GEO 1310 Exam 1 (Brian Cooper)

Middle (Central) America and South America

Latin America is made up of which two regional maps?

Mexico

this country:

-is home to the Maya civilization & the Aztec civilization.

-has a primate city, (Mexico City), of 22 million people; 1 of 5 "Mexicans" live here. this city has a pollution problem & temperature inversion.

-has rural-to-urban migration which is when people move to the city from the country. the push factor, causing them to leave the countryside, was environmental problems & the pull factor, bringing them to the city, was the job supply. this rapid, unplanned migration results in poor transportation, high crime rates, deadly fires, and sewage problems.

-shares a border with the US which has its pros and cons:

(pros) it supplies their 3 MAIN foreign income generators: 1) is the REMITTANCES; international migrants who work in the US, but send $ back home. 2) is OIL; Mexico gets most of their oil from the Bay of Campeache which is managed by PEMEX, a state-owned company, (close proximity to US) 3) is TOURISM; in 1970 Cancun was made just for tourists.

(cons) it heightens drug violence in their drug cartel, so many people see Mexico as "dangerous"

the Mayans

-the only major ancient civilization able to thrive in Yucatan Peninsula's low-land tropics (poor soil); they survived here due to their system of migratory subsistence farming (moved around the Peninsula in order to grow enough for themselves/their families without wearing out the soil)

-they were great at math; they added the concept of zero; they used their math knowledge in other things as well (architecture).

the Aztecs

-a major ancient civilization in the highlands of Mexico; arose to power in the 1300's;

-they asked the gods for a capital city, which they named Capital of Tenochtitlan after they found the "eagle biting a rattlesnake on a cactus growing from a rock" in the Islands of Lake Texacoco. (present day Mexico City)

Belize

this country:

-has the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world

-is 1 of 2 Central American countries not recognized by most Central Americans; bc they think that the British Empire "stole" it when it was originally a part of Guatemala

-considers English one of its main languages (may be another reason for Central Americans' judgement)

Guatemala

this country:

-the Monroe Doctrine was a cornerstone of US foreign policy, issued by president James Monroe in the 1820's, stating that the US would not tolerate any European interference in the western hemisphere, and it was meant to be protective/nurturing, but there was a shift in the intentions of the MD when business interest took over--causing criticism of the US.

-a Banana Republic referred to countries, like Guatemala, whose government was dominated by a foreign country's business interests; United Fruit ran banana production in Central America at the detriment of the country's people.

El Salvador

this country:

- had a population density that was among the highest in all Latin America (bc ppl want to live on the coast), and this caused the pressure of overpopulation bc there wasn't enough land/resources for everyone to live off of demographic response

-was the site of proxy conflict that may have cause the Cold War; supported by US

Honduras

this country:

-was hit by Hurricane Mitch in the late 1990's; the heavy rain fall caused land slides and mud slides that killed 15,000, 1/3 of the population was homeless, and set back the government 50 years all due to the high vulnerability of the country

risk

the statistical likelihood that a given hazard will strike a certain area; calculable (San Mo has high flash flood risk, but almost zero volcano risk).

vulnerability

the impact hazards have on human beings; why/how; subjective (ability of the people/place to withstand, recover, evacuate, rebuild, etc.)

primate city

1) disproportionally large in terms of population, and 2) exceptionally expressive of national culture/character

Nicaragua

this country:

-during the Cold War (1947-91) the Somozas were in power bc they were backed by the US (they didn't like communists n neither did we), but the Sandinistas wanted to overthrow, and finally did in '79 w/ the help of the Soviets/Cuba. Reagan was mad that a soviet influenced government came about, so he started supporting the contras who were against the Sandinistas, and this led to the Iran-Contra Scandal in which we were selling arms to Iran & using that money to fund the contras. In '90 the Sands failed and were voted out.

Costa Rica

this country:

-is the big success story of Latin America; "the Switzerland of Central America"

-has some of the world's richest preserves of biodiversity; thousands of species of flora and fauna

-uses ecotourism, their attractions are just the naturally occurring features of the country, to their economic benefit (it's cheap to develop)

-has been one of the most politically stable countries in the world for 70 years; in 1948 their military was abolished, so they have defense agreements to protect them; use a small police force for internal domestic peacekeeping

Panama

this country:

-is 1 of 2 Central American countries not recognized by most Central Americans; bc they think that the US "stole" it from Columbia

-the US wanted there to be a transoceanic canal in Central America, so Ferndinand de Lesseps, an experienced canal builder, started on it, but failed bc the mosquito severity for his workers caused him to abandon it, and the US jumped on board, but had to deal w/ Columbian government, but they said no.

