Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico make up this group of islands.
Greater Antilles
100
One factor that unites Latin America is language. These three major languages imported by colonizers are all derived from Latin.
Spanish, Portuguese, French
100
This ancient farming technique for growing crops on mountain slopes by cutting into the hillsides was practiced by the Inca in Peru and is still used today.
terraced farming
100
In 1960 this capital city was moved from Rio de Janeiro 600 miles inland because government officials wanted to draw people to the interior of the country.
Brasilia
100
This is the term used for estates or ranches in Latin America owned by the wealthy and worked by the peasants.
haciendas
200
This is the area of grasslands and rich soil in Argentina and Uruguay.
Pampas
200
The major religion imported by colonizers to Latin America is Christianity and this branch specifically.
Roman Catholicism
200
This tertiary sector industry is important to Latin America and the Caribbean in particular, but it can result in the environmental degradation of previously unspoiled areas.
tourism
200
This 1494 agreement between Spain and Portugal divided South America between the two colonizers.
Treaty of Tordesillas
200
This is the term used for factories in Mexico that assemble imported materials into finished products that are then exported.
maquiladoras
300
This climate region is found in the Amazon and the Caribbean where the weather is always hot and it rains almost daily.
tropical wet
300
One characteristic of all of Latin America is cultural blending which is the mixing of Native American, European, and the traditions of this group in different combinations.
Africans
300
This farming technique results in soil depletion after only a few years, forcing farmers to clear a new patch of land.
slash-and-burn farming
300
Problems associated with the growth of urban areas include slums, crime, unemployment, and pollution, all of which can be seen in this capital city of Mexico.
Mexico City
300
This engineering feat enabled global maritime trade by connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Panama Canal
400
This coastal desert in northern Chile is the driest in the world and exists in part because of the rain shadow effect on the Andes Mountains.
Atacama Desert
400
This vertical climate zone in Latin America exists at lower elevations and can produce crops such as rice, bananas, and sugar cane.
Tierra Caliente
400
Deforestation is an issue in this area which covers nearly two million square miles of South America.
Amazon Rainforest
400
The majority of people in South America have located their settlements which are now major cities on what part of the continent?
coastal areas
400
This regional organization made up of South American countries was modeled after the European Union and promotes trade and political integration among member nations.
Union of South American Nations or UNASUR
500
This climate region is found in the Sierra Madres of Mexico and the Andes of South America.
highland
500
This vertical climate zone in Latin America exists at the same elevation as the cloud forest and can produce crops such as barley, wheat, apples, and potatoes.
Tierra Fria
500
These two types of music combine Caribbean and African influences and features includes steel drums and the exploration of social problems and religion.
Calypso and Reggae
500
The ancient city of Tikal was the center of civilization for what group of Native Americans?
Maya
500
This South American country was a founding member of OPEC and has huge oil reserves that are an important economic asset.