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Latin America
Geographic Area
Spans the continents of North and South
America
LATIN AMERICA is a culture region.
The people in this region have “culture” in
common.
What does Latin America mean?
Called Latin America because two main languages in the
region (Spanish & Portuguese) are
derivatives of Latin.
Spanish
Portuguese
Why is Brazil the only Portuguese-speaking country?
- It was the only colony of Portugal in the region
Sub-Regions of Latin America
• 4 sub-regions:– Mexico– Central America– Caribbean– South America
Southernmost tip is Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire), which is close to
Antarctica
Physical Features
• Most of Latin America lies between Tropic of Cancer & Tropic of Capricorn– Wide range of
latitudes, climates, landforms, & vegetation
• Latin America is rich in its natural landscape
Andes Mts.
• Serve as barrier to movement into the interior, resulting in majority of population living on eastern & northern coasts
• Home to ancient Incas in Peru
• Rockies, Sierra Madres, & the Andes are all apart of the same mountain chain
Rivers in Latin America
• Relied upon heavily in South America– Transportation
inland, food production, water
Why not needed as much in Central America or the
Caribbean?
Already located close to major bodies of water
Major rivers include:
•Amazon
•Orinoco
•Parana
Amazon River• Flows west to east for
about 4,000 miles– 2nd largest river in the
world after the Nile– Carries more water than
any other river – more than next 7 rivers combined
• Starts in the high mountains of the Andes & empties into the Atlantic Ocean
• Home to the Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
Piranha
Other Water Features
Lake Titicaca Lake Orinoco
Angel Falls
Parana River
Llanos
• Grassy, treeless land used for grazing livestock & farming
• Located in Venezuela & Colombia
Human Geography
• 2 major themes throughout region:– Language (primarily Spanish)– Religion (primarily Roman Catholic Christian)
Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro
Pre-Columbian Latin America
• Pre-Columbian refers to the time before
Christopher Columbus “discovered” the
Americas & modified its history
Latin America was home to a number of advanced cultures &
empires
The Aztecs built a powerful empire based on brutal conquest & a ritual of human sacrifice
The MayansThe Mayans built great cities in
the Yucatan in Mexico and in Guatemala. They
“disappeared” around 1500.
The Incas
How did geography affect the location and communication
in their empire?
The Incas of South America built a vast empire.
Macchu Picchu
The Aztecs
TenochitlanAncient civilization in
modern-day Mexico, built among Lake Texcoco.
An advanced society based around religious traditions
such as human sacrifice
Spanish Exploration
• Financed by the Spanish monarchy, an Italian navigator, named Columbus, set sail west to find a more direct route to the “east” for goods such as spices.
– Columbus used Ptolemy’s calculations & maps to navigate
– What problem did this pose?
Post-Columbian America• Upon discovery of the “New
World,” other European nations set expeditions to colonize the area
– Most fell under Spanish rule– France & England also claimed
territory in the Caribbean
Spanish Empire in the Americas
Cortez led an expedition in the 1500s to the area, leading to the
collapse of the Aztec empire
Pizzaro conquered the Incas
Spain vs. Portugal
• So, why does Brazil speak Portuguese and not Spanish?
1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed between Spain & Portugal, both major colonial
powers at the time
The treaty devised a “line,” called the Tordesillas
Meridian,and gave everything to the east to Portugal & to the
west to Spain
Post-Columbian America
Christian Europeans clashed with the ancient civilizations & their belief in sacrifice & cannibalism
Most people became Roman Catholic, the
religion of the Spanish monarchy,
& it remains the dominant religion in Latin America
Columbian Exchange
• An exchange of commodities between Old & New Worlds– Foods, peoples,
diseases, & ideas– European diseases
caused the death of most native populations (due to lack of exposure to germs)
Goods ofColumbian Exchange
• Old World foods:– Lemon, okra, white
rice, cabbage
• New World foods:– Potatoes, coffee,
chocolate, corn
Europeans brought steel & superior weapons
Also, diseases like smallpox
Plantation Era
• European settlers dominated native populations, forcing them to work on plantations in brutal conditions
• Because of its tropical climate, Latin America was used by its colonial powers to harvest plantation crops:
– Sugar cane, coffee, bananas, etc
African Slaves
Lack of adequate labor forced Europeans to bring over African slaves to work on the plantations– To this day, on many
islands, the majority population is “African American”
Modern Plantations
• Plantation crops are still essential to the economies of Latin American countries
• Most plantations are owned by foreign companies who hire locals to harvest the crops for very little money!
Latin America Today
• Today, much of Latin America is still mired in
poverty. Reasons include colonialism, corrupt
governments, and in many cases simple Geography.
Latin America TodayCountries such as Mexico
and Venezuela have tapped in to vast oil
reserves to increase the economic wealth of their countries, although the wealth has not trickled
down to most of the population.
Latin America TodayToday, tourism is a
major source of income in the
Caribbean Islands and much of Central America and Mexico. Hotels and resorts
can bring wealth, but there is still a
predominance of poverty for the average people.
• Every country in Latin America is below the magic latitude line. • What assumptions can you make as a result of that fact?
Latin America Today
While some countries have more wealth than others (Mexico, Brazil,
Chile, compared to Bolivia, Haiti) all countries of Latin
America are considered a part of
the developing world.
Like most of the developing world, Latin America is a land of potential wealth
that has yet to be realized.