Chapter 9 11 Physical Geography of Latin America

Chapter 9 -11 Physical Geography of Latin America: From the Andes to the Amazon • From rain forests and mountain ranges, to deserts and savannas, Latin America • is rich with varied beauty, resources, and plant and animal life. 1

Landforms and Resources - Latin America’s landforms include highlands, lowlands, mountains, and plains. - The Andes Mountains and the Amazon River are the region’s most remarkable physical features. 2

Mountains and Highlands An Enormous Span - Latin America spans 7, 000 miles - from U. S. -Mexico border to Tierra del Fuego - part of North America, all of Central and South America, Caribbean The Andes Mountains - Andes Mountains—South American range along western side of continent - part of chain that includes Rockies in U. S. , Sierra Madre in Mexico - barrier to interior forced settlement along eastern, northern coasts - once home to Inca civilization in Peru; has many active volcanoes 3

Highlands - Highlands—mountainous or hilly areas of country - Guiana Highlands are in northeast section of South America - highlands cover parts of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana - Brazilian Highlands are located along east coast of Brazil Plains for Grain and Livestock Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela - Llanos—grassy, treeless areas used for livestock grazing, farming - similar to Great Plains of U. S. or pampas of Argentina 4

(Destionation 360. com) Plains of Amazon River Basin - Cerrado—flat savannas with moderate rainfall, good for farming - found in interior of Brazil, mostly undeveloped Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay - Pampas—areas of grassland, rich soil, used for cattle and wheat - home to gaucho culture centered on horsemen 5

The Amazon and Other Rivers Central American Rivers - Central America, Caribbean: bordered by water, fewer river systems - North America’s Rio Grande forms border between U. S. and Mexico - less dependent on rivers for transportation than South America Orinoco River - Orinoco River— 1, 500 miles through northern South America to Atlantic - flows partly along Venezuela-Colombia border, drains interior lands - home to continent’s few remaining native peoples 6

Amazon River - Amazon River—flows 4, 000 miles, from west to east, to Atlantic - branches start in Andes - fed by over 1, 000 tributaries - carries more water than next seven largest rivers combined Paraná River - Paraná River— 3, 000 miles, starts in Brazilian highlands - flows south and west through Paraguay, Argentina, turns eastward - between Argentina and Uruguay becomes estuary Rio de la Plata - Estuary—wide lower course of river where its current is met by tides 7

Major Islands of the Caribbean Columbus and the West Indies - West Indies: Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles - site of Columbus’ landing; later Spanish base for mainland conquest Bahamas - Hundreds of islands off southern Florida, north of Cuba - Nassau is largest city and capital 8

The Greater Antilles - Larger islands in Caribbean: Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico - Hispaniola divided between Haiti, Dominican Republic The Lesser Antilles - Smaller islands southeast of Puerto Rico - Windward Islands face winds that blow across them - Leeward Islands are sheltered from prevailing northeasterlies 9

Resources of Latin America A Treasure House - Region is rich with minerals, energy resources, agriculture, forests Mineral Resources - Gold, silver, iron, copper, bauxite (aluminum ore), lead, nickel - also precious gems, tin, titanium, tungsten - South America is a world leader in mining, exporting raw materials - Example: Jamaica used to be plantation economy (bananas, sugar) - began bauxite mining to reduce dependency on agriculture, tourism 10

Energy Resources - Oil, coal, natural gas, uranium, hydroelectric power is plentiful - Brazil rich in hydroelectric power (from rivers, waterfalls), oil, gas - Trinidad has natural gas; major exporter of methanol, ammonia - Venezuela, Mexico have major oil deposits, export oil to world 11

Climate and Vegetation - Latin America has a variety of climates, from the cold peaks of the Andes to the Amazon rain forest. - The vegetation of Latin America ranges from grasslands to the largest rainforest in the world. 12

A Varied Climate and Vegetation Reasons for the Variety - Latin America’s broad range of climate, vegetation due to 3 factors: - it spans great distances on either side of the equator - it has big changes in elevation due to the mountains - its climate’s affected by both warm Atlantic, cold Pacific currents 13

