Middle and South America - World Regional Geography Practice Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes covering the physical, cultural, and economic geography of Middle and South America.

Isthmus of Panama

The narrow strip of land that connects the large landmasses of North America and South America.

Greater Antilles

The group of larger islands in the Caribbean including Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and the Cayman Islands.

Lesser Antilles

The group of smaller islands in the Caribbean including the Leeward and Windward Islands, the Leeward Antilles, and the Bahamas.

Altitudinal Zonation

Distinct agricultural and livestock zones created by high relief, where temperature decreases as altitude increases, allowing different crops and animals to be supported at different elevations.

Tierra caliente

The hot, coastal altitudinal zone that supports tropical crops like bananas and rice.

Tierra helada

The high-elevation altitudinal zone past the tree line where animals like llamas graze on cool grasses.

Altiplano

A series of high-elevation plains located in the Andes Mountains that were central to early human settlement.

Mesoamerican cultural hearth

Considered one of the earliest civilizations in the world, founded by indigenous groups who migrated to Middle America from North America.

Maya Civilization

A theocratic civilization beginning around $2000$ BCE across Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and the Yucatan peninsula that developed hieroglyphic script, a calendar, and advanced mathematics.

Aztec Empire

A civilization centered around Tenochtitlan in the $15\text{th}$ century CE, known for extraordinary architecture, art, and trading systems.

Rimland

A fragmented realm of islands more accessible to European colonists, characterized by plantations, monocultures, and the blending of European and African cultures.

Mainland

The interior portion of Middle America characterized by a blending of indigenous and Spanish cultures and the presence of haciendas.

Mestizo

A term referring to someone of mixed European and Amerindian, or indigenous American, descent.

Plantation

A sprawling farm in the rimland focused on growing a single crop (monoculture) for export using seasonal labor.

Hacienda

A Spanish estate in the mainland where a variety of crops were grown for both local and international markets, utilizing workers who lived on the land.

Land Alienation

The process where land is taken from one group and claimed by another, such as when wealthy European settlers took over indigenous subsistence farms.

Treaty of Tordesillas

A $1494$ CE agreement between Spain and Portugal that divided territory in the New World, with Spain controlling land to the west and Portugal to the east.

Laws of the Indies

A set of regulations prescribed by Spain for its colonies that included specific urban planning guidelines, such as a grid system and a Plaza Mayor.

Primate City

A city that is more than twice as large as the next largest city in a country and is representative of the national culture.

Megacity

A metropolitan area with a population of over $10$ million people.

Zone of in situ accretion

A transitional area in a Latin American city moving from modest middle-class housing to the slums of the city's poorest residents.

Zone of peripheral squatter settlements

The outermost ring in a Latin American city where residents occupy unused land without owning or paying rent.

Favela

The term used for sprawling slums in Brazil characterized by substandard housing and infrastructure.

Liberation Theology

A form of Christianity blended with political activism that emphasizes social justice, poverty, and human rights.

Brain Drain

The emigration of highly skilled workers from their home country, resulting in a loss of knowledge and skills for that country.

Remittances

Transfers of money sent by migrant workers back to their home country.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

A group of island nations in the Caribbean with small populations and limited resources that struggle with sustainable development.

Offshore Banking

Financial institutions located outside a depositor's country of residence that offer increased privacy and little to no taxation.

Dependency Theory

A theory suggesting that resources flow from the periphery to the core, and that globalization and inequality are linked in the current world system.