World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Central America and the Caribbean
Preview
Section 1: Natural Environments
Section 2: Central America
Section 3: The Caribbean
Chapter Wrap-Up
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 1: Natural Environments
Read to Discover
• What physical processes have shaped the
landforms of Central America and the
Caribbean?
• What is the climate like in Central America
and the Caribbean?
• What natural resources and environmental
hazards are common in the region?
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 1: Natural Environments
Question
How were landforms in Central America
and the Caribbean created?
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 1: Natural Environments
The Creation of Landforms in
Central America and the Caribbean
Cause
Tectonic
Forces
Creates
Plate
Subduction
Mountains
Volcanic
Eruptions
New Islands
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 1: Natural Environments
Climates of Central America and the Caribbean
• Tropical wet and dry climates are typical.
• Temperatures are fairly constant.
• Winter is usually drier, with a summer rainy
season.
• Central American climates follow terrain—
tropical, humid climates on the Caribbean coast;
highland climates in the elevated interior; rain
shadows on the drier western slopes.
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 1: Natural Environments
Natural Resources and Environmental Hazards
Natural Resources
Environmental Hazards
• Warm, sunny climate
• Earthquakes
• Fertile soils
• Volcanic eruptions
• Rich fishing grounds
• Hurricanes
• Minerals: gold, bauxite,
nickel, oil
• Mud slides
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 2: Central America
Read to Discover
• How does Central America’s history
continue to shape the region today?
• What economic, political, and social
conditions exist in the region?
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 2: Central America
Question
What factors influenced the development of
Central America’s cultural heritage?
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 2: Central America
Central America’s Cultural Heritage
• Catholicism
• Unequal distribution of wealth
• Spanish colonists introduced
Spanish-style architecture and town planning
• Mestizos a major ethnic group
• Spanish language
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 2: Central America
Economic, Political, and Social Conditions
• Commercial export agriculture, with strong foreign influence
• Powerful families control society, government, military
• Widespread poverty and inequality causing emigration, unrest
• El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala—Violence, civil war
• Honduras—Poorest country; rough terrain, lack of
development
• Panama—Variety of conditions, from wilderness jungle to
modern industry
• Costa Rica—Greatest stability, highest standard of living
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 3: The Caribbean
Read to Discover
• What are some important events in the
history of the Caribbean?
• What cultural and population patterns are
found in the region?
• What activities support the economies of
the Caribbean countries?
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 3: The Caribbean
Important Events in Caribbean History
• Columbus’s arrival in 1492 began Spanish colonization.
• British, Dutch, and French competed for control.
• Europeans created plantations based on slave labor.
• Haiti gained independence in 1804.
• U.S. took Cuba and Puerto Rico from Spain in the
Spanish-American War of 1898.
• Many Caribbean islands remained colonies until the
mid-1900s.
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 3: The Caribbean
Question
What nations have influenced the culture of
countries in the Caribbean?
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 3: The Caribbean
Cultural Influence in the Caribbean
• African—Most countries, notably Haiti and
Jamaica
• American—Cuba, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
• Asian—Trinidad and Tobago, others
• British—Several countries
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 3: The Caribbean
Cultural Influence in the Caribbean
• Dutch—Aruba, Netherlands Antilles, others
• Caribbean Indian—Dominica, St. Vincent and
the Grenadines, Aruba, the Netherlands
Antilles, others
• French—Several countries, notably Haiti
• Spanish—Several countries, notably Cuba,
Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 3: The Caribbean
Cultural Patterns
• Mainly of European and African descent
• Asian immigrants influence some countries
(Trinidad and Tobago)
• Small Caribbean Indian population
• Language—Based on colonial history (Spanish,
English, French, Dutch, creole)
• Religion—Catholic, Protestant, African, Hindu,
Islamic
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 3: The Caribbean
Population Patterns
• 70% of the population lives in Cuba, Haiti, and
the Dominican Republic
• Largest city is Santo Domingo, the Dominican
Republic’s capital
• Rapid population growth produces
unemployment, emigration, urbanization
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Section 3: The Caribbean
Economic Activities
• Except for Cuba (command economy), market economies
dominate the region.
• Caricom, the Caribbean Community and Common Market,
was developed to promote industry and trade.
• Agricultural exports are the key activity: sugar, bananas,
cacao, citrus, spices.
• Mining is important in some countries.
• Puerto Rico has developed industry based on U.S. policies.
• Tourism is important throughout the region.
World Geography Today
Chapter 11
Chapter Wrap-Up Understanding the Main Ideas
1. What physical process has created the mountains of
Central America? How do those mountains affect climates
in Central America and the Caribbean islands?
2. How are economics and politics linked in Central America?
3. What economic activities are important in Central America?
How is the economy of the region changing?
4. How does Cuba differ economically from other Caribbean
countries?
5. What non-Caribbean countries have had the most influence
in the region? Why?