GGS 101 Exam 3 Notes

Tierra Caliente

The lowest altitudinal zone in South America, where hot land crops like banana, cocoa, sugar, and rice are grown.

Tierra Templada

The temperate land zone in South America where coffee, corn, sugar, and vegetables are cultivated.

Tierra Fria

The cold land zone that ends at the tree line, where crops like corn, wheat, barley, potatoes, and dairying occur.

Tierra Helada

The frost land zone primarily used for livestock grazing with no croplands, ending at the snow line.

Tierra Nevada

The snow land zone with no economic activity.

Hacienda

A land system of Spanish origin, often underutilized and for status rather than economic gain.

Plantation

A production system of Northern European origin focused on exports and profit, depending on imported capital, skill, and technology.

FARC

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a militant left-wing group involved in the conflict in Colombia from 1964 to 2017.

Angel Falls

The world's highest waterfall, located in Venezuela at a tepui.

Maquiladoras

Foreign-owned factories in Mexico that assemble components for export, primarily to the United States.

Ejidos

Mexican farmlands redistributed to peasant communities after the 1910-1917 Revolution, with government holding title.

Deforestation

The clearing of forests often for agriculture or urban development, leading to biodiversity loss and environmental concerns.

Ecotourism

A form of low-impact tourism focused on visiting natural areas with an emphasis on conservation.

Cuban Revolution

The insurrection led by Fidel Castro that resulted in the establishment of a communist regime in Cuba in 1959.

Shining Path

A radical communist insurgency group in Peru that is now in decline.

Hyperinflation

An extremely high and typically accelerating inflation rate, exemplified in Venezuela under Nicolas Maduro.

The Pampa

Fertile lowlands in Argentina and Uruguay known for agriculture and cattle-raised. Located toward the south eastern S. America

Tepuis

Sandstone-capped plateaus found in southeastern Venezuela, characterized by steep drop-offs.

Francisco Solano Lopez

A military dictator of Paraguay known for leading the country into the War of the Triple Alliance.

Iguazu Falls

The widest waterfall in the world, located between Argentina and Brazil.

Alvaro Uribe

Colombian president from 2002-2010 noted for military action against drugs and guerillas.

Nicolas Maduro

Successor to Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, facing political issues, hyperinflation, and food shortages.

Agriculture in Colombia

Includes oil, coal, natural gas, and coffee production, with Colombia being the second-largest coffee exporter.

Cultural Hearth

A source area from which new ideas, practices, and cultural attributes spread.

Acculturation

Cultural modification resulting from intercultural borrowing.

Transculturation

Two-way exchanges that occur when different cultures of approximately equal complexity come into contact.

Amerindian

Predominantly in West Andes

Mestizo

Prodominantly in Caribbean North and also in Paraguay

White people in S. America

Prodominantly in the Southern Cone (except paraguay) and Brazil

Colombia Exports are…

Coffee (Number 2), Coal, Oil, Gas

Tepuis is a…

Very tall sandstone outcropping with a a flat top and nearly 90 degree drop off. Angel Falls is found at one of these

Ecuadors’ coastal belt vs Peru’s coastal belt

Ecuador has a way wetter coastal belt then Peru’s dry one due to the Peruvian current

Why Bolivia is the poorest in S. America

Landlocked after losing port to Chile

Bolivia’s Exports are…

Zinc, Copper, Gas, Oil

Lake Titicaca is located..

In between Bolivia and Peru

Shining Path is a communist group in ______

FARC/ELN and AUC are militant groups in _______

1. Peru

2. Colombia

La Paz, Bolivia special physical trait…

Highest Capital city in the world

Brazil’s Exports are…

Coffee (number 1), Iron Ore, Maganese, other metals, Oil

Slash and Burn is the act of…

Cutting down and burning trees for the purpose of planting crops. Leads to biodiversity and ecosystem issues

Caribbean North contains the following countries…

Columbia, Venezuela (not talked about but Guyana, Suriname, French Guinea)

Andean West contains the following countries…

Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador

Southern Cone contains the following countries…

Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile

Where is the driest place on earth?

Atacama Desert in Chile, cold peruvian current doesn’t allow for much moisture

Chile’s export is…

Copper (Largest copper exporter in the world)

Uruguay’s exports are…

Beef, Wool, Textiles

Out of Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname which is not a country

French Guiana

Language spoken in Suriname

Dutch, and some sranan

Language spoken in French Guiana

French, and some guianese

Language spoken in Guyana

Guianese Creole, and English

Patagonia

Encompasses southern South America

• Comprises of southern section of the Andes

  • Argentina, Chili, Etc.

