Latin America

Additional Notes

Factors Controlling Climate

1. Latitude

2.Altitude, or elevation1. Temperature 2. Orographic effect

3. Proximity to water4. Prevailing wind direction5. Cool or warm ocean

currents

Elevation and ClimateSee Chart Page 208

• Environments in the Andes change with elevation– Tierra Caliente

• Lower than 3,000 ft.– Tierra Templada

• 3,000 to 6,000 ft.– Tierra Fria

• 6,000 to 10,000 ft.– Paramo

• 10,000 to 16,000 ft.– Tierra Helada

• Above 16,000 ft.

• Tierra Caliente– The Hot land– Tropical crops

• Bananas• Cacao• Rice• Sugarcane• Pineapple

• Tierra Templada– Temperate land– Many people live in this

zone– Staple crops

• Coffee, corn, wheat, cotton, potatoes, tobacco

• Some tropical crops

• Tierra Fria– Cool Land– Cool forests and

grasslands– Staple Crops

• Potatoes, wheat, oats, barley, beans, corn, rye

• Paramo– Above the tree line– Frost may occur any

night of the year– Altiplano– Hardy crops and herding

• Potatoes, grasslands• Sheep, Llamas, Alpacas

• Tierra Helada– Above the snow line– Of little use for human

habitation

Issues of Development• Developing countries

1. Traditional2. Rural (high % in

agriculture)3. Subsistence agriculture

and nomadic herding• w/hunting and gathering

4. Simple technology5. Muscle power

6. Localized (dual) economy• cash crops and minerals• gray economy

• Developed countries1. Modern2. Urban (less than 10% in

agriculture)3. Commercial agriculture,

fishing, grazing, forestry

4. Complex technology5. Machine power &

manufacturing6. Global economy

More Comparisons• Developing countries

1. Low GNP/GDP2. Low life expectancy3. High infant mortality rate4. Substandard education

and literacy5. Poor infrastructure and

communications6. Shortage of capital7. Unstable, ineffective

government systems8. High Population Growth

rates

• Developed countries1. High GNP/GDP2. Life expectancies above

65 years3. Low infant mortality4. Highly developed

education systems5. Extensive transportation

and communications 6. Large financial sectors7. Democratic government

systems8. Stable Population

Barriers to development in Latin America

• Shortage of capital to develop resources and industry– High overseas debt

• Low literacy rates due to fewer children actively pursuing their education at the elementary and older age groups

• Many people trapped in cycle of poverty• Unstable, often ineffective or corrupt

governments• Exploding population

Tourism

Pros• Revenue is generated from

the money tourists spend for hotels, meals, transportation and other entertainment

• This revenue creates job for the host country

• For some countries tourism may be the only chance for true development

Cons• Can cause overcrowding• Much of the revenue may flow

out of the country– to travel agents– construction companies

• It can disrupt cultures– Cheap trinkets vs. real

handcrafts– Shell necklaces in Polynesian

Islands• More people may mean more

pollution and other negative impact on the environment

A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!• A palindrome is a word or

phrase that reads the same backwards as forwards

• The above is one of the best-known

• It refers to Theodore Roosevelt who was President during the time the United States began work on the Panama Canal