PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY/ENVIRONMENT
The mountain range running along the western side of South America
The Andes
Most of Brazil's population lives along the coast because …
Poor soils and inhospitable dense rainforest made the interior unattractive for settlement by Europeans
What cultural legacies of colonialism have endured in the regions of Latin America and the Caribbean (list 3 examples)?
Language, government, architecture, religion, education
What agreement divided the New World between Spain and Portugal?
Treaty of Tordesillas
In what ways is the Caribbean linked to the global economy?
Offshore banking, tourism, emigration
___________ is the conversion of tropical forest into pasture.
Grassification
Define Primate City
Where one city, often the capital, dominates the political, cultural, and economic sectors of a country and often has a significantly larger population than other cities
______ has the largest population of ethnic Japanese outside of Japan
Brazil
Describe the concept of isolated proximity
Relative isolation sustains the region's cultural diversity, however also limits economic opportunities.
________ is the long standing practice of maintaining large estates by the elites in Latin America.
Latifundia
What are the major environmental issues affecting Latin America?
Deforestation, climate change, dam construction, water pollution, and poor urban air quality
Define Creolization
The mixing of African, European and other cultures. Often seen in creole languages, blended religious practices and music
Describe differences between the Antilles an Rimland states of the Caribbean
-Antilles are island states while Rimland countries are coastal countries in South and Central America
-the Greater Antilles contain most of the region's population and are more densely populated
-Greater Antilles have the most arable land and highest mountains
-Rimlands contain most of the region's remaining forest
Each country in the Latin America and the Caribbean has a democratically elected president, except ________
Cuba
Define the term Brain Drain
The large scale loss of the educated and professionals through emigration to more developed countries. The loss of these highly educated citizens can negatively affect the home country as investments made which facilitated their education are not recouped through the services they would have provided had they stayed in the country.
________ ________ is the term which describes changes in vegetation with elevation
Altitudinal Zonation
Latin America has 4 megacities. What are they?
Mexico City, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires
A syncretic religion is…
A blend of different belief systems included into Christian Worship
Define neocolonialism
The indirect control of one country or region by another through economic and cultural domination, rather than military or political control.
The _________ ___________ describes the provision of goods and services without government regulation, registration or taxation.
Informal sector
Three ways Climate Change threatens the Caribbean
- stronger and more frequent hurricanes
-Loss of land due to sea level rise
-Destruction of coral reefs
-Loss of economic opportunity (beach degradation, reduced fish stocks etc.)
-changing rainfall patterns
-salt water intrusion
How did the long term reliance on plantation economy influence settlement patterns in the Caribbean?
Land was concentrated into the elite while the poor tend to have small plots in areas less attractive to agriculture
Areas with the most fertile soils became heavily populated as they could support plantations. Less fertile areas such as mountainous areas and the forests of the mainland were largely left alone.
Towns were established in places suitable as natural ports to facilitate the export of raw materials.
What was the Spanish colonial caste system? List the different castes.
A social hierarchy system that determined one's status at birth according to race/ethnicity; caste standing was embedded in the colonial legal system. Top to bottom: European (Blanco), Mixed ancestry (Mestizo), Indigenous (Indio), and African (Negro).
Q: List 2 US policies seen as neocolonialism expansion in the Caribbean
Good neighbor Policy,
Alliance for Progress,
Caribbean basin Initiative
List the major supranational economic organizations of Latin America
NAFTA (now USCMA), Mercosur (Southern Cone Common Market), UNASUR, CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement), Andean Community, Pacific Alliance
Describe the major effects of El Nino.
Torrential rains leading to flooding and landslides along western South America
Drought in northern South and Central America leads to crop and livestock loss, forest fires, air pollution
____________ settlements are groupings of unplanned housing often built on the periphery of urban areas in Latin America
Squatter
Why is the Caribbean considered a distinct region rather than part of Latin America?
Culturally has a more diverse European colonial history than Iberian influenced Latin America
A visibly strong African imprint
Export oriented, monoculture, plantation agriculture
Explain how the Monroe Doctrine affected Latin America and the Caribbean.
Via the Monroe Doctrine the US claimed that Western hemisphere was its sphere of influence and would not tolerate European military and political involvement in this area. The US asserted political and economic control in the region - sometimes directly.
Describe the differences between a customs union and a free trade agreement. Provide an example of each.
A customs union (e.g. Mercosur) is a stronger bond, the member countries have a common external tariff to promote internal economic development.
A free trade agreement does not have tariffs. The Pacific Alliance specifically focuses on export-oriented policies.