Middle America and South America Study Guide: Geography, Culture, Economy, and History - P, Study notes of Geology

Download Middle America and South America Study Guide: Geography, Culture, Economy, and History - P and more Study notes Geology in PDF only on Docsity! MIDDLE AMERICA STUDY GUIDE MIDDLE AMERICA GENERAL [Use map to locate countries, physical features] -Identify the countries of Middle America. Name the political capital of each country. Mexico- Mexico City; Honduras- Tegucigalpa; Costa Rica- San Jose; Puerto Rico- San Juan; Guatemala- Guatemala City; Cuba- Havana; Dominican Republic- Santo Domingo; Belize- Belmopan; El Salvador- San Salvador; Nicaragua- Managua; Panama- Panama City Identify the major geographic qualities of Middle America. Tectonic plates that cause hurricanes/volcano eruptions; Middle America is a land bridge but is also made up of islands; mountains, swamps, rainforests, etc. What are the differences between Central and Middle America? Middle America is the whole region; Central America is a region within that &consists of 7 republics (Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama) Mesoamerica- Anthropological label for the Middle American culture hearth Compare the geographical differences between Mainland and Rimland. The Mainland is all continental (from Mexico to Panama) and is more isolated. It’s the region of haciendas and is self-sufficient. The Rimland is the chain of islands & the region of plantations. DEFINITIONS Mestizo- A person of mixed American Indian and European ancestry Mulatto- A person of mixed black African and European ancestry Transculturation- Two-way cultural borrowing that occurs when different cultures of approximately equal complexity and technological level come into close contact Ejidos- Communally owned cooperative farmland carved from haciendas, mostly in central and southern Mexico Maquiladoras- The term originally given to new industrial plants in Mexico’s northern (U.S.A.) border sector. Placering- A process of ‘washing’ gold from streams carrying gold dust and nuggets. The Spanish first introduced this process to the new World in the early 1500’s. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY -Locate Baja, the Isthmus of Panama, and the Yucatan The Greater Antilles- Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico The Lesser Antilles- from the Virgin Islands to the Netherland Antilles (a small chain of islands) Identify the major water bodies surrounding Middle America. Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic & Pacific Oceans Name the major mountain ranges in Middle America. Sierra Madre Oriental & Sierra Madre Occidental Land bridge- A relatively low-lying strip of land that connects two larger landmasses. The mainland of Middle America is a land bridge between North and South America. Environmental determinism- The view that the natural environment has a controlling influence over various aspects of human life, including cultural development. Ellsworth Huntington was a leading proponent of this concept ® human progress results from: 1) climate, 2) heredity, and 3) culture Name and specify the range in elevation of the 4 altitudinal zones in this realm. Tierra Caliente, Tierra Templada, Tierra Fria, and Tierra Paramos In which zone does most of the population in Central America reside? Tierra Templada CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY Rank the two 2 largest cities in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Ciudad Juarez (Mexico) & Guadalajara (Mexico) ; Guatemala City, Havana (Cuba), Managua (Nicaragua), Panama City, and San Jose (Costa Rica) Why is Middle America more culturally diverse when compared to South America? Because it is influenced by Africa (in the Caribbean), Europe (France and Spain), Amerindians, and North Americans Where is the culture hearth of Middle America? Mesoamerica (from Mexico City to central Nicaragua) What is Augelli’s Mainland-Rimland classification of Middle America? Mainland= Euro-Amerindian; Rimland= Euro-African Why is there a large Asian population in the Caribbean? Asians and Indians were brought over to work as indentured servants. What islands contain the largest number of Asians? Trinidad The seven Republics: Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY What has been the reaction to tourism by Middle Americans? It helps &builds the economy but it also makes the citizens feel as if they are a “show.” Identify the major elements of Middle American plantations. –Located in tropical, coastal lowlands –Factory-in-field operation -Single crop export production (sugar, tobacco & corn) –Capital and skills imported –Seasonal labor (during the planting & harvest seasons only to save money) How do these differ from the hacienda? Plantations are organized to produce a cash crop while haciendas are for the purpose of social prestige & self-sufficiency. Owners of haciendas don’t push to the max potential Why do the export crops and mineral resources of the Caribbean provide limited incomes