Middle America

Central America, Mexico, and the Islands of the Caribbean

Central America

Central America is a region within Middle America. Central America comprises the republics that occupy the strip of mainland between Mexico and South America:

Panama, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

BELIZE

Latin America is Middle America PLUS South America

ANDES MTS. - Longest range in the World, 5000 miles

PlainsLlanos – grassy, treeless areas used for livestock and farming which is located in Colombia and Venezuela.

Pampas – areas of grassland and rich soil found in Argentina and Uruguay. The gaucho culture originated here.

Cerrado – plains that are great for farming located in the interior of the continent. Mainly found in Brazil, and is very undeveloped.

LlanosColombia andVenezuela

PampasArgentina andUruguay

Orinoco River 1,500 miles

Amazon River 4,000 miles

Parana River 3,000 miles

Amazon River – Flows about 4,000 miles west to east, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. It is fed by over 1,000 tributaries, and has the largest discharge rate in the world.

Orinoco River – Flows about 1,500 miles, mainly through Venezuela in the north of South America.

Paraná River – Flows about 3,000 miles south and west through Paraguay and Argentina, then turns eastward.

Paraguay River

Land Use and Resources

HEI: Slash-and-Burn – clearing fields for use by cutting down trees, and burning the land for use as farming or livestock.

Terraced Farming Ancient technique of growing crops on hillsides or mountain slopes.

People are steadily moving towards the cities to improve their lives.Push factors – poor medical care, poor education, low-paying jobs, ownership of land by a few rich peoplePull factors – higher-paying jobs, better schools, better medical careSeveral cities in South America rank among the world’s largest in population, and they are rapidly growing.• (3) Mexico City – 18,131,000• (7) São Paulo - 17,711,000• (17) Buenos Aires – 12,431,000• (22) Rio de Janeiro – 10,556,000• (26) Lima – 7,443,000

High levels of air pollution; Shortage of drinkable water; Poor infrastructure

TOURISM

Millions of people each year visit Latin American resorts

Luxurious cruise ships anchor in the Caribbean

Resorts offer many activities for locals to have job opportunities

Gaps in rich tourists and local poor

Countries incur debt by building resorts/airports/harbors

Major problems arise in these Latin American cities such as:

Rio de Janeiro

Mexico City