ap human geography Latin America Unit notes and spiral notes – Flashcards
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Middle America
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Land between U.S and South America along with the islands of the Caribbean
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Why do Geographers tend to separate Middle and South America?
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1. Iberian heritage and catholic religion apply more strongly to south america. 2. More colonial powers left their inprint in middle america 3. Middle america has large populations of people with african, asian, and european ancestries. 4. Middle america is more culturally diverse 5. Carribean has a variety of political structures.
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Middle America vs Central America
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MA is a sub realm consisting of 4 regions. Central America is one of those 4 regions.
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4 Regions of Middle America
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Mexico, Central America, Greater Antilles, and the Lesser Andtilles
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States of Central America
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Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama
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Greater Antilles
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The larger islands of the Caribbean. Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica
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Lesser Antilles
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The smaller islands of the Carribbean, Dominica
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Climates of Middle America
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A,B, and C
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Amerindian
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Pure, indigenous natives of Middle America
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Mestizo
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European and Amerindian
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Mestizo/African
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African and Mestizo
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African
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WHAT DO YOU THINK
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Mulatto
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African and European
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Ecumene of Middle America
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Mexico City
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Sierra Madre
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Mountain chain that goes through Central America (WHICH IS A REGION) to South America
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Ring of Fire
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Volcanic mountains that encircle the Pacific Ocean, Middle and South America is part of it
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Altitudinal Zonation
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Zonations of climates based on elevation
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IMPORTANT
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3.5 degree F drop in temperature occurs every 100 ft
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Tierra Caliente
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Seal level-2,500 ft. Humid tropical lowlands on the coastal plains. Tropical rain forests and agriculture: Bananas and sugar
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Tierra Templada (Temperate)
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2,500-6,000 ft. Most populated area of Latin America due to mild-cool temperatures. Coffee, Corn, Wheat.
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Tierra Fria
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6,000-12,000. Highest zone found in Middle America. Barley, wheat, potatoes, corn. Incas. Up to the treeline.
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Tierra Helada
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12,000-15,000 ft. Above tree line. Cold, Barren, has grasses for sheep grazing
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Tierra Nevada
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15,000 ft+. Permanent snow and ice.
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John Augelli
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Identified a EURO-AMERINDIAN Mainland and a EURO-AFRICAN Rimland in Middle America
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Rimland Info
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Various European colonies, Lowlands=Tierra Caliente, mulatto population, Plantation economy/agriculture
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Plantation
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Norther European institution, foreign ownership, commercial agriculture, African slave labor, seasonal labor, single crop (cash), efficient like a factory.
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Mainland Info
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Spanish colonies, Highlands, Mestizos, Isolated
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Hacienda Economy
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Spanish institution, larger personal estates, self-sufficient agriculture, share cropping by Amerindians/landless peasants, many crops and animals, inefficient. Currently: U.S companies
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Ejidos
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Mexican farms that were communally owned and tended by the inhabitants of a village or an individual or cooperative basis. Currently: Economic and political liability, land reform through ejidos, more specialization.
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Acculturation
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Adoption of cultural traits as a result of being influenced by another culture.
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Transculturation
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Expansion of cultural traits through diffusion, adoption, etc. This along with acculturation explain the complex cultures of Middle America.
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Mulattos dominate...
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Caribbean island and coast
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Mestizos dominate...
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Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua
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Europeans dominate...
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Southern part of Central America
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Chiapas,Mexico Situation
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The indigenous people of Chiapas, Mexico once had fertile soil to produce crops, but were relocated after the Spanish Conquest to the highlands, where soil was not fit for agriculture. They were left extremely poor in the considered worthless highland area, until in 1974, Mexico discovered oil and energy sources in their homes, leaving the people nowhere to go. Uprising and rebellion began on Jan 1, 1994, the first day the NAFTA would be in affect by the Zapatista National Liberation Army. Chiapas will be balkanized, despite how much wealth it has?
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Five Nations of Mexico
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Metromex, Mexamerica, South Mexico, Club Mex, New Spain
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Metromex
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Mexico City, federal district, surrounding state of Mexico (Circle Dot on map). More than a quarter of Mexico's 100 million people live in this area. Mexico City is at 7000 ft above sea level, giving conditions that along with the city's heavy industrial activity, produced some of the world's worst pollution.
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Mexamerica
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Northern half of Mexico and extends into the U.S to have Los Angeles, Albuquerque, and San Antonio. Major Mexican cities include Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Monterrey, and Nuevo Laredo. Maquiladoras here.
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New Spain
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Traditional Mexico due to once being the hearth of Mesoamerica. Breadbasket due to lots of rainfall, overpopulated.
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South Mexico
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Poor, agricultural, Amerindian. Chiapas.
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Club Mex
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Small dots on map. Resort enclaves. TOURISM
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In Latin America...
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17% of of landholders own 90% of arable land.
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Root cause of conflict in this realm
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Unequal distribution of land-hacienda system
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Guatemala issues
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Due to distribution of land. 1952, Jacobo Arbenz accidentally expropriated land from the United Fruit Company through a agrarian reform law. A coup detat followed and Arbenz later resigned to be later replaced by a militarized state that reversed the land reform from Arbenz, leaving land distribution worse off than before. Led to Guerrilla movements, which formed the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity.
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Mexico
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Dominates the realm with 70% of land, 50% of realm's population 2/3 of the realm's total economic activity.
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Mexican Physical Barriers
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Sierra Madre Oriental and Occidental, Sierra Madre del sur, Plateau of Mexico, Valley of Mexico
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Mexican Climate
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Dry, 12% of land receives adequate rain fall, more tropical in south and east.
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Mexico's ethnic group population
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60% Mestizo, 30% Amerindian, 8% European
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Mexico historical geography facts
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Mesoamerican cultural hearth. Aztecs Spanish colony Hacienda system of land tenure 1900: more than 8,000 haciendas covered 40% of all land 96% of all rural families were landless, working on haciendas independence from Spain in 1810 Mexican Revolution 1910-1917 Emiliano Zapata Since 1917 about 50% of farmland redistributed as ejidos
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Central America Physical Geography
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Small area and populations, highland spine. fertile volcanic areas, two gaps in mountain spine, coastal lowlands wider in the east- hot, wet, leached soils, population more dense in west or the tierra templada
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Central America Cultural Geography
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regional differences, mestizo majority
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Central America Economic Geography
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Rapid population growth: 1950: 9.3 million, 1994: 32.4 million, 2020: 65 million, unequal land tenure-hacienda system
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Central America Historical Geography
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All Spanish except Belize, Panama part of colonial Columbia
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El nino/ La nina
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Both states of weather. El nino= warm ocean currents bring moisture, wet winter in the U.S, more hurricane activity in Atlantic. La nina= cold ocean currents, bring NO moisture--> dry winters (no snow), more hurricane activity in Pacific.