-so the US helped Panama gain independence from Columbia; the treaty said we owned the land the all the money it would ever make; so we started the job; by 1914 (11 years) it opened

-in the 1970's Jimmy Carter wanted to improve the relationships in Central America; Panama's canal being one; in 1999 senate passed a bill by one vote & Panama fully owned the canal now

Cuba

this country:

-in 1959 Fulencio Batista was thrown out by Fidel Castro (and his brother Raul); they established a communist government in Cuba; the US got nervous bc Cuba is only 90 miles away from Florida; the US wanted Castro out, so they invaded Cuba (Bay of Pigs...failed)

-in 1963 the MOST SERIOUS US EVENT started when the US figured out Cuban government was allowing Soviet nuclear missiles to be installed there, and the Cuban Missle Crisis, when JFK sent navy ships to "quarantine" the island from incoming ship access; when soviets got to the line they turned, and took back their arms; this was the most tense we have ever been.

-embargo means that it is illegal to do business w/ or go to Cuba; that is changing, embargo is being lifted, and Cuba will soon be a major tourist destination

Cold War

the war from 1947-1991

Jamaica

this country:

-has good amount of sugarcane and bauxite export, but their most popular export is reggae, which was popularized worldwide in the name of Bob Marley, a guy who held no political status, but held the most influence...he put Jamaica on the map so much that the CIA had a file on him

Haiti

this country:

-is the poorest countries in the western hemisphere (poverty, food shortage)

-high risk for natural hazards bc it lays on top of tectonic plates & high vulnerability bc extreme poverty

Dominican Republic

this country:

-is in far better shape then Haiti

-recognizes baseball as the most popular sport; very passionate about baseball; send out more foreign players to MLB then any other country

Columbia

this country:

-on paper should be one of the most prosperous countries in the world, but is considered the most dangerous by the US State Department Travel Advisories bc of the violence associated w/ the illicit drug trade,

-cocaine, from the coca plant, is this country's choice of drug bc it's native to columbia, Pablo Escabar was one of the wealthiest and most dangerous men in the world; in 1993 the US helped Columbia take him out

Venezuela

this country:

-has the worlds largest proven reserve of oil in the gulf of Lake Maracaibo, but that oil is also a curse to the country bc they're too reliant on this single raw material, so their economy is always fluctuating, which makes them a monoeconomic state

-OPEC consists of 12 countries that are prominent in oil; they try to control how much oil is on the market; low success rate bc none of the countries can decide on one price of oil.

Guyana

this country:

-was British Guyana

Suriname

this country:

-was Dutch Suriname

monoeconomic state

country overly dependent on one source of income to drive their country. Putting all our eggs in one basket. Usually a raw material. When the price crashes the economy crashes.

proven reserve

has to meet BOTH requirements:

1) have to know it exists 2) has to be economically feasible for extraction, and still make profit

French Guyana

this country:

-still is French Guyana owned by French Overseas Department

-the European Space Agency main launching pad is here bc its closest to the equator, making it cheaper to launch into space

Uruguay

this country:

-has the largest % of pure blood Europeans in Latin America

-their economy is agricultural based; their grasslands give them great soil

Brazil

this country:

-very diverse

-is one of the most resource rich landmasses on Earth, they won the resource lottery think of land as a lottery ticket...the more land you have the more lotto tickets you have...the more of a chance you have at striking a good resource; luck is involved bc resources are concentrated in certain areas, and they got lucky they have the largest resources

-is the world leader in sugarcane production; they sell so much, but still have extra which helps them bc they don't have oil. so the petrobras company fermented sugarcane to create ethyl alcohol (ethanol); was very successful, but people were drinking the gas pumps & then driving drunk.

-most of the population on the coast, but empty areas are not good. Rio de Janerio was the capital, but they built a new city Brasilia, as a forward capital to move people inwards/relieve pressure from the coast although it failed in doing so, and this failure caused the uprising of favelas and ultimately a plural society

-they cleared the Amazon Basin for beef cattle production, which caused tropical deforestation, which caused the endangerment of animals

-BUT after all of these setbacks, Brazil's people are unified and pressure is minimized by the nationalization of soccer (futbol), which brings the country together, basically a religion, and carnival, a huge party, mostly catholic, which is also a reason why they haven't popped!

Argentina

this country:

-has great soils in the pampas; a major wheat producing area; their beef cattle production is grass fed and high quality stuff

-is ran by Juntas like a dictatorship; they ran a campaign of violence/terror against their own ppl called the "dirty war" bc if they heard that you were talking bad about their rule then you were taken in the middle of the night and known as the disappeared (about 15,00 in all)

-by 1982 more curiosities formed, so started a war to get the country back together/distract them; so they invaded the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); Argentina lost horribly/humiliatingly; the Juntas stepped down back to a democracy; Argentina stills says they own this too

Chile

this country:

-is an elongated state, which is long/ stretched out, but this causes a communication & transportation problem in these states.

