World Regional GeographyChapter 10: A Geographic Profile of Latin America
• Extent of Latin America– From Mexico south to Argentina and Chile,
together with the islands of the Caribbean Sea– Comprised of 38 countries– Spans more than 85° of latitude and 82° of longitude
• Subregions– Middle America– South America
• Population of 569 million people (2007)– Distributed mainly across “rimland” and “highland”– Region is 76% urban
10.1 Area & Population
Principal Features of Latin America
Comparison of Size and LatitudeLatin America vs. Conterminous U.S.
Population Distribution of Latin America
Population Cartogram of Latin America
• Climates and Vegetation• Elevation and Land Use• Natural Hazards in Latin America
10.2 Physical Geography & Human Adaptations
Physical Geography of Latin America
• Extraordinary climatic and biotic diversity– Tropical Rain Forest– Tropical Savanna– Humid Subtropical– Prairie– Mediterranean– Desert– Steppe
10.2.1 Climates and Vegetation
Climates of Latin America
Biomes of Latin America
• Altitudinal Zonation– Terra caliente (Hot Country)– Tierra templada (Cool Country)– Tierra fría (Cold Country)– Tierra helada (Frost Country)
• Zonation results from the fact that air temperature decreases with elevation at a normal rate of approximately 3.6°F per 1,000 feet
10.2.2 Elevation and Land Use
Altitudinal Zonation
Land Use in Latin America
Coffee Crop in Tierra Templada of Mexico
Tierra Fria in Andean South America
Paramo at 12,000 Feet in Colombian Andes
• Latin America is beset by natural hazards– Adjoins a large section of the Pacific Ring of Fire
• Violent history of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
– It fronts two seasonal hurricane regions
10.2.3 Natural Hazards in Latin America
• Unfortunate that this region came to be known as Latin America, as there were no “Latins” among its inhabitants before the end of the 15th century
• When the first Europeans arrived in 1492, the region was home to an estimated 50-100 million Native Americans
10.3 Cultural & Historical Geographies
Native American Groups and Civilizations
• Maya• Teotihuacános• Aztecs• Tarascan• Inca• Nazca• Chibcha
10.3.1 Civilizations Predating European Arrival
Maya Civilization in Tikal
Teotihuacan’s Pyramid of the Sun
Inca’s Machu Picchu in Peru
• Indigenous Language Families(Mexico and Central America)– Hokan-Siouan– Aztec-Tanoan– Oto-Manguean– Totonac– Penutian– Mayan
(South America)– Quechu-Aymaran
• European Languages– Spanish is most prevalent European language in region– Portuguese in Brazil– Some French, Dutch, and English in Caribbean
10.3.2 Languages in Latin America
Languages of Latin America
• The arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 marked the beginning of profound changes in almost every aspect of life in what would become Latin America, including:– Death (Both deliberate and unintended)– European settlement patterns and development of ports– Development of agricultural districts– Increased volume of trade products shipped overseas– European-introduced horses, cattle, sheep, donkeys,
wheat, sugarcane, coffee, and bananas– Labor provided by the arrival of slave ships– Discovery of gold and silver by Europeans led to opening
or reopening of mines– Introduction of Catholicism
10.3.3 The European Conquest
Corn in Oaxaca, Mexico
Zocalo of Mexico City
Cave Offering of Q’eqchi’ Maya in Guatemala
• Majority of Latin Americans are of mixed heritage• In addition to the Native Americans, there are
four leading racial types:– Europeans– Blacks– Mestizos– Mulattoes
• Only Argentina, Uruguay & Costa Rica have significant white European ethnic groups
10.3.4 Ethnicity in Latin America
Many Faces of Latin America
European
Mestizo
Black
Mulatto
• Latin America is generally a region of LDCs– People do not enjoy a high standard of living– One-third of population lives in poverty
• Large gap between the “Haves” and “Have-Nots”– Glitter of Metropolises vs. Shantytowns (Favelas / Barrios)
• Benefited from global boom in commodities– Abundance of raw materials– Poverty and unemployment have diminished in
recent years
• Heavy borrowing from international bankingcommunity
• Recent push to move away from raw materialstoward manufactured exports
10.4 Economic Geography
Shantytown of Belen in Iquitos, Peru
• In many countries, more than half of all export revenue is still derived from farm products
• Overreliance on a narrow range of exports makes these countries economically vulnerable to changes in market conditions– “Banana Republics”
10.4.1 Commercial Agriculture
• Farms are classified by size and system of production– Latifundia
• Large estates with strong commercial orientation• Also called haciendas and plantations
– Minifundia• Smaller holdings with a strong subsistence component• Generally, people who lack the money to purchase large
and fertile properties– Usually marginal plots, often on sharecropping basis
10.4.2 Types of Farms
Henequen Plants on Plantation in Yucatan
Market Scene in Mexico
• Latin America is a large-scale producer of a small number of key minerals– Few nations gain large revenues from exporting these minerals
• Chile (largest copper producer in the world)• Venezuela and Brazil (iron ore)
– Venezuela was a founding member of OPEC in 1961– Some of profit from mineral production has funded significant
infrastructure, including roads, power stations, water systems, schools, and hospitals
10.4.3 Minerals and Mining
• Many countries have formed or joined free-trade agreements, trying to reduce their dependence on raw materials and boost their exports of value-added manufactured products
• Free-Trade Agreements (FTAs)– Mercosur
• Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay– Andean Community
• Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru– Union of South American Nations
• Modeled after the EU (Mercosur & Andean Community)– DR-CAFTA– Central American Common Market– CARICOM– Plans for Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
• Maquiladora Program in Mexico
10.4.4 Free Trade Agreements
Economic Associations of Latin America
“Panama Hats” from Ecuador
• Immigrant Workers– Remittances
• Earned savings sent home by people working abroad, especially in the United States
– Multi-Latina Companies• Some experienced workers return to their home
countries to establish companies that invest inthe U.S.
• Aiding the revival of certain down-troddensectors of U.S. economy, including cementand steel mills
10.4.5 Sending Money Home
• Tourism has become a major regional economic asset, generating critical foreign exchange– Only oil exports are more valuable
• Tourism revenues reflect distance-decay relationship– Highest tourism receipts flow to Mexico, the nearest
neighbor to the wealthy countries
– Tourism revenues fall off for more distant destinations
10.4.6 Tourism in Latin America
Castaway Cay, An Island Owned by Disney
• The U.S. has staked its geostrategic claim to the region– Monroe Doctrine (1823)
– Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine (1904)
– Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
– Bay of Pigs Invasion
– Trading with the Enemies Act
– Plan Patriot
– Washington Consensus
• Modern U.S. Interests in Latin America– Promoting trade
– Fighting drug trafficking
– Guaranteeing secure access to oil
10.5 Geopolitical Issues
Panama Canal Saves Distance, Time & Money
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