for its people? Why is poverty so widespread? List several advantages and disadvantages to the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). It increases trade between US & Central America and signals to the world that Central America has taken a turn for the better. It will make the government less corrupt and encourage investments. --It will take time, and the tariffs could have been lowered in the meantime. It also might fail like past agreements have. Where is most of Mexico’s oil production located? Mexico (Villahermosa), Trinidad, & Tobago Besides Mexico what other countries in this realm export minerals? Cuba and Jamaica List the minerals that each of these countries export. Cuba- chrome, nickel, manganese, and copper; Jamaica- coal (bauxite); Mexico- natural gas, oil, iron, copper, manganese, silver, and zinc; Trinidad/Tobago- oil and natural gas What social and economic problems persist in Central America? Gang problems, violence, murder rates are high, drugs, unemployment, poor living conditions, poverty, and civil wars What are the Guiana’s? What products and/or mineral resources are associated with the Guiana’s? Gold, tropical wood; shrimp, lumber, & machinery What is the significance of the Argentine Pampa? They’re highly profitable & have a lot of food resources. What products and/or mineral resources are associated with Bolivia, Chile, and Peru? Bolivia- tin, tungsten, antimony, silver, and oil &gas (developing); potatoes, sugar, coffee, corn, cocoa, textiles, food processing, and clothing Chile- grains, onions, beans, potatoes, peas, fruits, fish processing, wood products and steel Peru- zinc, lead, copper, silver, and tungsten; cotton, sugar, coffee, corn, fish, fish meal, mineral processing, light industry, and textiles In examining the geography of cocaine, which South American countries grow cocaine? Columbia, Bolivia, and Peru Identify the stages of production and transportation of cocaine. 1. Extracting coca 2. Refining the coca paste into hydrochloride cocaine & mixing it with flour or sugar 3. Distributing to consumers Transshipment point- HISTORIC GEOGRAPHY Who were the Incas? They descended from ancient people who created a major civilization in the mid- northern Andes about A.D. 1200, centered in Peru’s Cuzco Basin. List the major achievements of the Incas. Political integration of Andean people, military organization & control, roads & bridges, complex social & economic system, and their language (Quechua- still spoken) What was the Inca’s central idea of food transfer? How, when, and by whom were the Incas conquered? Incans were overthrown by Pizarro and his soldiers in 1534. Pizarro took advantage of their problems (royal succession & internal strife) How did Spain and Portugal resolve their 1400’s dispute over South American lands? East of 50°W longitude belonged to Portugal and West belonged to Spain How did Portuguese exploitation differ from that of the Spanish? They slowly pushed their borders inward Why did the Portuguese import so many Africans to Brazil? To help with the sugar cane plantations (like the Spanish did earlier in the Caribbean) Highlight the independence movements in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. Briefly highlight the history of Bolivia, of Paraguay, and of Uruguay. POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY What is the atmosphere for political cooperation among the various South American countries? What ethnic group maintains most of the political power in a majority of the South American countries? Identify the principal insurgency movement in Peru. What is the Malvinas dispute? What countries are involved in this dispute and why? BRAZIL List the 6 main regions of Brazil. Northeast, Southeast, Sao Paulo, South, Interior, and Amazonian North What are the major characteristics and products/mineral resources associated with each of these regions? What is the typical pattern of land development in the Amazon? What impact does this development pattern have on the environment? What subregion of Brazil has talked of secession? The South What name has been proposed if this area becomes an independent country? Republic of the Pampas What are Brazil’s leading mineral resources? Iron, tin, manganese, bauxite, hydroelectric power, uranium reserves, chromium, diamonds, gold, nickel, gemstones, oil, tungsten, phosphate, mica, and columbium The Brazilian model- the government is trying to limit the investments from foreign countries but it’s not going to work because Brazil has too/so many minerals—the model isn’t productive &causes a lot of strain Growth pole- an urban-center with certain attributes that will stimulate economic development throughout its hinterland (usually) (i.e. Chicago gets money and it trickles down to Peoria, Normal, etc.) Favelas- Shantytowns surrounding, and within, nearly every Brazilian urban center How has the Brazilian economy performed in the last 20 years? What is the population growth rate among the 6 Brazilian regions? It’s nearly halved (at 1.4% now)