIG islands)
Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico
The Bahamas (700 islands)Lesser Antilles (small islands)
20 island countries & territoriesVolcanic (eastern part of Caribbean Plate)
Netherlands Antilles (part of Lesser Antilles) Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire
Central America?7 countries south of Mexico Isthmus of Panama
Rugged terrain due to…Tectonic activity
Volcanic activity = FERTILE SOILS for ag.
Cocos Plate is diving
below Caribbean Plate =
volcanoes*rugged terrain had an isolating effect &
prevented unification following independence from Spain
B. Natural Resources & Hazards
Natural Resources?Warm climate, fertile soils, fish
Environmental Hazards (3) Earthquakes, volcanoes,
hurricanes
II. Central America
A. Colonization & Independence Colonized by what Euro. country? Impact on Indigenous pops.? Spanish settlement?
Culture traits? Belize (British Honduras) (1981)
Independence (1820s) Foreign investment
US & UK = built RRs to extract coffee & bananas = $$$$$$$$ United Fruit Company (Chiquita) – American firm = controlled banana business in Central Amer. Banana republics—unstable, non-democratic country dependent on limited agriculture & ruled
by a corrupt, wealthy organization Supported by U.S. to maintain peace (prevent spread of Communism) & American business
interests
Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua = POLITICAL INSTABILITY! Wealthy landowners controlled most wealth & made most political decisions in their favor
Aristocracy = govt. ruled by an elite class Civil Wars broke out betw. aristocrats & poor--ended in 1990s w/democracies
Costa Rica Less ethnic diversity (85% = white)
Few natives when Spanish arrived--Euros did not develop large estates due to lack of labor, ALSO, no valuable minerals!
Many small farms (coffee) & middle class developed = DEMOCRACY!No wealthy, corrupt aristocracy
Became democratic & economically productiveTradition of democracy & education = foreign investment by foreign computer firms (highest literacy
rate in Cent. Amer. = 95%)• “Silicon Valley of Latin America”• Microsoft, GE, Abbot Labs, Continental Airways & Intel have invested here (produce
microprocessors) Ecotourism: guided travel thru natural areas
• Nature Preserves = 25% of land
Cent. Amer’s. highest standard of living
PanamaA territory of Colombia until 1903Panama Canal
1881-1888: French attempted to construct canalFAILED b/c of Panama’s poor geology & mosquito diseases
1899: U.S. bought remaining lease from French ($40 mill)BUT, Colombia wanted a new lease----Pres. Roosevelt disagreed
• 1903: U.S. helped Panama gain their independence
WHY WAS U.S. SO INTERESTED IN PANAMA?!1904-1914: U.S. completed the canal
US had control of canal until 1999 (Panama makes billions in toll fees How canals work Expansion of the canal Time Lapse Video Trip through the canal video
Expansion of the Panama Canal
Construction = 2006-2015Cost = $5.25 bill.Annual tolls = >$2 bill. (14% of Panama’s GDP)
B. People, Languages, & Religion
The legacy of Euro. colonialism is present Wealth = still in the hands of a few Religion = ?Spanish is the official language except in BelizeMost Central Amers. = Mestizos Some Central Amers. = Mulattoes
People w/mixed Euro & African ancestry
Guatemalan population?Largest Amerindian pop. (Mayan)
C. Economic Development
Cash crops = coffee, bananas, sugar, CACAO Cacao = type of tree from which we get cocoa beans
which are used to make chocolate
III. The Caribbean
Merengue
calypso
Climate?
A. Colonization & Independence
Christopher Columbus (1492) los indios? The West Indies
Gold?Plantation agriculture
Bananas, citrus, sugarcane, coffee Cuba, Dominican Republic, & Puerto Rico = SPAINHaiti = FRENCHJamaica = BRITISHNetherlands Antilles (Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire = DUTCH Caribbean populations descend from Euros & AfricansLanguage/culture depends on who the island
Cuba
1898: Spanish-American WarCuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines = U.S. territories
1902: Cuban independenceHavana = “the Las Vegas of the Caribbean”
Money was NOT shared w/Cuban people1959: Fidel Castro (dictator) overthrew corrupt leadership
Castro = allied w/USSR (received $4-$6 bill/yr in aid)1961: Bay of Pigs Invasion1962: Cuban Missile Crisis U.S. Trade Embargo? 1991: USSR collapse = Cuban economic downturn
Sugar plantations have led to food shortages?
The Island of Hispaniola
HaitiFrench colony (1804)Poorest country in Western
HemispherePoor infrastructure &
political instability = no foreign investment
Large wealth gap80% live in poverty36% = urbanLiteracy rate = 52%Most work in ag.
Dominican RepublicSpanish (1844)Tourism, cash crops,
manufacturingLarge wealth gap
10% of pop = 40% GDP
64% = urban Many great baseball
playersPedro Martinez, Manny
Ramirez, David Ortiz
Puerto Rico
Spanish colony1898 = became U.S. territory1952: became a commonwealth of the U.S.
a self-governing territory associated w/another country Puerto Ricans = U.S. citizens
Do not pay U.S. taxesCannot vote in presidential elections
• Can vote in presidential primaries Has attracted Amer. industrial investment
Free access to U.S. market & low corporate taxesManufacturing has overtaken ag.Most industrialized economy of the Caribbean!
Jamaica
British colony until 1962Tourism, remittances, agriculture & bauxite
Mineral used in aluminum
Bob Marley (reggae music)Sang about poverty of Jamaica
Language/culture depends on who ___________ the country.
Nearly all of the Caribbean islands today still show effects of ____________ &
_____________.