World Geography Chapter 9 – Flashcards
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what landforms does Latin America have?
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highlands, lowlands, mountains and plains
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Latin America's most remarkable physical features
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The Andes Mountains and the Amazon River
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how much area does Latin America cover?
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Latin America spans 7,000 miles
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what is included in the area of Latin America
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from US-Mexico border to Tierra del Fuego - part of North America, all of Central and South America, Caribbean
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What are the Andes Mountains?
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South American range along western side of continent
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What is included in the Andes Mountains?
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part of a chain that includes Rockies in US, Sierra Madre in Mexico
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What is the Andes Mountains a barrier to?
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a barrier to interior forced settlement along eastern, northern coasts
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What was the Andes Mountains once home to?
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once home to Inca civilization in Peru; it has many active volcanoes
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What are the highlands?
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mountainous or hilly areas of country
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What are in the northeast section of South America?
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Guiana Highlands
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What areas do the highlands cover?
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parts of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana
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Where are the Brazilian Highlands located?
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along the coast of Brazil
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Plains of Latin America
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Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela; Plains of Amazon River Basin; Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay
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Areas in Latin America for Grain and Livestock
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Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela; Plains of Amazon River Basin; Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay
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Describe the Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela
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Llanos - grassy, treeless areas used for livestock grazing, farming - similar to the Great Plains of US or pampas of Argentina
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Describe the Amazon River Basin
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Cerrado - flat savannas with moderate rainfall, good for farming - found in interior of Brazil, mostly undeveloped
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Describe the Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay
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Pampas - areas of grassland, rich soil, used for cattle and wheat - home to gaucho culture centered on horsemen
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Central America;Caribbean is bordered by what?
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bordered by water, fewer river systems - North America's Rio Grande forms border between US and Mexico - less dependent on rivers for transportation than South America
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How long is the Orinoco River?
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it is 1,500 miles through northern South America to Atlantic
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Where does the Orinoco River flow?
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flows partly along Venezuela-Colombia border, drains interior lands
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What is the Orinoco River home to?
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home to continent's few remaining native peoples
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How long is the Amazon River?
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flows 4,000 miles, from west to east, to Atlantic
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Where does the Amazon start?
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branches start in Andes
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How many tributaries feed into the Amazon?
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fed by over 1,000 tributaries and carries more water than next weven largest rivers combined
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How long is the Parana River and where does it start?
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3,000 miles, starts and Brazilian highlands
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Where does the Parana River flow?
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flows south an dest through Paraguay, Argentina, turns eastward
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Where is the Parana River located?
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between Argentina and Uruguay becomes estuary Rio de la Plata
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wide lower course of river where its current is met by tides
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estuary
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Major islands of the Caribbean
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Columbus and the West Indies; Bahamas; The Greater Antilles; The Lesser Antilles;
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What is included in the West Indies?
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Bahamas; Greater Antilles; Lesser Antilles - it's the site of Columbus' landing; later Spanish base for mainland conquest
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Describe the Bahamas
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hundreds of islands off southern Florida, north of Cuba
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What is the capital of the Bahamas
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Nassau is largest city and capital
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Describe the Greater Antilles
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larger islands in Caribbean
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What islands are in the Greater Antilles?
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Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico
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What is Hispaniola divided between?
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Haiti, and Dominican Republic
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Describe the Lesser Antilles?
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smaller islands of southeast of Puerto Rico
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islands that face winds that blow across them
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windward islands
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islands that are shletered from prevailing northeasterlies
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leeward islands
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Why is Latin America described as a treasure house?
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region is rich with minerals, energy resources, agriculture, forests
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Mineral Resources of Latin America
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gold, silver, iron, copper, bauxite (aluminum ore), lead, nickel - also precious gems, tin, titanium, tungsten
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What is South America a world leader in?
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South America is a world leader in mining, exporting raw materials
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Example of exports of South America
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Jamaica used to be plantation economy (bananas, sugar) - began bauxite mining to reduce dependency on agriculture, tourism
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What energy resources ar plentiful in Latin America?
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oil, coal, natural gas, uranium, hydroelectric power are plentiful
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What is Brazil rich in?
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hydroelectric power (from rivers, waterfalls), oil, gas
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What resources does Trinidad have?
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natural gas; major exporter of methanol, ammonia
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What resources does Venezuela and Mexico have?
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major oil deposits, export oil to the world
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What climates does Latin America have?
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Latin America has a variety of clmates, from the cold peaks of the Andes to the Amazon rain forest
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What type of vegetation does Latin America have?
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it ranges from grasslands to the largest rain forest in the world
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What 3 factors produce the borad range of climates and vegetation in Latin America?
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1. it spans great distances on either side of the equator 2. it has big changes in elevation due to the mountains 3. its climate's affected by both warm Atlantic, cold Pacific currents
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2 Tropical Climate Zones
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Tropical Wet and Tropical Wet and Dry
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Tropical Wet Zone consists of what?
