+

POL 321:

Latin American Politics

Dr. Miguel Centellas

MWF 9-9:50

Holman 138

How well do

you know Latin

America?

+Cuba is the size of which US state?

A. Rhode Island

B. Ohio

C. New Jersey

D. Delaware

+Cuba is the size of which US state?

Answer: Ohio

With a total area of 42,803 square

miles, Cuba is only slightly smaller

than the state of Ohio (42,825

square miles).

Cuba is about 777 miles long.

That’s about the distance from

Oxford to Orlando, Florida.

+How many countries speak a

language other than Spanish?*

A. 1

B. 2

C. 3

D. 4

* Not including the Caribbean islands or indigenous languages

+How many countries speak a

language other than Spanish?

Answer: 4

Excluding Caribbean islands, a

(European*) language other than

Spanish is spoken in: Brazil

(Portuguese), Belize & Guyana

(English), and Suriname (Dutch).

* Indigenous languages are widely spoken in a number of countries

+Which country spends the most on

military defense?

A. Brazil

B. Colombia

C. Venezuela

D. Mexico

+Which country spends the most on

military defense?

Answer: Brazil

With military expenditures of nearly

$24 billion in 2008, Brazil is the

world’s 14th largest military budget.

That’s larger than any other country

in Latin America. It’s also larger

than Pakistan ($7.8 billion), Iran

($6.3 billion), or North Korea ($5.5

billion).

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

+What year was the last successful

military coup in the region?

A. 1973

B. 1989

C. 2000

D. 2009

+What year was the last successful

military coup in the region?

Answer: 2009

On June 28, 2009, the Honduran

military seized the country’s

president (Manuel Zelaya) and

“deported” him to Costa Rica. The

army then handed power to an

interim civilian government led by

the Speaker of Parliament (Roberto

Micheletti).

+How many countries have signed

free trade agreements with the US?

A. 1

B. 4

C. 7

D. 11

+How many countries have signed

free trade agreements with the US?

Answer: 11

NAFTA is a free trade agreement

with Mexico (and Canada).

CAFTA-DR includes Costa Rica, El

Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua,

Guatemala, and the Dominican

Republic.

The US also has bilateral free trade

deals with Colombia, Panama,

Chile, and Peru.