Tropical Climate Zones Tropical Wet - Rain forests—dense forests with different species of trees - hot and rainy all year - unique ecosystem—community of plants, animals living in balance - Largest is Brazil’s Amazon rain forest with 2 million square miles - 2, 500 types of Amazon trees - animals include anaconda, jaguar, piranha 14

Tropical Wet and Dry - Savannas found in Brazil, Colombia, Argentina - hot with seasonal rain Dry Climate Zones Semiarid - Dry climate with some rain - home to vast, grass-covered plains or desert shrubs - found in Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina Desert - Found in north Mexico, coast of Peru, north Chile’s Atacama Desert - parts of Argentina’s southern Patagonia are desert - Vegetation is mostly shrubs growing in gravel or sand 15

Mid-Latitude Climate Zones Humid Subtropical - Rainy winters and hot, humid summers; varied vegetation - parts of Paraguay, Uruguay, south Brazil and Bolivia, north Argentina Mediterranean - Hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters - vegetation is chaparral (drought-resistant trees) - this is the climate of part of Chile along the west coast - climate similar to that of California 16

Marine West Coast - Cool, rainy winters and mild, rainy summers; forest vegetation - occurs in southern Chile and Argentina - similar to the climate of Oregon or Washington - Varies from moderate to cold due to elevation, wind, sun, landscape - found in mountains of Mexico and South America 17

Human-Environment Interaction - The people of Latin America have altered the land through agriculture and urbanization. - Tourism is having a growing impact on the environment of Latin America. 18

Agriculture Reshapes the Environment Slash-and-Burn - Slash-and-burn—cut trees, brush, grass; burn debris to clear fields - used by native peoples and today by poor farmers in Amazon basin - they move to new area when soil is exhausted - one reason for shrinking rain forests 19

Terraced Farming - Terraced farming—step-like farm fields cut into mountains, hillsides - lets crops grow on steep land, cuts down on soil erosion - used by Incas in Peru, Aztecs in Mexico 20

Urbanization: The Move to the Cities From Country to City - Highly urbanized countries: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil - Subsistence farming barely supports people and their families - they move to cities to improve their lives - Push factors—factors that “push” people to leave rural areas - poor medical care, poor education, bad jobs, only rich few own land - Pull factors—factors that “pull” people to cities - better jobs, schools, medical care 21

Rapidly Growing Cities - Six of Latin America’s most populous cities are in South America - Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Lima, Peru - Buenos Aires, Argentina; Bogota, Colombia; Santiago, Chile - Most populous city in Latin America is Mexico City - 18 to 20 million in city, 30 million in greater metropolitan area 22

Rapidly Growing Cities - Similar problems affect cities throughout region - growing slums - increasing unemployment and crime - environmental problems include air pollution, drinking water shortages - Governments can’t afford facilities to support population increases - failing infrastructure—sewers, transportation, electricity, housing 23

Tourism: Positive and Negative Impacts Advantages of Tourism - Tourists spend money on souvenirs, trips, 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 - Helps reduce income gap between rich and poor 24

Disadvantages of Tourism - 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 - airports, harbors, hotels, resorts, sewage systems, shopping malls - Facility owners often live out of country, so profits leave the area - such owners make decisions that may not be in area’s best interest 25

Native Americans and the Spanish Conquest • Native peoples: ________ • Spanish conquest—Hernando Cortés landed on the Mexican coast in 1519 • Spaniards march to • Tenochtitlán (site of • Mexico City today) • conquest is complete • by 1521 Teotihuacán Ruins Planetware. com 26

Colony and Country • Gold and silver made Mexico an important part of Spanish empire • Agustín de Iturbide led 1821 Mexican independence, became emperor • In mid-1800 s Benito Juarez led reform, became president, sought: • separation of church and state, better education, and more even distribution of land. 27

• Porfirio Diaz followed Juarez; his harsh, corrupt rule lasted 30 years • Francisco Madero, Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata led revolution • 1917 constitution gave half of farmland to peasants Emersonkent. com Madero Villa Zapata 28

One-Party Rule Fox Cnn. com • Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)—new political party in 1929 brought stability, but democracy was undermined by fraud and corruption. • National Action Party’s Vicente Fox became president in 2000 • PRI’s 71 -year control ends, Mexico became more democratic • Who is the current president of Mexico? _________ Calderon 29

