December 1 , 2014Agenda

• Mexico• Finish Latin America

Projects

Warm-Up

Mexico City experiences frequent Smog.

Smog is air pollution caused by vehicle emissions mixing with Fog.

What can Mexico City do to decrease the pollution caused by automobiles?

Mexico

Physical Geography of MexicoWhat major physical features are

found in Mexico?

• Bodies of Water - Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of California, Caribbean Sea, Rio Grande

• Peninsulas – Yucatan, Baja California

• Mountains - Sierra Madre Occidental, Sierra Madre Oriental,

• Deserts - Chihuahua Desert, Sonora Desert

Physical Geography of Mexico

• Desert in the North• Semi-Arid in the Center• Tropical (Hot & Wet) in the South

Mexico is located on the Ring of FireMany volcanoes and earthquakes, like

Popocatepetl, and Paricutin.

Physical Geography - Natural Hazards

• Volcanoes in southern half, such as Paricutin and Popocatepetl (A 17,886ft volcano outside Mexico City)

• Earthquakes – 1985 Mexico City Quake killed 9,000 and hurt 30,000!

• Hurricanes/Typhoons on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts

• El Nino – Lead to floods or Drought

Popocatepetl day and night in 2012

Human Geography: Politics and Religion• Federal Republic, with Three Branch

System (Executive, Legislative, Judicial), much like USA.

• Many political parties: three biggest are the:

• PRI- The Institutional Revolutionary Party (started in 1929 and governed for 71 years)

• PAN- National Action Party (defeated the PRI candidate for President in 2000 and 2006)

• PRD- Party of the Democratic Revolution

• Mostly Catholic (89%)– 2nd largest Catholic population in the world. – Catholicism (Christianity) combined with Aztec

and Indian beliefs Mexico's incoming president Enrique Pena Nieto

NAFTANorth American

Free Trade Agreement

• 1994 Treaty

• Connects economies of USA, Mexico, and Canada

• reduce barriers to make trade easier

Maquiladoras

• Border factories

• Owned by foreign companies

• Mexican workers, managers

• Ship parts to Mexico

• Ship assembled products back to US for sale.

Why Do This?

Cheap Labor – Mexican workers get paid less money than Americans, for same kinds of work.

Fewer Restrictions – Fewer laws about safety and pollution in Mexico. Cheaper to run a factory.

Both good and bad – long hours and low pay, but provide jobs, especially for women

Human Geography - Urban Geography

• Rapid population growth (rural to urban migration)

• Why?• Push-Pull Factors - People

looking for jobs and services, none in country so they move to the cities

• Shantytowns – Slums without running water

– Little or no electricity – made of scrap materials

Human Geography -Demographics

• Population is 112 million• 65% Mestizo• 20-25% European (Spain)• 10% Indian• 75% live in cities• Largest city is Mexico City,

with almost 20 million people

Human Geography - Culture - Art, Music, Dance

• Art: Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo are most famous painters from Mexico• Muralists

• Literature: “Magical Realism” is a famous style, used by many Mexican authors – such as Octavio Paz.

• Music: Ranchera, Banda in north, Marimba is south, plus newer genres like Norteno, Tejano, & Pop

Human Environmental Concerns of Mexico

1. Fresh water scarce and polluted

2. Raw sewage and run-off polluting rivers in urban areas

3. Deteriorating agricultural lands

4. Air and water pollution in major cities.