Chapter 10

Living in Latin America

Chapter 10:1 Objectives• 1. Identify the basis of the economy of many

Latin American countries.• 2. List the advantages and disadvantages for

Mexico of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

• 3. Discuss the causes and consequences of Latin America’s economically dependent status.

• 4. Explain how the region’s physical geography has affected transportation and communication.

Terms to Know

• export• campesino• latifundia• minifundia• cash crop• developing country

• service• maquiladora• North America Free

Trade Agreement• (NAFTA)

Drawing From Experience

• Have you ever noticed stickers on bananas?

• Where were they grown?• What about the sugar you sprinkle on your

cereal?• Where is that grown?• This section focuses on the economic

activities of Latin America.

Introduction

• In many Latin American cities great divisions separate the wealthy and the poor.

• They are caused by social, political and economic factors and

• by the physical geography of the region.• What factors cause the divisions between

the wealthy and the poor of Latin America?

Agriculture

• Latin American countries export, or sell to other countries, much of their farm products.

• For centuries farmland has been distributed among a small group of wealthy landowners and a larger group of farm workers called campesinos.

Two Kinds of Farms

• Latifundia• large agricultural estates owned by

wealthy families and business• use machines and• inexpensive labor of workers to produce

large amounts of agricultural goods.

• Minifundia• small areas of land farmed by• campesinos • to feed their families.• land is usually owned by a landowner or

the government• while the campesinos provide the labor.• s

Gradual Change

• farm system is changing gradually,• farm workers are leaving the farms and

looking for jobs in the city,• some governments are passing laws to

distribute the land more fairly,• most camposinos remain poor.

Cash Crops

• Latin America’s land is suited for growing cash crops.

• Cash crops are produced in large quantities to be sold or traded.

• A. Coffee grows in the highland areas with fertile soil.

• Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Guatemala are the world’s leading coffee producers.

• B. Bananas grow in the lush, tropical coastal areas of …

• Central America, Jamaica, Honduras, Ecuador and Brazil.

• Most of the world’s bananas come from this area.

• C. Sugarcane grows in tropical climates and fertile soil of Brazil and Cuba.

• These two countries are world leaders in sugarcane production.

• What are the major agricultural exports in Latin America.

Latin America is developing.

• Most Latin American countries are considered developing.

• They are working toward manufacturing and technology.

• Services industries are growing too.

Growth is Slow

• Physical geography such as the Andes and rain forests, make it difficult to get natural resources.

• Foreign companies drain off resources and profits.

• Political instability stops investors from putting capital into Latin America.

Maquiladoras

• American and Japanese firms have built foreign owned factories called maquiladoras,

• along the Mexico-United States border.• Complaints are: workers stay in low paying

jobs and there are no laws to protect the workers.

Question

• What has slowed the growth of industries in the region?

• answer: physical geography• foreign companies draining resources• political instability

Trade & Interdependence (p. 240)

• Latin America depends on foreign trade to get the goods it cannot produce.

• In 1994 Mexico, the United States and Canada signed the

• North America Free Trade Agreement known as NAFTA.

• Many Latin American countries have large foreign debts.

• These debts keep some countries from financing industrial development.

NAFTA

• This agreement has increased the flow of goods, services and people among the three countries.

• NAFTA has helped increase Mexico’s exports and has provided thousands of new jobs.

Query

• How has NAFTA helped Mexico?

• increased Mexico’s imports• provided 1000s of new jobs• increased the flow of goods and services

across the borders

Transportation

• Building roads and railroads in Latin America is difficult and slow.

• Many governments lack the money.• Rugged mountains, rain forests and

deserts are barriers to building roads.• The region’s main road system is the Pan-

American Highway.

Pan-American Highway

• The Pan-American Highway runs from Mexico to southern Chile.

• It links capital cities.• Important water systems in the region

include the…• Amazon River• Paraná-Paraguay• Panama Canal.• All major cities have airports.

Question

• What are the barriers to improved transportation systems in Latin America?

• answer: geographic – rivers, mountains, deserts,

• lack of money.

Communications• Major sources of information in the region:• newspapers, radio, television.• Governments may sometimes censor

information.• Few people have phones in their homes.• Some city people use cell phones.• Computers are too expensive but some

cities have public internet centers.

Query

• What are the major sources of information in the region?

• answer: newspapers, radio, television

Chapter 10:2 Objectives• 1. Describe how development has affected Latin

America’s forest resources.• 2. Explain how Latin American governments are

working to balance forest conservation with human and economic development.

• 3. Discuss the challenges posed by the growth of Latin America’s urban population.

• 4. Identify the regional and international issues that continue to pose challenges for Latin America.

Terms to Know

• sustainable development

• deforestation

• slash-and-burn• reforestation• shantytown

Drawing From Experience

• Do you live in a large city, or have you ever visited one?

• What kinds of problems occur when many people live in a small area?

• In the last section you learned about the economy of Latin America.

• This section focuses on the challenges facing Latin America.

Introduction

• Latin American countries must choose between preserving large areas of wilderness or developing those areas to raise the standard of living.

• One solution is to work toward sustainable development,

• technological and economic growth that does not use up human and natural resources.

Question

• How can Latin America raise the standard of living without using up it’s resources?

Managing Rain Forests

• Deforestation – the clearing or destruction of forests – has destroyed more than 13% of the Amazon rain forest.

• There are two reasons why the destruction of the rain forests can affect the world.

• A. Several plant and animal species on Earth are threatened.

• Many of the world’s medicines and potential medicines come from rain forest plants and organisms.

• B. Since plants use carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, the destruction of the rain forest plants can result in less carbon dioxide being used and more of it staying in the atmosphere.

Slash-and-Burn

• a common reason for deforestation.• involves clearing the rain forest• cutting down plants and trees,• drying them out,• and then burning them.• ash is used to make the soil more fertile.

• results in frequent flooding• leaches out the soil• causes the soil to wash away.• Farmers move to new parts of the forest

and repeat the process.• Ranchers use the same process to create

grazing land for their cattle.

Reforestation

• the planting of young trees on the land that has been stripped.

• Developing new ways of farming, mining and logging

• can protect the forests and help the economy.

• How does slash-and-burn farming work?

Urban Environments

• Latin America is facing environmental challenges from rapid urbanization.

• When a cities growth outstrips the available resources for housing, sanitation, education and government services

• it causes unemployment, lack of housing and creates shantytowns, or makeshift communities.

• Shantytowns lack running water and sewage systems.

• Diseases spread rapidly.• Malnutrition from lack of food is a problem.• Air pollution is common.• Latin American governments are working

to improve conditions of rapid urbanization.

• What are the effects of rapid urbanization?

Regional and International Issues

• Latin America faces many regional and international challenges.

• A. Border disputes have erupted over the rights to natural resources.

• Money that could be used for development instead has been used in border wars.

• B. Migration continues to strain the resources of cities.

• C. Out-migration from Latin America to the U.S. poses a problem.

• Many Latin Americans who leave the region are well-educated or skilled workers who could help solve the region’s problems.

• D. Industrial growth and the use of agricultural chemicals has greatly increased water and air pollution.

• E. The physical geography of the region makes it vulnerable to natural disasters.

• Why is out-migration a problem for Latin America?

End of Slide Show