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the rain forests
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describe the rain forests
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dense forests with different species of trees
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how is the temperature in the rain forest
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hot and rainy all year
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what kind of ecosystem does the rain forest have?
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unique ecosystem-community of plants, animals living in balance
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What is the largest rain forest in Latin America?
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the largest is Brazil's Amazon rain forest with 2 million square miles
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What is found in Brazil's Amazon rain forest?
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2,500 types of Amazon trees; animals include anaconda, jaguar, piranha
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The Tropical Wet and Dry zone consist of?
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Savannas found in Brazil, Colombia, Argentina
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What is the temperature like?
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hot with seasonal rain
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What are the two dry climate zones in Latin America?
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semiarid and desert
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What is the climate of the semiarid zone?
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dry climate with some rain
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where is the semiarid zone found?
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it's found in Mexico, Brazil, Usuguay, Argentina
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What is the semiarid zone home to?
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vast, grass-covered plains or desert shrubs
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Where is the desert found?
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the desert is found in north Mexico, coast of Peru, north Chile's Atacama Desert (parts of Argentina's sourthern Patagonia are desert)
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What is the vegetation in the desert?
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vegetation is mostly shrubs growing in gravel or sand
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Four mid-latitude climate zones
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Humid Subtropical; mediterranean; marine west coast and highlands
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what is the climate of the humid subtropical zone?
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rainy winters and hot, humid summers; varied vegetation
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what areas are included in the humid subtropical zone?
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parts of Paraguay, Uruguay, south Brazil and Bolivia, north Argentina
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What is the climate of Mediterranean?
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hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters; this is the climate of parrt of Chile along the west coast which is similar to that of California
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what is the vegetation of the mediterranean
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chaparral (Drought resistant treest)
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What is the climate of the marine west coast?
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cool, rainy winters and mild, rainy summers; forest vegetation
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where does the climate of the marine west coast occur?
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in southern Chile and Argentina and is similar to the climate of Oregon or Washington
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what is the climate of the highlands?
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varies from moderate to cold due to elevation, wind, sun, landscape
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where do you find the highland climate?
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in mountains of Mexico and South America
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How have the people of Latin America altered the land?
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through agriculture and urbanization
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what is having a growing impact on the environment of Latin America?
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tourism
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Examples of how Human-Environment interaction has reshaped the environment?
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slash-and-burn; terraced farming;
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What is slash-and-burn?
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cut trees, brush, grass; burn debris to clear fields
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Who uses slash-and-burn?
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used by native peoples today by poor farmers in Amazon basin
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What do they do when the soil is exhausted from slash-and-burn and what does it cause?
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they move to a new area and that is one reason for shrinking rain forests
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What is terraced farming?
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step-like farm fields cut into mountains, hillsides
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What are two benefits of terraced farming?
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lets crops grow on steep land and cuts down on soil erosion
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who used terraced farming?
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used by Incas in Peru, Aztecs in Mexico
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Four highly urbanized countries in Latin America
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Argentina; Chile; Uruguay; Brazil
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Why do people move to cities?
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subsistence farming barely supports people and their families and they move to cities to improve their lives
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factors that push people to leave rural areas
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push factors
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factors that pull people to cities
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pull factors
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what are push factors in Latin America?
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poor medical care; poor education; bad jobs, only rich few own land
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what are pull factors in Latin America?
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better jobs, schools, medical care
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What are six of Latin America's most populous cities in South America?
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Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil; Lima, Peru; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Bogota, Colombia; Santiago, Chile
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What is the most populous city in Latin America?
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Mexico City - it has 18-20 million in city, 30 million in greater metropolitan area
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What are some similar problems that affect cities throughout the region?
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growing slums, increasing unemployment and crime, environmental problems include air pollution, drinking water shortages
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What can't government afford?
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facilities to support population increases
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Lack of money in the government leads to what?
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failing infrastructure
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what infrastructures are failing?
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sewers, transportaiton, electricity, housing
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What are some advatanges to tourism?
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tourists spend money on souvenirs, trips and restaurants; new hotels, businesses have been built in Mexico and the Caribbean; regional ports serve cruise ships; residents work in restaurants and resorts, guide tours and activities
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What else does tourism help to do?
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reduce income gap between rich and poor
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What are some disadvantages to tourism?
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resorts built in unspoiled settings create congestion, pollution; gap between rich tourists and poor residents creates resentment; local governments run up debt to build tourist facilities; facility owners often live out of country, so profits leave the area
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what do local governments build which runs up debt?
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airports, harbors, hotels, resorts, sewage systems, shopping malls
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What is another problem of having facility owners living out of the country?
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owners make decisions that may not be in area's best interest
