Terms
The Andes consist of parallel mountain ranges or ______
cordilleras
Where is the world's largest rain forest located?
The Amazon Basin
Where is most of South America's population located?
along the coast
What three cash crops supply much of Latin America's income?
coffee, bananas and sugarcane
The dominate religion is ______
Catholicism
The Rio de la Plata is is typical of an ________ an area where the tide meets a river current.
estuary
What factors determine why Latin America's highlands climate is divided into three zones?
elevation and latitude
Name the three indigenous Latin American empires.
Maya, Aztec and Inca
How do unstable governments prevent industrial development?
investors are wary of doing business there
A South American cowboy is a ______
gaucho
The plateau of the Brazilian Highlands plunges sharply to the Atlantic Ocean forming a steep cliff called an _________
escarpment
Which three rivers flow into the Rio de la Plata?
Parana, Paraguay and Uruguay Rivers.
What ancient art form inspired the region's painters?
mural painting
Why do some people believe that preservation of the Amazon rain forest is a global concern?
it acts as a filtering system for the atmosphere, produces oxygen, and decreases atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The largest festival is ________ and held in (city, country)
Carinval, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The high plain encircled by the Andes of Bolivia and Peru is known as the ________
altiplano
What are the three major geographic areas within Latin America?
Middle America, the Caribbean and South America
What sports are most popular in Latin America?
futbol, jai alai, baseball, basketball and volleyball
As Latin America's rural workers migrate to cities, they often cannot find jobs or adequate housing. Some are forced to live in slums or _______
Shantytowns
COICA stands for _________
Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin
Cattle are raised on the broad grasslands called ____ in Colombia and Venezuela and _____ in Argentina and Uruguay.
llanos, pampas
What three island groups make up the West Indies?
the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles
What fueled the movement for Latin American independence?
resentment against European rule, demand for more rights for lower classes, and examples of successful North American and French revolutions.
Mexico, the United States and Canada signed the ________ which gradually reduced trade restrictions and increased the flow of goods, services and people among these countries.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
The Rio Carnival incorporates two important social groups ______ and _______
samba schools and blocos