Ethnic Groups, Language, and
Religion
What impact did European colonization and the
African slave trade have on Latin American ethnic
groups?
*Slavery helped to build the countries in Latin
America.
*Brought by ships to the Americas, forced to work
on plantation or in mines, and businesses depended
on slavery.
*Intermarriage of people from different countries
resulted in diverse cultures.
What languages are spoken in Latin America?
Spanish and Portuguese
Where are these languages spoken?
Spanish: Central and South America, Mexico &
Caribbean Islands
Portuguese: Brazil
What influence did the Spanish and Portuguese
have on the language and religions of Latin
America?
The Europeans spread their language across
Latin America.
Spain and Portugal paid for missionaries to go to
the new world: Roman Catholic
Convert the people to Christianity
Government
Federal – Power is divided between the central
government and small divisions, such as states.
Unitary – A central government operates all
levels of government in the country (Has all
power) Examples: Cuba & Bolivia, Great Britain
& France
*A leader has the power to choose a governor
or mayor of a region or town
Confederation – voluntary association of states
or countries in which they join together in order
to solve problems or provide for their people.
Political units control their own laws.
Example: US Articles of Confederation, European
Union
Citizen Participation
Oligarchic – The power is in the hands of a few.
Autocratic – The power is in the hands of one
person.
Democratic – The power is in the hands of the
people.
Types of Democracies
Parliamentary & Presidential
Venn Diagram:
Alike: (1)Citizens elect lawmakers (2)Leader
heads the military & runs the government
Parliamentary - Different
*Parliament selects Prime Minister
*Prime Minister: leader, heads
parliament(lawmaking body), can dissolve
Parliament
*May have a head of state with little power:
king/queen
MPs(Members of Parliament) can elect new
Prime Minister
Presidential - Different
*President: leader, elected, does not make laws,
head of state, chief executive
*Legislature: lawmaking body
*President & legislature serve a fixed amount of
time
Legislature is to parliament as a president is to
prime minister.
Forms of Leadership
Brazil: President
Mexico: President
Cuba: President
Canada: Prime Minister & Monarchy
United Kingdom: Prime Minister & Monarchy
Germany: Chancellor
Australia: Prime Minister & Governor General
(Queen’s representative)
Russia: President & Prime Minister
How the leader is selected
Brazil: election (4yr. Term)
Mexico: election (6yr. Term)
Cuba: Appointed by the National Assembly of
People’s Power
Canada: MPs chose
United Kingdom: MPs chose prime minister & head
of state passed down
Germany: from the Bundestag the chancellor is
elected
How the leader is selected
Australia: leader of political party with most
votes elected prime minister
Russia: People elect president, president
appoints the prime minister who is voted on by
the State Duma
Role of the citizen in terms of voting
rights and personal freedoms
Brazil: 16-17 yr. old & over 70 may vote, 18-70
yr. old required to vote
Mexico: 18 yrs. old or older
Cuba: 16 yrs. old or older
Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, &
Russia: 18 yrs. Old or older
Economics
Traditional:
Who decides what goods are produced?
Customs and habits
Who decides how goods are produced:
Customs and habits
Who decided for whom goods are produced?
The people are handed down jobs generation to
generation. People are depended on to fulfill their
role.
Command
Who decides what goods are produced?
The government
Who decides how goods are produced?
Based on quotas the government decides
Who decided for whom goods are produced?
Government expects the workers to meet the
quotas; this could produce shortages
Market
Who decides what goods are produced?
Businesses or farms decide what it wants to
produce.
Who decides how goods are produced?
Business/farm owners
Who decided for whom goods are produced?
Consumers decide because it is based on supply
and demand.
Benefits & Barriers of Voluntary Trade
Tariffs: A tax on imports
Quotas: A limit placed on the number of imports
that may enter a country.
Embargoes: A government order stopping trade
with another country to put pressure on the
government of that other country.
Specialization: the division of labor; work is divided
into parts for workers, factories, or countries to
become expert at producing certain goods.
Currency Exchanges: when one money is truned
into another type of money
GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT
Gross: consisting of an overall total exclusive of
deductions
Domestic: relating or originating within a
country
Product: something produced
GDP:
The total value of the goods and services
produced by the people of a nation during a
year not including the value of income earned in
foreign countries.