Unit 3Latin America

Regions of Latin America

• 1) Middle or Central America; including Mexico

• 2) Caribbean (West Indies)

• 3) South America

Physical Features• Mts. and Highlands• 1) Andes- the world’s longest mountain chain• 2) Sierra Madre (Mexico)• 3) Highlands in Brazil and Guiana• Plains• 1) llanos – in Colombia and Venezuela• 2) cerrado – in Brazil• 3) pampas – in Argentina and Paraguay• Desert – Atacama is the world’s driest desert• Rivers – Amazon – the world’s largest river system; Parana, Orinoco, Negro• Islands – The Caribbean consisting of the Greater and Lesser Antilles and the

Bahamas

• Resources• Minerals including gold, silver, iron, copper and

lead• Energy resources include oil, coal, natural gas,

hydroelectric power (generated by waterfalls)• Climate Zones – these range from hot and

humid to dry• Tropical wet, Tropical wet and dry, Semiarid,

Desert, Humid Subtropical, and Mediterranean• Vegetation – includes rainforests, savannas,

desert, and shrubs

Human and Environment Interaction

• Agriculture – people need to change their environment to produce food

• The processes which are used include slash and burn techniques. This is the process of clearing and burning off the land for farmland.

• Another process used is terracing the land. This is where hills and mountain sides are flattened to create flat farm land. The land looks as if steps were cut into it.

• Urbanization – the people have begun to move to the cities at a very high rate because it is getting harder to survive through subsistence farming.

• Push factors include poor medical care and low paying jobs• Pull factors include better schools, higher paying jobs, and

better medical care• Problems created by urbanization include a rise in crime,

unemployment, poor housing, and strains on city resources• Tourism – has led to a boost in Latin American economies

by bringing in more money• Problems associated with tourism include increased

pollution and hostilities toward tourists

Urbanization: favelas in Rio de Janeiro

History of Latin America• Latin American history is characterized by its ancient

native civilizations; these include the Aztecs (Mexico), Mayans (Central America) and the Incas (Peru and S. Am.)

• In the 1500’s the Spanish arrived and began to colonize much of Latin America

• The Spanish conquest included the killing of natives, the spread of infectious diseases, and the intro. of African slaves to work the fields

• Beginning in the 1800’s most Latin American countries gained independence from colonial powers

Religion and Language

• Most of the Latin American nations speak Spanish

• Portuguese is spoken mainly in Brazil; and some French and English is spoken in a few nations

• Catholicism is the main religion because of its Spanish roots

• Other religions include native religions and voodoo

Economies

• Most nations are poor and so are their people• The most common jobs are agricultural, either

subsistence or commercial• Most of these nations are still considered

developing because they are so agriculturally based and they do not have the resources to establish manufacturing businesses

• Mexico• Mexico is an industrial nation in the rise in L. America• Mexico has a good oil business• A lot of factories in Mexico import goods to make finished

products• Mexico’s economy has been able to grow steadily because of

its involvement with NAFTA• Central America and the Caribbean• These regions rely on the farming of crops such as sugar cane,

coffee, fruits and spices• The Panama Canal has brought a lot of trade to the region by

connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans• Most nations have an informal economy• Tourism brings a lot of money and jobs

• South America• People here rely on farming and mining• Farming is key to the production of the plains regions• Oil is an important resource to the nations of Colombia and

Venezuela• Brazil• A major industrial power with an abundance of natural

resources (iron, gold, titanium)• They have enough water resources to generate electricity for

its nation• A key member of Mercosur (an economic group similar to

NAFTA for S. American nations)

Places of InterestLatin America

Angel Falls, Venezuela

Easter Island

Machu Picchu, Peru

Aztec Pyramid

Tikal, Mayan Temple Guatemala

Rio De Janeiro, BrazilChrist the Redeemer; Corcovado Mt.

Mexico City

Panama Canal

Amazon River Basin