Altiplano

Highest plateau on earth outside of Tibet In southeastern Peru, and western Bolivia

Sierra Maestra

A mountain range in Cuba

Sierra Madra

Northwest Mexico to Pacific Coastline

Greater Antilles 1-4

1. Cuba 2. Jamaica 3. Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti) 4. Puerto Rico

Cuban Revolution

Led by Fidel Castro using guerilla warfare to take down the government and make Cuba communist state

Issues in Caribbean (Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti)

Jamaica: High Crime rate

Haiti: Deforestation

Puerto Rico: Political Issues (due to America potentially making it a state)

Haiti: Economic issues and poor population

Sandinistas

Leftist group that overthrew the government in Nicaragua in 1979. -Civil war erupts in 1980s and stops in 1990s.

Hurricane Mitch

has set back Honduras and other Central American
countries some 30 years in their development.

Maquiladoras and Ejidos

Maquiladoras are modern industrial plants in Mexico's U.S. border zone. These foreign-owned factories assemble imported components and/or raw materials, and then export finished manufactures, mainly to the United States

Ejidos are Mexican farmlands redistributed to peasant communities after the Revolution of 1910-1917. The government holds title to the land, but user rights are parceled out to village communities and then to individuals for cultivation

Physical Landscape of Mexico

Dry, desert conditions in the north and west. Wetter, more tropical in the south, southeast. Mountain ranges of note = Sierra Madre

Yucatan Peninsula, Where is it?

Southern Mexico

What 2 Countries attempted to make a Panama Canal

US (Successful), France (Fail)

Ecotourism

Ecotourism is a form of tourism that involves visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas.

Positives of tourism include: opportunity for potential economy boost IF tourism expands to areas outside of the resort bubble (if tourists interact with locals and buy products from locally-owned vendors)

Negatives of tourism include: there is little interaction between tourists and the rest of the island (isolation) and it does NOT help economy as money goes to resorts

How do we Divide America culturally and physically

Culturally → A division can be made between Latin and Anglo America.

Physically → We can divide America into North, Central, and South.

What’s the difference between Mesoamerica and Middle America

Middle America: Mexico + Central America + the Caribbean

Mesoamerica: Mexico + Central America (note: Mesoamerica is the culture hearth of Middle America)

Culture Hearth

It is a heartland, source area, innovation center; a place of origin of a major culture

Stages of Intraurban growth

1. Walking horse car era (1800-1890)

2. Electric street car (1890-1920)

3. Recreational automobile era (1920-1945)

4. Free way era (1945-present)

Sun Belt

Sun belt is popular name given to the southern tier of the united states which is anchored by the mega states of california, texas and florida.

Rust Belt

Rust belt is parts of the northeastern and midwestern US that are characterized by declining industry, aging factories, and a falling population. Steel-producing cities in Pennsylvania and Ohio are at its center

Joel Garreau’s “Nine Nations of North America” is about what

Proposes that the continent can be divided into nine culturally and economically distinct regions, or “nations”

All of Joel Garreau’s “Nine Nations of North America” (Names, Regions, Reason for name)

1. New England

• Region: NE U.S. (e.g., MA, NH) + Canada.

• Traits: Puritan roots, civic culture, industrial history.

• Name: Early English settlements.

2. The Foundry

• Region: Industrial heartland (Detroit, Pittsburgh, Ontario).

• Traits: Steel, manufacturing dominance.

• Name: 19th/20th-century industrial hub.

3. Dixie

• Region: U.S. South (AL, MS, GA).

• Traits: Agrarian history, Civil War legacy, unique culture.

• Name: Symbol of Southern identity.

4. Breadbasket

• Region: Midwest (IA, KS, NE).

• Traits: Grain, corn, farming economy.

• Name: Major food production hub.

5. Empty Quarter

• Region: Western U.S. (NV, UT, Rockies).

• Traits: Rugged, sparse population, resource extraction.

• Name: Vast, frontier-like space.

6. Ecotopia

• Region: Pacific NW (OR, WA, BC).

• Traits: Green tech, sustainability, progressivism.

• Name: Eco-conscious utopia.

7. MexAmerica

• Region: U.S.-Mexico border (CA, AZ, NM).

• Traits: U.S.-Mexico cultural/economic fusion.

• Name: Reflects shared heritage.

8. Quebec

• Region: Quebec Province.

• Traits: French-speaking, unique identity, autonomy efforts.

• Name: French cultural roots.

9. The Islands

• Region: FL, Caribbean, Gulf Coast.

• Traits: Tourism, finance, diverse immigrant cultures.

• Name: Caribbean connections

Megalopolis

a very large, heavily populated city or urban complex.

3 stages of economic development in America

1. Precolonial, Early Colonial

2. Industrialization

3. Post-Industrialization