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Latin America
Physical Geography
Regions of Latin America
I. Mexico and Central America
II. Caribbean Islands
III. South America
Mexico
El Salvador
Honduras
Nicaragua
GuatemalaBelize
Costa Rica Panama
Cuba
Jamaica Dominican Republic
Haiti
Trinidad &Tobago
Brazil
Peru
Ecuador
Colombia
Venezuela
Paraguay
Chile
Uruguay
Argentina
FrenchGuiana
Suriname
Guyana
Bolivia
Landforms/Bodies of Water
1. Mountains:– Sierra Madre Occidental/Oriental (Mexico)– Andes (South America)
2. Rivers:– Amazon (South America)– Orinoco (Venezuela)– Parana (South America)
3. Islands:– Lesser Antilles (Small Islands)– Greater Antilles (Large Islands)
Also throughout SouthAmerica, you will
find the Pampas (aplains area) and
Patagonia (plateau)
Caribbean Islands: Greater vs. Lesser Antilles
• Greater Antilles:– Larger islands in the Caribbean– Ex: Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and
Puerto Rico
• Lesser Antilles:– Smaller of the Caribbean islands– All islands SOUTHEASTSOUTHEAST of Puerto Rico
Pampas and Patagonia
• Pampas: – Plains found in parts of Argentina and
Uruguay– Very rich soil is found here– Main resources = cattle and wheat grain
• Patagonia: – Plateau area found in Argentina and
Chile
Amazon River
• Flows about 4,000 miles from west to east
• Begins in the Andes Mountains and empties into the Atlantic Ocean – Fed by over 1,000 tributaries
• Carries more water to the ocean than any other river in the world
Climate and Vegetation
• Vegetation:– *Rain Forests (Amazon)– Desert (Argentina)– Grassland
Resources
• Most of the region is wealthy in terms of mineral resources (gold, silver, iron, copper, tin, lead, etc.)
• Many Energy resources are also found (oil, coal, natural gas, etc.)– Oil Reserves in Mexico– Central American countries are POOR in terms
of resources– Numerous resources in South America– Amongst the world’s leaders in mining raw
materials
Human-Environment Interaction
1. Slash-and-Burn:– Old method still used by today’s farmers– Cut trees/brush and burn debris to clear
fields– Exhausts the soil
2. Terraced Farming– Growing crops on hillsides
3. Urbanization:– Push and Pull Factors– Encouraged cities to grow rapidly
Tourism
• Pros:– Brings in money– Creates jobs
• Cons:– Congestion– Pollution– Disrupts unsettled lands
Information
• http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ms_wcg_survey/page_build.htm?id=resources/jsp/ani_geo/ani_geo_3
Latin American Vocabulary!
1. Andes Mountains 10. NAFTA2. Llanos3. Cerrado4. Pampas 11. Oligarchy5. Patagonia 12. Carnival6. Slash-and-Burn 13. Samba7. Tenochtitlan8. Mestizo9. Maquiladoras
Latin America
Human Geography
Ethnic DiversityEthnic Diversity
• Latin America is made up of many different groups of people: natives, Europeans, blacks, and mixed peoples
• MestizosMestizos = people of mixed Native American and European descent
• MulattosMulattos = people of mixed African and European descent
LanguageLanguage
• Most regions have adopted the language of the people who colonized them.
• DialectsDialects = forms of a language peculiar to a particular place or group
CountryCountry LanguagLanguagee
BrazilPortuguese
Haiti, Martinique, & French Guiana French
Jamaica, The Bahamas, & Guyana
English
Suriname Dutch
Rainforest regionsNative Languages
Everywhere else Spanish
Population Density ~a closer look at Mexico and
Mexico City~• ~97.5 million people live
in Mexico• It is the most populated
Spanish-speaking nation in the world.
• Mexico City is ranked the 1111th most populated city in the world
• One of the most polluted cities in the world.
Religion
• All of the early Meso-American civilizations (Maya, Aztec, and Inca) were POLYTHEISITICPOLYTHEISITIC
• Worship gods such as the maize/corn god, sun god, etc.
