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