The Aztecs and the Spanish • Aztec empire in Valley of Mexico centered on capital, Tenochtitlán • Cortes and Spanish destroyed capital, built Mexico City on ruins • Spanish brought their own language and religion; • Indian heritage stayed strong. • Creation of a large mestizo population—mixed Spanish and Native American heritage Nndb. com 30

An Architectural Heritage • Native Americans constructed beautiful pyramid temples, palaces • Spanish built missions, huge cathedrals Clccharter. org Sacred-destinations. com 31

Economics: Cities and Factories • Population and the Cities • People moved to cities seeking better jobs • 1970 population (52 million) doubles by 2000 to 104 million people Rediff. com 32

Oil and Manufacturing • Gulf oil reserves help Mexico develop industrial economy, manufacturing with many new factories along U. S. border • Maquiladoras—factories that assemble imported materials. Export products (electronics, clothes) to U. S. • Part of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) with U. S. and Canada • Prosperity through trade is expected 33

Central America and the Caribbean • Native peoples, Europeans, and Africans have shaped the culture of this region. • The economies of the region are based primarily on agriculture and tourism. airamericancaribbean. com 34

Native and Colonial Central America • Cultural hearth—place from which important ideas spread often heartland, or place of culture’s origin. • Mayan civilization spread throughout Central America. It is unknown why the Maya abandoned many cities in 800 s. Civilization. ca 35

Mayan Influence • Built cities, temples in Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras • City-states were ruled by godkings • Center of Mayan civilization was Tikal in northern Guatemala • spread influence over region, from Mexico to El Salvador Interzone. com 36

Native and Colonial Central America • Spain ruled until mid-1800 s • United Provinces of Central America—formed in 1823 Central America declared independence from Mexico. • United Provinces split apart by late 1830 s. El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama later broke from Colombia; Belize from British Honduras. 37

Native and Colonial Caribbean • In 1492 Columbus thought he’d reached East Indies but had actually landed in the Bahamas • Spanish established sugar plantations, used Taino as forced labor • Disease, mistreatment kill many Taino • Spanish brought African slaves, who then influenced Caribbean culture 38

A Colonial Mosaic • By 1800 s Spanish, French, English, Danish, Dutch all claimed islands. • Sought profits from sugar trade, and depended slaves from Africa. 39

Caribbean Independence • First successful slave revolt took place in Haiti • Toussaint L’Ouverture led a rebellion in 1790 s, took over government • Haiti achieved independence from France in 1804 • 1898 Spanish-American War gave Cuba independence from Spain. • Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago became independent from Britain in 1962. 40 En. wikipedia. org

Farming and Trade • Sugar cane is Caribbean’s largest export crop. Also trade bananas, citrus, coffee, and spices. • Poor crop-labor pay leaves Caribbean’s percapita income very low • Central America plantations produce 10% of world’s coffee, bananas • mining and forest resources are also exported • Panama Canal cuts through land bridge, connects Atlantic, Pacific. Canal traffic makes Panama an important crossroads of world-trade. 41

Culture of Central America • Blends Native American and Spanish settlers’ influences • Spanish language, religion (Catholicism) still dominant today • Took land from natives, cleared it to plant new crops such as wheat Pnac. org 42

Popular Culture, Tourism, and Jobs • Music of the Caribbean • Trinidad’s steel drum calypso music has elements from Africa, Spain • Jamaican reggae music deals with social, and religious issues. Has roots in American, African music 43

Spanish-Speaking South America Native peoples and settlers from Spain have shaped the culture of South America. Languages • Spanish-speaking nations: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela. • Suriname is Dutch-speaking; French Guiana is part of France. 44

The Inca • Inca—great civilization built in the harsh terrain of the Andes • From their capital at Cuzco, Peru the Incas established an empire • Built 20, 000 miles-long road system that crossed mountains & deserts to link their empire Wadsworth. com 45

The Spanish Conquest • Pizarro conquered Incas for Spain; wanted Incan gold, silver • Forced natives to work mines, farms; many abused, worked to death • Moved Inca to plantations, disrupting families, communities • Spanish replaced Inca’s Quechua language, millions still speak it 46

