Describe the pictures to the left.Explain what is significant about each of the pictures.How do these pictures relate to the Latin American unit?How do these pictures relate to the Red Goes Green initiative?

Latin America: Climates and People

Pages 443-447

Tropical Climate

75% of Latin America lies in the tropics

Tropical wet climate: Amazon Basin, some Caribbean islands, parts of Central America

Much of Latin America has a wet and dry climate

Half the year is rainy/other half is dry

Lowlands of Mexico, western Central America, southern Brazil

Other Climates

TemperateParaguay, UruguayWarm and cool season

Dry ClimatesNorthern Mexico, ArgentinaBaja PeninsulaAtacama Desert in Chile is VERY dry

Natural Resources

Gold and silver: Brazil, Mexico, Peru

Copper: Chile

Oil: Mexico and Venezuela

Cash crops: bananas, sugar, tobacco, coffee, rubber

Peoples of Latin America80 million Native Americans lived in Western Hemisphere before ColumbusMestizos: People of mixed European and Native American ancestryAfricans: brought as slaves between 1500-1800Millions of American Indians speak their native languages still todayMost Latin Americans are Roman Catholic.Variety of ethnicities and culturesMost spoken language = SpanishBrazilians speak Portuguese, though

Population Patterns

Concentration of people in temperate highland areas and coastal plains

Only 6% of Latin America is suitable for farming

Interior region: Native American and/or mestizo culture

European culture in the cities

Has over 500 million people living there