Government
•
•
A democratically elected national legislature is shared by the United States,
Canada, and Mexico.
Cuba is the only communist country in
Latin America, and is ruled by a dictator.

Latin American People
 Mestizo: Half European and Native American.
 Mulatto: Half European and African.

MEXICO
South
America
Latin
America
Central America
Caribbean
•9 % of the world’s people live in Latin
America.

United Through Culture
• The people of Latin America are united primarily through:
–
–
–
The Spanish language
The Roman Catholic religion
These cultural behaviors were brought to the region in the 1500s by the Spanish conquistadores.

Initial Contact between Spanish &
Native American
 A direct result of the initial contact between Spanish
Conquistadors and Native Americans in the “New World” in the
1490s was the introduction of new diseases of which Native
Americans had no immunity.

Demand for Resources
 The current destruction of rainforests in Central and South
America is due mostly to human demand of timber and farmland .

Slash & Burn
 A method of agriculture in which existing vegetation is cut down and burned off before new seeds are sown, typically used as a method for clearing forest land for farming. Ash from burned trees supplies soil with nutrients (fertility lasts about 2 years only).

Technological Innovations of the
Age of Exploration
 Caravel – Type of ship used by explorers – known for speed and maneuverability.
 Astrolabe helped sailors measure the angle of the sun which could then be converted to find latitude.
 Magnetic Compass & Compass Rose helped explorers by showing them what direction they were headed. Compass rose told direction.

No problems, mon!

 Central America is an isthmus that joins
North and South
America.

Belize
 The only country in Central America whose official language is “English.”

Panama Canal
 A boat traveling from New
York to San Francisco saves
7,872 miles by using the
Panama Canal instead of going around Cape Horn!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Inne hcZOLF4

Soccer


Favorite national sport of most Latin American countries.
Originated in “Old World” – brought to “New World” by
European sailors who played in Buenos Aires, Argentina in late 1800s.

Pre-Colombian Civilizations
 The three (3) Pre-Colombian native American civilizations that dominated parts of Latin America were the Aztec, Inca, and Maya.

Economic Development


All nations have a market economy- except Cuba which has a command economy (i.e. communism) .
To promote more trade and the development of industry, the countries have joined together and formed Caricom.

Caricom is the equivalent of NAFTA

Vamonos!

Physical Features

•
•
What is a Peninsula?
Peninsula - land with water on three sides.
Mexico has 2 large peninsulas:
– Baja California
– Yucatan

• Oil and natural gas (petroleum) are the most important natural resources today in Mexico.

 Montezuma thought Cortez was a god named Quetzalcoatl (“Feathered Serpent”), who Aztec legend described him as white, with a beard and would come back from the east to reclaim his empire
 The Aztec were finally conquered in 1521 by the Spanish, led by Hernan Cortez.

Chinampas : Known as “floating gardens” are artificial islands or peninsulas created by scooping nutrient-rich lake, swamp or pond muck into a woven cage so that crops can be grown above the waterline in a wet environment.

The Colonial Period

They brought the Spanish language and Roman
Catholic religion to Mexico.

Modern Mexico…
•
•
• Maquiladoras (large factories) produce many items (American owned, usually).
Mexico is part of NAFTA .
Mexico is moving to become a developed nation .

Mexico City, Cont.
 Among Mexico
City’s many problems is a lack of housing and a large unemployment rate.

Comencemos !

• The Andes extend along the Pacific coast of South
America for 4400 miles. They were formed by tectonic activity.
• Waterfalls – Angel Falls , world’s tallest waterfall, located in Venezuela.

• South America has the largest tropical rain forest in the world.
• Rain forests cover only 6 % of the
Earth's surface, yet they contain more than 50% of the world's plant and animal species !

•Atacama Desert located along the west coast of South
America from Chile to Peru, it is considered the driest place on earth.
• Atacama Desert is so dry because of the prevailing winds go from East to West, and a rain shadow effect is caused by the high Andes Mountains



The Inca
The Inca were South America’s greatest early civilization.
They were the only ancient native civilization that did not have a written language.

 “The Girl from Ipanema” was a Bossa Nova song from 1962 that became an international hit.
 The song originated in Rio de Janiero, Brazil and the music is derived from samba but placing more emphasis on melody and less on percussion.

Columbian Exchange

Settlement Patterns
 Large cities are usually along coasts or seaports .
 Import/Export
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

Transportation
Fishing
Mild Climate

The Economy
 40% of the world’s coffee comes from South
America.
World Coffee Production