Independence Movements • South American countries sought independence in early 1800 s • Simón Bolívar helped liberate Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia • José de San Martín leads Argentina, Chile, Peru. • Geography (mountains, rain forests) kept countries from unifying • Limited interaction meant underdevelopment, political instability Biography 4 u. com 47

Government by the Few • Since independence, many countries governed by oligarchy (government by the few) or military rule • Authoritarian rule delayed development of democracy • Effects of colonialism: strong armies, weak economies, class divisions 48

A Cultural Mosaic: Varied and Separate • South America is a complex mosaic; cultures adjacent but separate. How would Geography keep cultures separated? 49

Literature • A strong literary heritage; 20 th century novelists world famous • Colombia’s Gabriel García Márquez wins 1982 Nobel Literature prize Music • Popular music combines Indian, African, European elements • Many cities have symphonies and opera companies Goodreads. com 50

Economies of the Region • Wide variety of products due to resources, land, climate, vegetation • Colombia, Venezuela: oil reserves • Peru: fishing; Ecuador: shrimp; Bolivia: tin, zinc, copper • Argentina, Uruguay: agriculture; Paraguay: soybeans, cotton, hides 51

Chile’s Success Story • Engages in global trade; largest export is copper • Exports its produce north; harvest is during North American winter 52

Literacy in South America • Spanish-speaking South American countries have high literacy rates • better than Central America, Caribbean, Mexico, Brazil • 90% in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay with rates for women as high as men 53

Brazil • Native peoples, Portuguese, and Africans have shaped Brazil. • Brazil has the largest territory and the largest population of any country in Latin America. 54

A Divided Continent: Native Peoples and Portuguese Conquest • Treaty of Tordesillas— 1494 agreement between Spain and Portugal gave Portugal control of what would become Brazil. Line of Demarcation-Pope • 1– 5 million native Americans in area before colonists arrived in early 1500 s • No gold, silver, so colonists cleared forests for sugar plantations. Settled coast, put natives to work on plantations in interior. • Natives die of European diseases, so African slaves were brought in • Today, Brazil is mix of European, African, and native ancestry 55

Independence for Brazil • Portuguese colony from 1500 to 1822 • Napoleon invaded Portugal in 1807 • Portuguese royal court moved to Brazil • Brazil sought independence after Napoleon’s defeat in 1815 • Brazilians petition Dom Pedro, son of Portugal’s king, to rule. Dom Pedro agrees, declares independence in September 1822. En. wikipedia. org 56

• The People of Brazil • Today 200, 000 native peoples remain in Amazon rain forest • Immigrants come from Portugal, Germany, Italy, Spain, Lebanon, and Syria. Largest Japanese population outside Japan. • Language and Religion • Portuguese is spoken; largest Catholic population in world. 20% Protestant; others practice mix of African beliefs and Catholicism. 57

Brasilia: • In 1957 Oscar Niemeyer begins designing new capital set 600 miles inland in order to draw people to interior. Lonelyplanet. com 58

An Industrial Power • Driven by an abundance of natural resources: iron, bauxite, tin, manganese, gold, silver, titanium, chromite, tungsten, quartz. • electricity from power plants on numerous rivers, including Amazon • large reserves of oil, natural gas • Highly industrialized, including steel, automobile plants 59

Migration to the Cities • Vast gap between rich and poor; poor seek jobs in cities • urbanization occurs as people are pushed off land, manufacturing grows • in 1960, 22% lived in cities; in 1995, 75% lived in cities Migration to the Interior • 80% live within 200 miles of ocean, but there’s been a move inward • Interior economy is based on farming of cerrado—fertile grasslands Connectinclassrooms 2 pbworks. com 60

From Carnival to Martial Arts • Carnival—colorful feast day in Brazil and Caribbean countries. Features music of the samba—Brazilian dance with African influences • Capoeira—Brazilian martial art and dance with African origins Gocarribeanabout. com 61

City Life in Rio de Janeiro • Rio de Janeiro is cultural center of Brazil • Lovely setting: Sugarloaf Mountain, Guanabara Bay, Copacabana Beach • Poverty creates favelas (slums), crime, drug abuse 62 Vecd. org