Transcript Latin America

Latin America
Map of Central and South America
Mexico
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Official Name: United Mexican
States.99 million people in Mexico.
Capital: Mexico City
Landforms: Mexican Plateau, Sierra
Madre Oriental, Sierra Madre
Occidental, Mr. Orizaba
Climate:Stubtropical. Most of
Northern Mexico is arid with desert
and dry grasslands. South is topical,
wet, humid.
Economy
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12% of land produces crop every year and
about 20% of the population farms. Maize,
beans, and squash are the staple crops.
Coffee is a major cash crop. Must import
basic food items to feed growing
population.
Industry: Food products, consumer goods,
steel, and chemicals. 2/3rds of people
employed in industrial and service jobs.
Also petroleum and tourism.
Regions of Mexico
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Northern Region:
Most prosperous
due to closeness of
the U.S. and
presence of
Maquiladoras
(foreign owned
factories).
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Southern Region:
Poorest region due
to lack of industry
and isolation from
most of country.
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Immigration: in the past ten years
10 million have crossed the borders.
Send home more than $5 billion
yearly creating Mexico’s 2nd largest
source of income.
U.S. is its major trading partner and
is a member of NAFTA.
History of Central and South
American
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Early Civilizations
• Olmecs 1200-400 B.C.
• Mayans 250-900
• Aztecs Empire 1519
• Incan Empire
1532
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By the time Christopher Columbus
had arrived Native Americans had
lived in the region for 1000’s of
years.
Emigration from Spain was
encouraged.
Many factors contributed to the
decline of the Native American
Civilizations
• Guns and Armor
European Colonization
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By late 15th Centurey Spain and Portugal
quickly settled the region.
The exerted gold and silver mines.
They brought crops, livestock, and
farming methods.
Smaller areas, islands, were settled by
French, British, and Dutch.
Major plantation crop was indigo and
banana. African slaves provided most of
its labor.
Plantations
Coffee Economy
Forest in Panama Clip
Independence
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Between 1808 and 1825 many
colonies gained independence.
Rich landowners, merchants, and
military generals merely replaced the
colonial govt.
Lives of the rural people remained
the same.
Central America
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Four major regions. Pacific plain, Caribbean
lowlands, mountains, and highlands.
Honduras is the poorest country of the Area.
Nicaragua is still recovering from the 1980’s
when we supported the Contra attempt to
overthrow the Marxist Government.
Costa Rica has the highest standard of living,
literacy rate in the region. The only democracy in
Central America and has no army.
Video of Landscape of Mexico and
Central America
Poverty in Central and South
America
Sea lions on South America’s
Coast