-has seasonality different than ours bc when its winter in the US, its summer in chile bc they're in the southern hemisphere; they ship a bunch of fruits and veggies to us during winter months

-the Atacama Desert is the driest desert on the planet; no precipitation in decades, but here they find copper, which is used in wiring, & nitrates, which is a component for fertilizer, nitrogen, production of explosives, plant growth.

forward capital

has another intent other than serving as capital (to encourage something needed)

favelas

slums, shacks, shanty-towns

plural society

multiple ethnic groups living right next to one another, but engaging in little to zero interaction with one another

Paraguay

this country:

-has its capital in Asuncion where 90% of the Paraguay pop speaks fluent Spanish and Guarani

-is where Somoza went into exile while the Sandinistas were looking for him, but he hooked up with a generals wife, so that guy called the Sandinistas, and told them where he was, and in 1980 they got revenge by murdering him

Bolivia

this country:

-has the highest % of pure blooded American-Indians in Latin America

-Evo Morales was the first president of full decent

-is a landlocked state bc they have no coast; lost war of pacific so they lost that land, BUT has a navy anyways bc they share Lake Titicaca w/ Peru.

Lake Titicaca- highest fresh water lake on the planet.

*graden- downward block in the earth. so much depth. Tectonic active area.

Inca Empire- huge empire! v advanced. to get their man back they paid the highest ransom in history.

Peru

this country:

-shares Lake Titicaca, the highest fresh water lake on the planet, with Bolivia; its the highest bc its on top of a graden, or downward block in the earth; has so much depth; tectonic palatial active area

-had an Inca Empire, a huge empire; very advanced, but it was taken over by Spanish conquistadoes in the 40's who told them the only way to get their man back was to pay the highest ransom in history

Ecuador

this country:

-is straddling the equator, and its capital Quito is so high in the Andes that its almost right on the equator (but isn't bc elevation); cool temperature all year round; elevation controls temperature (place of political power), but the capital's rivalry is Guayaquil, the biggest city, bc they both wanna make decisions, shows the importance of having a primate city.

-is near the Galapagos Islands

Galapagos Islands-

these islands:

-get their name from the Galapagos tortuous; the longest lived animals on the planet 150-170; Charles Darwin used this island as his lab where he studied birds; he developed his theory of natural selection which became the basis for the evolutionary theory

orient

means East

occident

means West

Sierra Madre Oriental

-a mountain range on the West side of Mexico

Sierra Madre Occidental

-a mountain range on the East side of Mexico

Sierra Madre del Sur

-a mountain range at the bottom (South) of Mexico

-the people of Chiapas wanted more autonomy, local control, and they didn't win, but day they decided to fight was Jan 1st (the day NAFTA, free trade between Canada, Mexico, and the USA, came into play, and this rule was going to make the local Native Americans' life a lot worse/more poor

del Sur

means South

Central Mesa

-is in the Chihuahua Desert

-only gets 20 inches of rain (you need 30in to have crop growth)

-they have livestock / grazing, but do NOT have crops

plateau

flat and gently rolling land

Central American Mountains

-these mountains influence the weather, day to day conditions, the climate, average patterns over time, and the population, how many ppl where, of Central America.

-the Atlantic/Caribbean has warm, wet air which makes its way up the mountains causing the orographic effect to happen, and the warm, wet air goes down the windward slope of the mountain, and leaves the leeward side hot/dry; which explains why the Pacific is hot, dry air

-prevailing easterlies carry wind from E --> W

-most central america live on the Pacific West Coast bc climate choice

Andes

-the longest land mountain range; can be found on the leftmost side of South America

-created by subduction zone where dense stuff sank and caused the Western land to buckle

Guiana Highlands

-a hill region towards the top of S.A.

-a major producing region of bauxite

how we get aluminum

bauxite ore --> alumina --> aluminum

Brazilian Highlands

-a hill region towards the middle left of S.A.

-formed through lava flows

-the Brazilian highlands are perfect for coffee production bc they have all 3 geographic factors that are needed to make coffee

1) coffee likes rich volcanic soils

2) likes tropical location (temp is constant) tropics r frost free

3) higher elevation bc its cooler (not too high)

Rio Grande

-river flowing through the top of Mexico

-border between Texas and Mexico that serves as a physiographic boundary, a physical object used to create a political boundary, but rivers make bad PBs bc they change

-the center of the river or the deepest part is known as the talaweg

- Oxbow lake U shaped lake off to the side made out of old river channel

(fresh water is our most crucial resource on the planet)

Amazon River

-carries the LARGEST VOLUME OF FRESH WATER than any other river on the planet bc it has a huge drainage basin that drains a large ass area. Drains an area w a lot of rain fall

-drawbacks: due to its size no bridges or dams (matter of cost) not a lot of people live in this area either so no need to make a bridge. Not a local market.

Parana-Paraguay River System

-Itaipu Dam: border between Brazil/ Paraguay in partnership also w Argentina and Uruguay. They worked together. Making sure everyone gets water/power thru hydroelectricity and no one is cut off.

-Estuary (Rio de la Plata)- mixing zone between fresh water n salt water

-River of silver- the spanish found a lot of silvering this area (silver on the periodic table is AG= Argentina)

cordillera

This term refers to a mountain range that runs parallel to a coastline.