What are the four regions which make up Latin America?
Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, South America
100
What is the name of the largest river in South America?
The Amazon River
100
Name the three civilizations from Latin America
Maya, Aztec and the Inca
100
Why did the European colonists prefer African slaves over the Native Americans?
-Africans knew how to farm and grow crops and were immune to European diseases.
100
Provide two examples of a political push factor and two examples of an economic push factor
Political Push Factor: War, persecution, Dictatorship
Economic Push Factor: Poverty, unemployment
200
Name the two European countries that had the most influence in Latin America
Spain and Portugual
200
What is the name of the mountain range that spans the western coast of South America?
The Andes Mountains
200
Name at least three ways how Cortes was able to conquer the Aztec
-Weapons
-Aztec thought Cortes was god
-Native Americas died from European Diseases
-Spanish made allies with people the Aztec had attacked
-Native Americans were afraid of horses (give them a break, they had never seen them before!)
200
Describe the social class system that was put in place by the colonists. Who were considered most important and who were considered least important?
-Peninsulares: Europeans who controlled everything
-Native Americans: Had some freedoms
-Slaves: Had no freedom
200
List a Latin American country that is ruled by a dictatorship and a Latin American country that is ruled by a democracy
Dictatorship=Cuba
Democracy=Mexico and Brazil
300
How does "Latin America" get its name?
Colonized by Spain and Portugal whose languages come from Latin.
300
Provide one example of why people are logging trees in the Amazon Rain Forest
-Growing population=people need more houses to live in
-Clearing the forests for more farm land
300
Explain the story of how the Aztec empire founded their city.
-Sign from god: Bird eating a snake on top of a cactus. The people saw this sign in the middle of a lake, that's where the Aztec built their city.
300
What was the significance of the Requiremeinto?
This requirement provided Spanish colonists with a justification for killing Native Americans. The Spanish had warned the Native Americans of what would happen if they did not agree to the Spanish demands.
300
Describe the division between rich and poor
-Rich are a few wealthy people that control all of the land in Latin America.
-Poor are the majority of people who do not own land and suffer unemployment. (Think of the Shantytown reading)
400
How is Latin America a cultural region?
People in L.A. share:
A religion: Catholic
History: Colonized by Europeans
Langauges: Spanish and Portuguese
400
Name the three reasons why Latin America has a wide variety of climate zones.
-L.A. spans both sides from the equator
-Ocean currents affect temperature
-Different levels of elevation
400
What happened to the Native American population once Europeans made contact?
Native Americans died in large numbers from:
-Awful working conditions
-Not being immune to European diseases
400
What world events influenced the Independence Movements in Latin America?
The Enlightenment in Europe:
-Ideas such as freedom of expression and an end to slavery fueled the Independence Movements.
400
Describe what life would be like in a dictatorship and what life is like in a democracy
-Dictatorship: People do not have a voice, representation or the ability to speak their opinions
-Democracy: People do have a voice, do have a representation (can vote) and have freedom of expression
500
Why does most of the population in Latin America live on the coasts rather than in the interior/middle?
Andes Mountains and Amazon Rain Forest make it difficult to live inside South America. It is easier to live near the coasts.
500
Explain how the Andes Mountains have influenced where people have decided to live in South America
-Andes Mountains are a barrier to movement. People do not want to live in the interior (middle) of South America because the Andes Mountains make movement and living there difficult for people.
500
List at least three reasons how dictators were able to rise to power after the Independence Movements
-Geographic barriers limited communication between countries
-No experience running a government
-Deep divisions in social class rankings remained
-Military heroes gained popular votes but turned corrupt once they had power
500
Explain the significance of the Treaty of Tordesillas
Divided the world in half between Spain and Portugal. Spain would rule all land west of the line and Portugal would rule all land east of the line. Most obvious is the language spoken in Latin America.
500
Name at least one environmental issue in Latin America and explain the negative consequences and possible solutions to this issue
-Deforestation in the Amazon Rain Forest
-Oil Pollution in Venezuela
-Air Pollution in Mexico City