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Latin America

Latin America. Latin America Physical Geography. Andes Mountains- western portion of North, Central, and South America many active volcanoes within this region Andes Mts. are a barrier to movement into the interior- force people to settle along the eastern and northern coasts

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Latin America

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  1. Latin America

  2. Latin America Physical Geography • Andes Mountains- western portion of North, Central, and South America • many active volcanoes within this region • Andes Mts. are a barrier to movement into the interior- force people to settle along the eastern and northern coasts • Other highlands- the Guiana Highlands in the northeast section and the Brazilian Highlands • Label on maps

  3. Plains • Llanos- grassy, treeless areas used for livestock grazing and farming (similar to the Great Plains) in Columbia and Venezuela • Cerrado- savannas with flat terrain and moderate rainfall in Brazil- used for farming • Pampas- Argentina and Uruguay- grasslands and rich soil- used for cattle and wheat grain • Label on maps

  4. Rivers • Amazon river- carries more water to the ocean than any other in the world • Orinoco river- mainly in Venezuela • Parana river- starts in the highlands of southern Brazil • Label these rivers on your map

  5. Caribbean • Three major groups- the Bahamas, the Great Antilles, and the Lesser Antilles • Greater Antilles- larger islands in the Caribbean- Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico • Lesser Antilles- smaller islands, divided into Windward Islands and Leeward Islands

  6. Natural Resources • Latin America is rich in natural resources • Mineral- gold, silver iron, copper, tin, aluminum, lead, and nickel • Mined and then exported to other parts of the world then made into valuable goods • Energy- oil, coal, uranium, hydroelectric power, and natural gas • Hydroelectric because of its many water resources • Oil reserves in Mexico and Venezuela

  7. Vegetation

  8. Climate and Vegetation • Varies because • Latin America spans a great distance on each side of the equator • Big changes in elevation because of mountains • Warm currents of the Atlantic and the cold currents of the Pacific

  9. Latin America HistoryAztecs • Aztecs- • Lived in what is now Mexico • Built their capital of Tenochtitlán, a city of beautiful temples, palaces, gardens, and lakes • Practiced human sacrifice in their temples • Cortés and the Spanish conquered the empire and destroyed most of the cities • Spanish brought their language and Catholic religion (both dominate culture in Mexico today)

  10. Aztecs • Supported themselves by growing corn, beans, squash, potatoes, hunting, and fishing • Sophisticated systems of agriculture- cultivation of land and irrigation methods • Grew food on islands • Powerful military tradition helped them build a successful states

  11. Latin America HistoryMayans • Built many cities with temples and palaces in modern day Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras – covered all of the Yucatan Peninsula • Each city was an independent state ruled by a god-king and served as a center for religious ceremony and trade • One city- Tikal, located in dense jungle of Northern Guatemala- considered to be the center of Mayan civilization • Pyramids at Tikal were tallest in Americas until the 20th century • Mayan culture diffused to many regions through military alliances and trade

  12. Mayans • Excelled at agriculture, pottery, hieroglyph writing, calendar-making, and mathematics • They left behind impressive architecture and symbolic artwork • Decline is unknown- three possible factors: • Overpopulation and overuse of land • Warfare • Drought

  13. Latin America HistoryIncas • Incas • The largest pre-Columbian empire in the Americas • Located in modern day Peru • Arose sometime in the early 13th century • Incan Empire was divided into four regions • Religion- worshiped the sun

  14. Incas • Road systems • Through valleys, crossed mountains, etc • Small pox helped the conquest of the Incan Empire

  15. History • Colonial Era- Most of the immigration comprised of Spanish and Portuguese settlers, some from France and the Netherlands • Columbian Exchange- widespread exchange of animals, plants, culture, human populations (including slaves) disease, technology and ideas between the Americans and Europeans.

  16. Warm up 11/12 1. What does this map show us? 2. Which countries colonized Latin America?

  17. This map shows us colonization of the Americas 2. Spain and Portugal

  18. Warm up 11/12 • “In Latin America, you don’t do things for the money because there is no money.” • Gael Garcia Bernal • What does this quote mean to you? How do you feel about this quote?

  19. Human-Environment Interaction • Agriculture- slash-and-burn- they cut trees, brush, and grasses and burned the debris to clear the field • Effective in humid subtropical and tropical areas • Farmers still use this technique today • Sometimes they use destructive farming practices then move to new land • One reason for the shrinking of the rain forests • Terraced farming- technique for growing crops on hillsides or mountain slopes • Reduces soil erosion

  20. Urbanization • People are leaving rural areas and moving to cities in search of jobs and a better life • Causes cities to grow at a rapid pace

  21. Problems in cities? • Slums • Unemployment increases • Crime increases • High levels of air pollution • Governments cannot afford facilities to handle population increase

  22. Tourism • Do you think tourism is good or bad for Latin America? • Think, pair, share

  23. Tourism • Positive • Brings money • Creates jobs • Hotels, restaurants, shops • Activities for tourists: guides, tours, natural wonders, and scenery

  24. Tourism • Negative • Increases congestion • Increases pollution • Gap between rich tourists and well-off local residents creates resentment and hostility • Governments run large debt by borrowing money to build these facilities

  25. Warm up Wednesday 11/13

  26. What landmark is this? • El Castillo, ChichénItzá • Where is it located? • Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico • Which culture created this? • Mayans • Why/when was this landmark created? • Sometime between 800-1100 • Served as a temple to the god Kukrulkan 5. What defining characteristics of this landmark stand out to you?

