Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
In this section you will:
• Find out what Latin America’s most important natural resources are.
• Learn why depending on a one-resource economy has been a problem for Latin American nations.
Objectives
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
Key Terms
• natural resources (NACH ur ul REE sawrs uz) n. things found in nature that people can use to meet their needs
• hydroelectricity (hy droh ee lek TRIS ih tee) n. electric power produced by rushing water
• one-resource economy (wun REE sawrs ih KAHN uh mee) n. an economy that is based largely on one resource or crop
• diversify (duh VUR suh fy) v. to add variety
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
Latin America: Political
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
Latin America’s natural resources are as varied as its physical features and its climate.
Natural resources are important to a country’s economy because they can be sold to other countries or used to make products that can be sold.
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
Mexico’s Natural Resources
Minerals • silver and gold
• copper and iron ore
• other minerals
Fossil Fuels • coal
• natural gas
• oil
Forests • cover nearly a quarter of Mexico’s land
• are turned into lumber and paper products
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
Central America’s Natural Resources
Rich soil and a good climate; used to grow:
• bananas
• cacao
• coffee
• cotton
• sugar cane
Seafood • fish
• shellfish
Water • dams built on rivers create hydroelectricity
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
Hydroelectric Plants in Latin America
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
The Caribbean’s Natural Resources
Rich soil and a good climate; used to grow:
• bananas
• cacao
• citrus fruits
• coffee
• sugar cane
Minerals • bauxite in Jamaica
• nickel in Cuba and the Dominican Republic
Fossil Fuels • oil in Trinidad
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
South America’s Natural Resources
Rich soil and a good climate; used to grow:
• coffee in Brazil and Colombia• cotton• rice • sugar cane• wheat in Argentina
Minerals • gold• copper and tin• bauxite and iron ore
Fossil Fuels • oil in Venezuela and other countries
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
South America’s Natural Resources (Continued)
Seafood • tuna, anchovies, and other species of saltwater fish
• shellfish such as shrimp• freshwater fish
Forests • cover half the continent• mahogany and rosewood used to make
fine furniture• rain forest plants used to make medicine
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
Latin America: Natural Resources
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
Some countries do not have the money they need to develop all of their resources.
While some Latin American countries have many resources, others have few.
One-resource economies have been developed in some countries.
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
One-resource economies can be a problem because:
• global prices for a resource or crop can decline as a result of overproduction or increased production by other countries.
• hurricanes, droughts, and plant diseases can wipe out a nation’s crops.
• El Niño can damage a nation’s fishing industry.
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
If global prices for a resource or crop decline, or if a country loses its resource or crop to bad weather, less money flows into a nation’s economy.
If a country does not have any other resources or crops to sell, it is left with few other sources of income, and its citizens suffer financially.
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
• tin in Bolivia
• copper in Chile
• coffee in Guatemala
• oil in Mexico
• the fishing industry in Peru
Past global price drops or losses of a resource that hurt a nation’s economy include:
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
Resources and Land Use
Chapter 16 Section 3
Latin American countries learned the risks of one-resource economies and began to diversify in the 1960s and1970s.
Today, many countries are diversifying by building factories to make products, growing more than one crop, promoting tourism, or investing in industry.
