Latin America

Geographic Area

Spans the continents of North and South

America

LATIN AMERICA is a culture region.

The people in this region have “culture” in

common.

What does Latin America mean?

Called Latin America because two main languages in the

region (Spanish & Portuguese) are

derivatives of Latin.

Spanish

Portuguese

Why is Brazil the only Portuguese-speaking country?

- It was the only colony of Portugal in the region

Sub-Regions of Latin America

• 4 sub-regions:– Mexico– Central America– Caribbean– South America

Southernmost tip is Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire), which is close to

Antarctica

Physical Features

• Most of Latin America lies between Tropic of Cancer & Tropic of Capricorn– Wide range of

latitudes, climates, landforms, & vegetation

• Latin America is rich in its natural landscape

Andes Mts.

• Serve as barrier to movement into the interior, resulting in majority of population living on eastern & northern coasts

• Home to ancient Incas in Peru

• Rockies, Sierra Madres, & the Andes are all apart of the same mountain chain

Rivers in Latin America

• Relied upon heavily in South America– Transportation

inland, food production, water

Why not needed as much in Central America or the

Caribbean?

Already located close to major bodies of water

Major rivers include:

•Amazon

•Orinoco

•Parana

Amazon River• Flows west to east for

about 4,000 miles– 2nd largest river in the

world after the Nile– Carries more water than

any other river – more than next 7 rivers combined

• Starts in the high mountains of the Andes & empties into the Atlantic Ocean

• Home to the Amazon Rainforest

Amazon Rainforest

Piranha

Other Water Features

Lake Titicaca Lake Orinoco

Angel Falls

Parana River

Llanos

• Grassy, treeless land used for grazing livestock & farming

• Located in Venezuela & Colombia

Human Geography

• 2 major themes throughout region:– Language (primarily Spanish)– Religion (primarily Roman Catholic Christian)

Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro

Pre-Columbian Latin America

• Pre-Columbian refers to the time before

Christopher Columbus “discovered” the

Americas & modified its history

Latin America was home to a number of advanced cultures &

empires

The Aztecs built a powerful empire based on brutal conquest & a ritual of human sacrifice

The MayansThe Mayans built great cities in

the Yucatan in Mexico and in Guatemala. They

“disappeared” around 1500.

The Incas

How did geography affect the location and communication

in their empire?

The Incas of South America built a vast empire.

Macchu Picchu

The Aztecs

TenochitlanAncient civilization in

modern-day Mexico, built among Lake Texcoco.

An advanced society based around religious traditions

such as human sacrifice

Spanish Exploration

• Financed by the Spanish monarchy, an Italian navigator, named Columbus, set sail west to find a more direct route to the “east” for goods such as spices.

– Columbus used Ptolemy’s calculations & maps to navigate

– What problem did this pose?

Post-Columbian America• Upon discovery of the “New

World,” other European nations set expeditions to colonize the area

– Most fell under Spanish rule– France & England also claimed

territory in the Caribbean

Spanish Empire in the Americas

Cortez led an expedition in the 1500s to the area, leading to the

collapse of the Aztec empire

Pizzaro conquered the Incas

Spain vs. Portugal

• So, why does Brazil speak Portuguese and not Spanish?

1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed between Spain & Portugal, both major colonial

powers at the time

The treaty devised a “line,” called the Tordesillas

Meridian,and gave everything to the east to Portugal & to the

west to Spain

Post-Columbian America

Christian Europeans clashed with the ancient civilizations & their belief in sacrifice & cannibalism

Most people became Roman Catholic, the

religion of the Spanish monarchy,

& it remains the dominant religion in Latin America

Columbian Exchange

• An exchange of commodities between Old & New Worlds– Foods, peoples,

diseases, & ideas– European diseases

caused the death of most native populations (due to lack of exposure to germs)

Goods ofColumbian Exchange

• Old World foods:– Lemon, okra, white

rice, cabbage

• New World foods:– Potatoes, coffee,

chocolate, corn

Europeans brought steel & superior weapons

Also, diseases like smallpox

Plantation Era

• European settlers dominated native populations, forcing them to work on plantations in brutal conditions

• Because of its tropical climate, Latin America was used by its colonial powers to harvest plantation crops:

– Sugar cane, coffee, bananas, etc

African Slaves

Lack of adequate labor forced Europeans to bring over African slaves to work on the plantations– To this day, on many

islands, the majority population is “African American”

Modern Plantations

• Plantation crops are still essential to the economies of Latin American countries

• Most plantations are owned by foreign companies who hire locals to harvest the crops for very little money!

Latin America Today

• Today, much of Latin America is still mired in

poverty. Reasons include colonialism, corrupt

governments, and in many cases simple Geography.

Latin America TodayCountries such as Mexico

and Venezuela have tapped in to vast oil

reserves to increase the economic wealth of their countries, although the wealth has not trickled

down to most of the population.

Latin America TodayToday, tourism is a

major source of income in the

Caribbean Islands and much of Central America and Mexico. Hotels and resorts

can bring wealth, but there is still a

predominance of poverty for the average people.

• Every country in Latin America is below the magic latitude line. • What assumptions can you make as a result of that fact?

Latin America Today

While some countries have more wealth than others (Mexico, Brazil,

Chile, compared to Bolivia, Haiti) all countries of Latin

America are considered a part of

the developing world.

Like most of the developing world, Latin America is a land of potential wealth

that has yet to be realized.