  27. What are the three sub regions of Latin America? • Mexico • Central America and the Caribbean • South America

  28. Mexico • Physical Geography- Climate- Desert, desert shrub • Mountains and plains (coast) • Natural Resources- oil, gold, coal, lead • Population- 112 million • Emigration- a lot of people leaving Mexico • Economic Activities- Traditionally more agriculture, now becoming more industrialized • Oil industry- member of NAFTA- North America Free Trade Agreement • Large gap between poor and rich • Settlement patterns • More people moving to cities for better jobs- urbanization

  29. History of Mexico • Spanish conquest of the region • 1519- Cortés landed in Mexico, he and his men march inland and conquered the Aztecs • 1821- Mexico achieved independence • Even after Spanish rule land was unequally distributed • Few rich landowners owned most of Mexico’s farmland, landless peasants worked the land

  30. Mexico • 1917- new constitution was adopted after revolution and civil war which redistributed nearly half of Mexico’s farmland to peasants • Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)- • 1929, this new political party helped to introduce democracy and maintain political stability • Continued policy of redistributing land • Fraud and corruption undermined the democratic process • 2000- National Action Party candidate was elected president • This election showed that Mexico was becoming more democratic

  31. Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean Map • Countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago • Dependencies: Aruba, Curacao, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands • Capitals: Bassetere, Belmopan, Bridgetown, Castries, Guatemala City, Havana, Kingston, Kingstown, Managua, Mexico City, Nassau, Panama City, Port-au-Prince, Port of Spain, Roseau, St. George’s, St. John’s, San Jose, San Juan, San Salvador, Santo Domingo

  32. Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean Map • Physical Features: • Rivers: Rio Grande, Sonora River, Yaqui River • Other water: Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of California, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific Ocean, Panama Canal • Land features: Baja California, Sierra Madre del Sur, Sierra Madre Occidental, Sierra Madre Oriental, Yucatan Peninsula

  33. Warm up 11/14 • How has Latin America’s history influenced the culture there today? • Write one paragraph to explain on your warm up paper.

  34. Mexico- Today • Current Issues- • Environment- scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities • Urbanization • Raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers • Deforestation • Widespread erosion • Desertification • Deteriorating agriculture lands • Air pollution and water pollution

  35. Mexico- Economy • Free market economy • Contains a mixture of industry and agriculture • Increasingly dominated by the private sector • Increasing competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation, and natural gas distribution • Per capita income is about 1/3 of the U.S.- $14,800 • Trade has increase since implementation of NAFTA • Top economic priorities- continue to reduce poverty and creating jobs

  36. Mexican Drug War • Ongoing armed conflict between rival drug cartels • They are fighting for regional control and fighting against Mexican government forces and civilian vigilante groups • Governments goal is to put down drug-related violence and to dismantle powerful drug cartels • Mexican drug cartels dominate the wholesale illicit drug market • Arrests of key leaders has increased violence • Death toll has reached 60,000

  37. Article • After you have read the article: • Write a summary of the article • Ask three questions about the article. Your questions can be something you want to know more about or they can be questions about the article. Questions about the article must be higher level thinking questions. Do not just ask what a specific word means. Higher level questions will make you actively think about the article. For example, compare and contrast, evaluate something, tell why something is, write something, etc. • Do not answer your own questions • Hand in when you are finished

  38. Warm up 11/15 • What are sinkholes? • How are sinkholes formed? • Where do a lot of sinkholes happen?

  39. Central America and the Caribbean • Physical Geography- Climate- temperate grasslands, mountains and some plains, islands- Caribbean • Natural Resources- aluminum, zinc, hydroelectric power • Population- 41,739,000 • Economic Activities- sugar plantations, bananas, citrus fruits, coffee, spices • Settlement patterns- rural areas

  40. Caribbean was settled and claimed by many European powers • Brought many African slaves to the area • Spanish settled some of the islands and made sugar plantations – flourished because of the climate • They tired to force the natives to work there, but many died from disease and mistreatment • To replace the natives Europeans brought Africans to the Caribbean to make them work on the plantations • Africans have had a lasting influence of Caribbean life and culture

  41. Caribbean Colonies

  42. Culture • Central America • Native influences and Spanish settlers • Spanish remains a dominant language today • Catholicism is the major religion • The Spanish also created large farms, ranches, built towns, and moved the native peoples into the towns- completely changed the way people lived there forever

  43. Culture • Caribbean • Spanish, French, British, Danish, and Dutch influence • African and Native American influences • Most of the people are descendants of African slaves brought to the islands • Religions include- Catholic, Protestant, Santeria- combines African practices and rituals with Catholic elements, Voodoo on island of Haiti, and Rastafarianism in Jamaica • Spanish is spoken in Cuba and the Dominican Republic • French in Haiti • English dominates in Jamaica • Some Dutch and Danish spoken around the region

  44. Warm up 11/18 What region is this a map of? What does the map show us? Make two conclusions based on this map.

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