Unit 10 Latin America Geography and History Study Guide

Hacienda: A large estate, ranch, or plantation located in Latin America.
Favela: A low-income, densely populated urban region specifically located in Brazil.
Altiplano: Literally meaning "high plane," this refers to the region in West-central South America where the Andes Mountains are at their widest.
Llanos: A treeless, grassy plain found in Venezuela and NE Columbia.
Pampas: Vast, fertile, and largely treeless plains spanning across Argentina, Uruguay, and Southern Brazil (S.Brazil).
Maquiladoras: Foreign-owned manufacturing plants situated in Mexico.
Mestizo: A person of combined ancestry involving European (Spanish/Portuguese) and Indigenous American backgrounds.
Mulatto: An individual with one black parent and one white parent.
Chinampas: Small artificial islands created specifically for agricultural purposes.

Mountain Ranges and Locations: The primary range is the Andes, located along the western coast of South America; they stretch from Venezuela in the north to Argentina in the south.
Route of the Amazon River: The river flows from west to east, beginning in the Andes and ending at the Atlantic Ocean.
Southernmost Tip of South America: Known as Tierra del Fuego, which is an archipelago.
Climate Variations: Latin America contains many climate zones due to the following reasons: * Extreme latitudinal span. * High altitude mountain ranges. * Varied ocean currents.
Temperature Inversion: The study guide identifies the need to describe a temperature inversion and provide a Latin American example of where it occurs.
El Niño: A phenomenon that occurs when warm water moves from west to east; as a result, the water in the eastern Pacific grows warmer than normal.
Mineral Resources: Copper is the main mineral resource mined in the Andes today.

(NEVER) Tierra Nevada: * Elevation: Approximately $15,000\,\text{ft}$ . * Characteristics: Cold and barren.
(HELP) Tierra Helada: * Characteristics: Suitable for sheep grazing. * Agriculture: Produce hardy crops such as barley and potatoes.
(FLIES) Tierra Fria: * Characteristics: This is the highest climate zone located in Central America.
(TAKE) Tierra Templada: * Elevation: Approximately reaching the $6,000\,\text{ft}$ mark. * Characteristics: Common in Central America. * Agriculture: Coffee and corn.
(COOKIES) Tierra Caliente: * Characteristics: Moist Tropical Rain Forest. * Agriculture: Tropical agriculture including items such as bananas and sugar.

Debt-for-Nature Program: A program where a developing country has a portion of its foreign debt forgiven; in exchange, the country agrees to invest that money specifically into environmental conservation.
Deforestation in Brazil: The rainforest is being destroyed primarily to clear land for farming and to harvest timber.
Techniques for Clearing Land: The specific technique used to destroy the rainforest to grow crops is known as "slash & burn."

Social Stratification: The main reason for the development of social classes in Latin America is tied to race and ethnicity.
Colonial Caste Systems: Mexico is noted as a Latin American country that maintained a rigid caste system during its colonial period.

USMCA (formerly NAFTA): A trade agreement between member countries including the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Predominant Religion: Roman Catholic is the main branch of Christianity followed across Latin America.
Spanish Contributions: The Spanish contributed two major cultural aspects to Latin America: language and religion.
Ease of Conquest: The primary reason the Spanish were able to conquer the native populations so easily was the impact of diseases.
Colonial Pull Factors: The primary pull factors for the Spanish and Portuguese when colonizing Latin America were "God, gold, glory."

Aztec Civilization: * Associated with the creation of chinampas.
Inca Civilization: * Developed a sophisticated road system (referred to as an extensive road system). * Known for advancements in medicine. * Utilized terraced farming. * Practiced sacrifice involving mummification.
Maya Civilization: * Practiced sacrifice involving cenotes. * Developed an advanced calendar. * Engineered a specific writing system.

Treaty of Tordesillas: A treaty involving two countries, Spain and Portugal, with the goal of dividing newly discovered territories.
Monroe Doctrine: The study guide identifies the need to describe the Monroe Doctrine.