The Maya
•Central America (present-day Guatemala)
•Tikal – city in modern Guatemala
•Pyramid shaped temples
The Maya … continued…• Skilled in
mathematics• Developed
concept of zero• Calendar – based
on orbit of the Earth & Sun (365 ¼ day calendar)
• Invented Game that is a cross between basketball & soccer
Pictures of Ballcourts
Aztecs
• Valley of Mexico• Capital of Tenochtitlan on
an island in the middle of a lake (modern day Mexico City is built on top)
• Advanced farming – Chinampas – floating
artificial islands built on large rafts covered with mud.
Chinampas online diagram
• http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ms_wcg_survey/page_build.htm?id=resources/jsp/ani_geo/ani_geo_3
The Aztecs … continued…
• Complex political system with an emperor• Worshipped many gods & goddesses
ceremonies with prisoner sacrifices• Hernan Cortes – conquistador from Spain,
conquered the Aztecs
The Incas • People of the Andes
Mountains• Capital is Cuzco in
Peru• Political system with
an emperor• Terrace farming –
cut into the side of mountains
• Domesticated the alpaca & llama
The Incas … continued … • QuipuQuipu = a rope with knotted cords
of various lengths and colors, used to keep records and send messages
• Machu Picchu – “Lost city of the Inca”
Machu Picchu – Incan city in the Andes mountains - discovered in 1911 untouched!!
Incan Terrace Incan Terrace FarmingFarming
Religion1. Human Sacrifice
Purpose = to celebrate accession of king or stop crisis
a. Victims = child (most beautiful or royalty)
b. How i. Option A: child = given alcohol… bound
with rope, hit in head… walled inside stone structure
ii. Option B: child placed on sacrifice table… shaman cuts artery in thigh… bleed to death
The Incas … continued …
• Taken over by a Taken over by a Conquistador or Conquistador or “Spanish conqueror”“Spanish conqueror”
• Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca people
Legacy of colonialism
• When colonies, Latin America was ruled by kings and queens of Europe.
• All became independent by the mid to late 1800s -Ruled by a few leaders, called an oligarchy. – Did not always
protect people’s basic rights (freedom of speech, and press)
• During the 20th century some Latin American countries were ruled by a military dictator, a caudillo.(kaw-deel-yoh)
• Ex. Juan Peron of Argentina, whose wife Evita Peron was famous for being loved by the people.
• When the government could not control the people, sometimes the military took over, a junta, and was ruled by generals.
Creating Stable Governments
• Today all the countries of Latin America except Cuba are some type of democracy.
• CUBA = Communist
• The goals of Latin America today are to end poverty, pollution, & illiteracy
Art ~ Diego Rivera ~
• Used art to educate• Created huge murals combing modern
forms with traditional designs to present the daily life and history of the country.
• Most famous mural is in Detroit, Michigan
Art~ Frida Kahlo ~
• Mexican artist whose tormented paintings gave her great fame and changed the art world
• Featured on the cover of Vogue magazine
• 2002 movie staring Salma Hayek about her life.
Literature • Modernism = 1800s literary
movement, in which writers and poets focused on artistic expression for its own sake.
• Gabriela Mistral – writer from Chile• Gabriel Garcia Marquez – writer
from Colombia– A movie is being made of his book
“Love in a time of Cholera”
• Both have won a Nobel Prize for Literature.
Music • Calypso – from
Trinidad (combines musical styles of Africa, Spain and the Caribbean)
• Reggae – Jamaica, 1960’s – deals with social problems and religion – Bob Marley
Baseball
• Very POPULAR In Latin American countries• MANY MLB players come from various
countries throughout this region• Examples:
– David Ortiz (Dominican Republic)– Pedro Martinez– Rafael Furcal– Javy Lopez (Puerto Rico)– Manny Acosta (Panama)– Jorge Campillo (Mexico)– Yunel Escobar (Cuba)
Leisure Time & Celebrations • Futbol (soccer)
very popular and a national sport in many countries
• Jai alai (HY-LY) – a traditional favorite in Mexico and Cuba, fast paced game like racquetball
• Brazil has won the World Cup of Soccer 5 times!!
Leisure Time & Celebrations … continued …
• Capoeira – martial arts of Brazil
• Samba – Brazilian Dance
Leisure Time & Celebrations … continued …
• Carnival – festival celebrated just before the beginning of Lent, the Christian holy season that comes before Easter – the biggest Carnival is held each year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil