Latin America

Geography

Andes Mountains

Running along coast of Latin America, longest mountain range in the world, 30 peaks over 20,000 feet

Tropical North of the Andes Mountains

Head waters of the Amazon river

Dry central

Atacama Desert - driest place on earth, space ALMA telescope observatory due to no light polution

Ring of fire

Earthquakes and active volcanoes (which are good for farmland because it is nutrient rich)

Geothermal energy

Near volcanos, using steam from heated groundwater to run a generator for power, one renewable that can satisfy baseload power

Lithium

Very important because it is used for batteries

La Plata River

Major river base, home to one of the largest dams in the world which affects the biodiversity

The Amazon River

Major river base, world’s largest river, 60 in annual rain

Deforestation

Cutting down trees for timber, grazing, and cocaine

Gov endorsing this by building roads and highways in the forest

Last chance tourism

See it before its gone, the amazon forest

Which country has the highest population?

Argentina

Push factors

Factors that push an individual to leave a country

Life is tough, gang violence, murders, drugs

Pull factors

Factors that pull an individual to another country

economic or educational opportunities

Brain drain

Educated population leaves to find better jobs

Shanty towns

Makeshift housing that has problems like crime, health, transportation

Primate city

One city that is disproportionately larger than any other city in that country

Leads to inequality

Gini Index

Measures income inequality

Major languages

Spanish and Portuguese

Why is there a large population of Africans in Latin America?

The slave trade

What is brazil the leading producer in?

Sugar, coffee, orange juice, oil

Major religion?

Roman Catholic and it is on the rise

Industry

Many countries, China included, invest in Latin America’s raw materials

Informal economy

Cash economy; selling things on streets, working for cash in restaurants; no tax collections

Remittances

Migrants leave, make money abroad, and send it home

FDI

Foreign direct investment

Maquiladoras

Factories along the US and Mexico border

Panama Canal

Completed 1914, Panama took control in 1999; the maximum size is too small for current-day ships

Post-panamax

Ships bigger than panamax, current day ships

Panamax

The Max size boat that can make it through the canal

Border towns

People move to factories for jobs, there aren’t enough jobs and they are stuck

Monroe doctrine

No European power in Latin America

Javier Milei

Argentinian president; slash government, cut taxes, privatize, remove regulations, weaken labor unions, adopt US dollar

Similar to Reaganomics