Transcript vertical climate zone

UNIT 3: LATIN AMERICA
CHAPTER 7: MEXICO
Why is the Mexican Plateau considered the heartland of
Mexico?
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
▪ MX is southern most country in
N. America
▪ Connects N. and S. America
▪ LAND BRIDGE: strip of land
that connects 2 larger
landmasses
▪ West is part of Ring of Fire--seismic activity
LANDFORMS
▪ Sierra Madre Occidental:
northwestern edge
▪ Has the Barranca del Cobre
▪ Sierra Madre Oriental:
southern extension of the
Rockies
▪ Mexican Plateau rests btwn
▪ 2 parts: Mesa del Norte
(largest) and Mesa Central
(good for growing grain)
WATER SYSTEMS
▪ Rio Grande
▪ Lerma River feeds into Lake
Chapala (largest natural lake in
MX)
▪ Gulf of Mexico on east side
▪ Gulf of California in west side
(separates Baja Peninsula)
CLIMATE
▪ 3 factors in MX climate: highpressure systems, northeast
trade winds, and …
▪ VERTICAL CLIMATE ZONE:
occurs as elevation increases;
has own natural vegetation and
crops
▪ N. and cent. MX are dry
▪ Chaparral biome: cacti, shrubs
SECTION 2: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
HISTORY
▪ North: seminomadic ppl; huntergatherer
▪ Tarahumara
▪ South: more diverse
▪ Maya were one of the earliest and
largest civs in MX
▪ Aztec in Central MX
▪ Capital: Tenochtitlán (present-day
Mexico City)
▪ Conquered by Spanish in early
1500s
HISTORY CONT
▪ Land divided among Spanish
settlers
▪ Began growing CASH CROPS:
grown to be sold or traded
▪ Cacao and maize were big
▪ Ruled by Spain for more than 3
centuries
HIST CONT
▪ Late 1700s: ppl begin to protest
European rule
▪ 1821: MX is first to win
independence from Spain
▪ Power struggles led to rise of
CAUDILLOS: military dictators
HIST CONT.
▪ Mexican Revolution in early 1900s
▪ New constitution in 1917
▪ Established federal republic: has 3
branches; president serves 6 year
term
▪ 1929: Partido Revolucionario
Institucional (PRI) elected into
power
▪ Establishes a corrupt monopoly
▪ Hold power for 70 years
▪ Back in power today
HIST CONT
▪ Today, drug cartels are the big
issue
▪ Creates internal warfare
▪ Corruption is still a huge
problem
HIST CONT
▪ MESTIZO: blend of Spanish
and indigenous
▪ Spanish brought Catholicism
▪ SYNCRETISM: blending of
beliefs and practices from
different religions into one
faith
POPULATION
▪ 78% of ppl in MX live in urban
areas
▪ Mexico city is a megalopolis
▪ It is a PRIMATE CITY: city that
dominates a country’s
economy, culture, and govt
and in which pop. is
concentrated; usually the
capital
ECONOMICS
▪ Mexico has highest standard of
living in Latin America
▪ GDP is 11th highest in world
▪ Avg income per capita: $15,000
▪ Huge gap btwn wealthy and
poor
▪ Very economically diverse
NAFTA
▪ Signed 1992
▪ Mexico worried about
dependence on U.S.
▪ U.S. worried about
OUTSOURCING: subcontracting
work to foreign workers
▪ MAQUILADORAS: in Mexico, a
manufacturing plant owned by a
foreign company
▪ FREE TRADE ZONE: area in
which trade restrictions do not
apply