PRE BELL
• Finish labeling the U.S. states and capitals
• Label the following physical features on your blank
U.S. map…
– All the Great Lakes
– Rocky and Appalachian Mtns.
– MS, Ohio, Colorado, & Rio Grande Rivers
– Atlantic, Pacific, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico
– Great Plains, Dust Belt, Rust Belt
U.S. STATES TEST
U.S. PHYSICAL FEATURES QUIZ
HONORS WORLD
GEOGRAPHY
MEXICO & THE
CARIBBEAN
SECT. 1: GEOGRAPHY OF MEXICO
• Mexico’s physical setting is dominated by
mountains. There are two main sets of
mountains:
– Sierra Madre Occidental- extend along the
western coast of Mexico
– Sierra Madre Oriental- run along the eastern
coast with the Gulf of Mexico
*** Sierra Madre means “mother range”
• Between the Sierra Madres lies Mexico’s central
plateau- area of high, flat land. This plateau is
the heartland region of Mexico.
• This central plateau region is the heartland due to
several factors:
– Most populated region in Mexico
– Southern part of the plateau is home to 4/5’s
(80%) of Mexico’s population
– Country’s richest, most fertile land is here
• There is, however, another side of the central
plateau. It is VERY unstable. Four major plates
converge below this region. Active volcanoes, as
well as earthquakes, are common here.
• In spite of these natural hazards, the central plateau
has one feature that makes it extremely attractive
to so many. The climate of the region is very mild
year round. Temperatures range between the low
to upper 70s throughout the year.
• Mexico also has 4 distinct coastal regions:
– Northern Pacific Coast- dry, hot and thinly
populated. The Peninsula named Baja California
is the main part of this region.
– Southern Pacific Coast- Home to a small
mountain range called the Sierra Madre del Sur.
Main activity here is tourism, due to the natural
settings and climate.
– Gulf Coast Plain- very important region in Mexico
due to inland and offshore deposits of natural gas
and petroleum
– Yucatan Peninsula- generally flat land that is full
of limestone. Underground caverns and
sinkholes are common. This area is a haven for
tourists and is rich in history (Mayans/ruins).
POLITICAL MAP OF MEXICO
PHYSICAL MAP OF MEXICO
LAND OF MEXICO
DEFINE/IDENTIFY THE FOLLOWING:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Archipelago
Cash crop
Ejidos
Guerilla warfare
Hacienda
Petroleum
Isthmus
Land redistribution
Latifundio
leeward
Maquiladora
Migrant worker
Peninsula
Plateau
Subsistence farming
Windward
NAFTA
INTRO ?’s FOR SECTION 2
1. Why is Hernan Cortes significant to Mexican
history?
2. Name and describe the four Spanish social classes
that existed in Mexico/CA/Caribbean.
3. Describe, in full, the Mexican revolution.
4. Describe both rural and urban life in Mexico.
SECT. 2: PLACE OF THREE CULTURES
*** Info picks up immediately following sect. 2
questions!!
• Economically, Mexico is stronger today than at any
other point in their history. Continuing to improve
social conditions will continue to make the
economy even stronger.
• There are three economic activities considered to
be of great importance to the country:
– Petroleum- great oil reserves lie off
Mexico’s gulf coast (Gulf Coastal Plain)
– Tourism- climate, scenery, beaches, and a
rich cultural history make this prosperous
and profitable (Yucatan and Southern
Pacific Coast)
– Maquiladoras- factories along the
US/Mexican border that assemble products
to be sold in the US (NAFTA has greatly
influenced this and is a small source of
tension with Americans due to jobs lost)
CHAPTER 11: CA & THE CARIBBEAN
SECT. 1: CENTRAL AMERICA
• Central America curves between the giant land
masses of North and South America. Central
America is an isthmus- narrow strip of land with
water on both sides that connects two larger land
masses
• The countries of Central America are:
– Belize
– Guatemala
– Honduras
– El Salvador
- Nicaragua
- Costa Rica
- Panama
POLITICAL MAP OF CENTRAL AMERICA
• Central America consists of three main landform
regions:
– Mountainous Core- rugged terrain that makes
travel very difficult; has active volcanoes and
both spring/winter climates
– Caribbean Lowlands- on the eastern side of CA
and has a tropical wet and dry climate; much of
the area is covered in rain forests
– Pacific Coastal Plain- on the western side of CA
and also has a tropical wet and dry climate; area
is dominated by savannas (grasslands) and the
ground is very fertile due to past lava flow and
volcanic ash deposits
PHYSICAL MAP OF CENTRAL AMERICA
• The biggest climate/weather threat faced by CA is that
of hurricanes.
• Ethnic groups of CA are very diverse due to indigenous,
as well foreign, peoples:
– Indians- have lived in CA longest and the largest
portion live in today’s country of Guatemala
– Europeans/Mestizos- Europeans of Spanish descent
and Mestizos (people of mixed European/Indian
descent) are a large population base; largest
European population is in Costa Rica and Mestizos
are most found in Nicaragua and El Salvador
– African- most are descended from slaves and their
population is prominent throughout the Caribbean
islands
• Two-thirds of Central Americans are very poor with
little hope for improvement. The remaining
population consists of a middle class and a very
small wealthy class.
• The major economic activity in CA is farming. Cash
crops are most abundant and include the likes of
coffee, bananas, and cotton. These cash crops
account for over half of Central America’s income
from exports.
• Political conflict and fighting have also troubled CA.
A shortage of available farmland is often the cause
of much of this tension.
CENTRAL AMERICA
SECT. 2: CARIBBEAN ISLANDS
• The Caribbean Islands consist of three main groups:
the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the
Bahamas.
• The Greater Antilles includes Cuba, Jamaica,
Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), and
Puerto Rico.
• The Bahamas are an archipelago and includes
nearly 700 islands northeast of Cuba.
POLITICAL MAP OF THE CARIBBEAN
PHYSICAL MAP OF THE CARIBBEAN
• The Lesser Antilles are made up of the remaining
islands in the Caribbean that separate the
Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. A few
islands hug the northern coast of South America.
• There are two types of Caribbean islands:
– Volcanic- tops of volcanic mountains that pushed
up from the ocean floor
– Coral- created by the remains of the tiny sea
animals called coral polyps that have formed
coral reefs over time (Bahamas are an example)
• The Caribbean climate is tropical. The sea and the
wind, however, keep the temperatures rather mild
and very enjoyable year round.
• Most of the Caribbean population is descended
from former enslaved Africans, Europeans, and
Native Americans.
• Caribbean culture has been greatly influenced by
African roots. One example is calypso- music
featuring lyrics and satire set to a rhythmic beat
and accompanied by steel drums.
• Agriculture remains the main economic activity of
the Caribbean, particularly crops like sugar,
bananas, rice, and cotton.
• Tourism is also big, but locals see few rewards.
Most hotels, airlines, cruise ships, and resorts are
foreign owned. As a result, locals see few rewards.
• Migration to the U.S. is somewhat common for
people in the Caribbean. NYC is home to many
Puerto Rican migrants.
• One country in the Caribbean, that is basically a
loner, is Cuba. Fidel Castro took control of Cuba in
1959 and set up a communist government. Due to
communism, the U.S. has no real relationship with
Cuba.
• The poorest Caribbean nation may well be Haiti.
Eighty percent (80%) of the nation’s population
lives in poverty.
GEOGRAPHY OF THE CARIBBEAN