Physical Geography & Environmental Issues
tropical ecosystems in the western hemsiphere
What is Neotropics?
large agricultural estates owned by families or corporations
what is latifundia?
a mixing of christian and animist beliefs that create a new religion
what is syncretic religion?
home lands of Pope Francis; formerly Bishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio
What is Buenos Aires, Argentina?
a country replaces its own currency with that of the United States
what is dollarization?
division of land into zones of altitude which in turn helps determine climate and vegetation
What is altitudinal zonation?
popular by controversial strategy to redistribute land to peasant farmers
what is agrarian reform?
most important resource attributed to Amerindian survival
what is land?
1494 agreement to legally split South America into Spanish and Portuguese divisions
What is the Treaty of Tordesillas?
a factory along the international border that exploits workers hours and wages
what is a maquiladora?
For every 1000 feet higher in elevation the temperature drops 3.5 degrees
what is environmental lapse rate?
settlement where large percentages of poor people live on the outskirts of cities because of housing shortages and resource availabilities
what is squatter settlement?
telenovelas, soccer, tango, Shakira
what are examples of the global reach of Latin Culture?
groups that forms along ethnic lines within a country/state
what is subnational organization?
Brazilian conditional cash transfer program created to reduce extreme poverty
What is Bolsa Familia?
a warm ocean current that flows along the coast of Peru every seven to fourteen years
What is El Nino?
a person of mixed Spanish & Native American ancestry AND the largest group of racial makeup in the Americas
what is mestizo?
epidemics, warfare, forced labor, starvation
What are the reasons for the demographic collapse of the Amerindian cultures to 10% of its original population?
largest Latin American trade agreement organization: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay
What is MERCOSUR?
trade in which fair prices are paid to producers in developing countries
what is fair trade?
the conversion of tropical forest into pasture
what is grassification?
money migrants send back to family and friends in their home country
what is remittance?
blanco, negro, mestizo, indio
what are the four broad racial categories of Latin Americans?
trade group that includes Canada, United States of America, and Mexico
Which countries are part of NAFTA?
a sector of the economy that is not regulated or taxed by the state, but really shows how the government is not able to provide jobs for all of its citizens
what is informal sector?