What is subsistence farming?
farming for one’s family or immediate community
People from what 2 countries colonized most of Latin America?
Spain, Portugal
What is an 'escarpment'?
a line of steep cliffs
What does 'indigenous' mean and where do most indigenous people live?
indigenous: native (people who lived in Latin America before the Europeans arrived). Live in Peruvian and Bolivian highlands and Amazon rainforest
What are the pros and cons of the Itaipu Dam?
Pros: create electricity. Cons: destroys indigenous people's homelands
What is commercial farming?
farming to sell what you grow
Why is Latin America called "Latin America"?
Because the colonizers spoke languages that came from Latin (Spanish and Portuguese)
What are the names of the two grasslands and what countries are they in?
Llanos in Colombia and Venezuela; Pampas in Argentina
Why do indigenous people live in Peruvian and Bolivian highlands and Amazon rainforest?
because Europeans and their descendants (children) took the places with good farm land and comfortable climates.
What are the pros and cons of preserving the Amazon rainforest?
Pros: home for animals, plants and indigenous people; absorb carbon dioxide; source of rubber and medicinal plants.
Cons: can't use/sell valuable wood or use for grazing or agriculture
What is terraced farming, where is it used and why?
cutting steps in mountains to use the mountainside for growing crops; in the Andes; to prevent erosion and for irrigation
Match voodoo, creole, and calypso with language, music and religion. All of these come from the Caribbean - why do they all have African influence?
voodoo=religion; creole=language; calypso=music; because slaves from Africa were brought to Caribbean to work on sugar plantations
What three major types of natural disasters affect the islands of the Caribbean?
hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes
What are the names of the three great indigenous (native) civilizations of Latin America and where were they?
Aztec - Mexico; Maya - Mexico and Guatemala; Inca - Andes mountains
What are the pros and cons of tourism in the Caribbean?
Pros: creates jobs. Cons: jobs are low-paying; destroys environment
What is slash and burn farming, where is it used and why?
cutting down and burning trees to make a field and provide nutrients to soil; in the Amazon rainforest; it's cheaper, faster and creates nutrients
How are llaneros and gauchos the same and how are they different?
same: both work on the plains. different: llaneros work on the Llanos and gauchos work on the Pampas
Why build a canal (man-made river) through an isthmus instead of through a continent?
Because an isthmus is much narrower than a continent so it's faster and cheaper to build a canal here.
What is a legacy and what are three major legacies of European colonization in Latin America?
legacy: something that comes from someone in the past. 3 legacies: language, religion, architecture, and social structure.
What is "brain drain" and what are its pros and cons?
Pros: people leaving have more opportunities. Cons: areas are left without skilled/educated workers
What agricultural commodities does Latin America export and what level of production is farming?
chicken, beef, coffee, bananas. primary
What is a plantation/hacienda and who gets most of the money they earn?
big farms; the owners (not the workers)
How do mountains like the Andes influence climate (temperature AND precipitation)?
40 degrees colder at the top of mountains than at the bottom; block wind and rain
Put the following into order of power/wealth: creoles, enslaved peoples, indigenous, mestizos, peninsulares,
peninsulares, creoles, mestizos, indigenous, enslaved peoples
What is a primate city and what are its pros and cons?
Primate city: has at least 2x population of next largest city. Pros: efficient economy, global connectivity. Cons: inequality, "brain drain" and traffic.