Geography
Rio Bravo (Rio Grande)
a major river that forms part of the border between Mexico and the United States
Sierra Madre Occidental
The chief mountain range in Mexico. The name means "mother range."
Archipelago
A group of islands, chain of islands
Empire
A group of states or territories controlled by one ruler
Inflation
A general and progressive increase in prices
Ecotourism
A form of tourism that supports the conservation and sustainable development of ecologically unique areas
peninsula
The peninsula in Mexico that separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California.
Mexico City
Capital of Mexico
Greater Antilles
Group of islands that includes Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico
Mestizos
People of mixed Indian and European heritage, notably in Mexico.
slash and burn agriculture
a farming technique in which trees are cut down and burned to clear and fertilize the land
Dialect
a form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group
Baja California
A peninsula in Mexico
Yucatan Peninsula
An area of land in Central America where the Mayan civilization settled.
Lesser Antilles
Group of islands that extend from the Virgin Islands to Trinidad and Tobago
Missions
Religious settlements run by Catholic priests and friars
cash crop
farm crop raised to be sold for money
Commonwealth
A self-governing territory associated with another country
Gulf of Mexico
A large gulf off the southeastern coast of North America
Isthmus
A narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas
cloud forest
a moist, high-elevation tropical forest where low clouds are common
Haciendas
Large Spanish colonial estates usually owned by wealthy families but worked by many peasants
smog
air pollution by a mixture of smoke and fog
refugee
A person who has to leave his or her country to find safety.
Yucatan Peninsula
A large peninsula that separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico
Caribbean Sea
an arm of the Atlantic Ocean between North and South America
Panama Canal
Ship canal cut across the isthmus of Panama by United States, it opened in 1915.
Mexico City
Capital of New Spain; built on ruins of Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.
Maquiladoras in Mexico
Maquiladoras are factories in Mexico that assemble imported materials into finished products that are then exported
cooperative
A business that is owned by the members it serves and is managed in their interest.
Panama Canal
Ship canal cut across the isthmus of Panama by United States, it opened in 1915.
Havana
Capital of Cuba
Brazil
Located in South America was once a colony of Portugal.
civil war
Internal conflict within a country
cooperative
A business that is owned by the members it serves and is managed in their interest.
Portuguese colonization
The Portuguese subjected the natives to horrible conditions and enslavement in Brazil.
excavation
the act of digging
Mining
the excavation of the earth for the purpose of extracting ore or minerals
Amazon River
A long river in northern South America.
Columbian Exchange
The exchange of goods and ideas between Native Americans and Europeans
What is Cuba's Economy?
Command Economy
Irrigation
Supplying land with water through a network of canals
extracting
removing by mining or drilling or other means