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Middle American Realm. Questions Soviet Socialist Republics Cotton Production in Kazakhstan Review Middle America Overview Natural hazards Meso-American Culture Hearth Mainland/Rimland Framework. Introduction to Middle America. Defining the Realm
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Middle American Realm • Questions • Soviet Socialist Republics • Cotton Production in Kazakhstan • Review • Middle America • Overview • Natural hazards • Meso-American Culture Hearth • Mainland/Rimland Framework
Introduction to Middle America • Defining the Realm • Mexico, Central America, Caribbean islands • North America • Latin America - Iberian Major Geographic Qualities • Fragmented - physically and politically • Diverse culturally, strong indigenous influence • Asian, African, West European influence • Colonial legacy, developing countries
Regions Of Middle America Greater Antilles Mexico LesserAntilles Central America
Physical Geography • Land Bridge • Ocean Barrier • Archipelago • Natural Hazards • Earthquakes • Volcanoes • Hurricanes
Distribution Of Earthquakes & Volcanoes
Hurricane Development • Typical Hurricane Life Cycle • Tropical disturbance→ Tropical depression→ • Tropical storm→ Hurricane (=typhoon=cyclone)→dissipation • Heat and moisture from warm water is the energy source • high relative humidities in the lower troposphere reduce evaporation in clouds and maximizes the latent heat released by precipitation. • Positive feedback process: low pressure, converging low level air, which rises convectively in the eyewall, (condensing to yield precipitation) further reduces air pressure, pulling in more humid air • Concentration of latent heat is critical to sustain the hurricane
Culture Hearth • Origin of a cultural group: source of ideas, innovations, and ideologies that diffuse outward, creating a cultural landscape Hearths Aztecs Mayans
Mesoamerica • Culture Hearths • Maya Civilization – lowland tropics • 3000 Bp • Classic Period 200-900 Ad • Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Yucatan • Cotton exports, specialization • Aztec Civilization-Valley of Mexico ~ 6,000 feet AMSL • Teotihuacán →Toltecs →Aztecs • 1300 Ad • Valley Of Mexico, Tenochtitlán (>100,000) • Mexico City