GGS 101 Exam 3 Notes

South America Notes:

Altitudinal Zonation:

• Tierra Caliente (Hot Land) - Lowest, Banana, Cocoa, Sugar, and Rice are grown here

• Tierra Templada (Temperate Land) - Coffee, Corn, Sugar, and Vegetables

• Tierra Fria (Cold Land) - Corn, Wheat, Barley, Potatoes, and Dairying. Ends at Tree line

• Tierra Helada (Frost Land) - Livestock, Grazing, No croplands. Ends at Snow line

• Tierra Nevada (Snow Land) - No economic activity

Snow and Tree Line - Snow Line is the elevation point where all precipitation is only snow. Tree Line is when you see an abrupt stop where forests end beyond it, trees cannot survive due to harsh climate conditions

Agricultural Systems: Haciendas vs Plantations

Hacienda

• Spanish Origin

• Underutilized land that is mostly for status rather then economical gain

• Some were given as a reward

Plantation

• Northern Europe Origin

• Located in humid tropical coastal lowlands

• Produced solely for exports and profit

• Capital, Skill, and Tech are imported for a plantation to function

• Factories are not in the field like how Hacienda operates, rather its located somewhere else

4 Regions of South America

1. Caribbean North - Columbia, Venezuela (not talked about but Guyana, Suriname, French Guinea)

2. Andean West - Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador

3. Brazil - Brazil

4. Southern Cone - Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay

Caribbean North - Colombia

• Capital is Bogota, also known as “the Great Hispanic Culture Headquarters”

• Population - 49 million, 58% Mestizo, 20% White

• Colombia Militant Left Wing Groups

  • FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia)

    • Largest

    • Communists

    • Began war to overthrow Colombia in 1964, lasted until 2017

  • ELN (National Liberation Army)

    • Smaller than FARC

    • Still active today (1964-now)

• Colombia Militant Right Wing Groups

  • AUC (United Self defense forces of Colombia)

    • Originally created by farmers to protect their farms from left wing resurgent’s, it grew into a militant group with a political agenda

• Colombia’s Drug Cartel had their foot in everyone’s door (Government, FARC/ELND, and AUC). That is until Alvaro Uribe steps up

• Alvaro Uribe

  • President 2002-2010

  • War against drugs, guerillas and paramilitary death squads

  • Gained US support, its 3rd largest Aid after Israel and Egypt

  • Pushed Cartel to Mexico

The Land: Colombia

• Temperate to Tropical enviroenemtn allows for diverse agriculture

• Large Reserve of Oil and Natural Gas

• The Llanos - Savanna like grasslands of the Orinoco River’s wide basin

• Llanos = East, near the interior of both Colombia and Venezuela diagonally across both countries

• Andes = West

• Llanos occupy 60% of land area of the country\

• The Andes in Colombia

  • The Andes splits into 3 branches when it enters Colombia

    • Western, Eastern, and Central

  • Populations are most dense at the basins of the Andes

The Economy: Colombia

• Oil, Coal, Gas, and 2nd largest exporter of Coffee (2nd to Brasil)

  • Coffee ranking may change due to production costs, low international prices, and recent worm infestations of coffee beans

• Only country in SA with both Pacific and Caribbean coasts

Caribbean North - Venezuela

• Capital is Caracas

• Population - 28 million, 67% Mestizo, 21% White

• Population is falling

• Core area of Venezuela is North and Northwest part of the country

• Maracaibo - Once disease infested, sparely populated coast; Now one of the lead Oil producers in SA

• Tepuis - Resistant sandstone-capped outcroppings with a flat top, plateau like appearance

  • Located in southeast Venezuela

  • Nearly 90 degree drop off

• Angel Falls - World’s Highest Waterfall

  • Found at a Tepuis

Hugo Chavez

• Reformed constitution to extend presidency from 5 years to 6 years, and allows president to seek immediate re-election

• Took over Judicial branch

• Died of Cancer in 2013, successor was Nicolas Maduro

Nicolas Maduro

• Continues to implement Chavez policy, re-elected May 2018

• Blames the right and the US for all problems

• In fueds with Jaun Guaido and the National Assembly for presidency but refuses to give up seat.

• USA CANADA UK and most of Latin America and Europe side with Guaido, China Russia side with Maduro

• Issues

  • Food running low

  • Maduro not solving anything

  • Hyperinflation

Andes West - Ecuador

• Population - 16.3 million, 40% Amerindian, 40% Mestizo, 15% White

• Uses USD (like Panama, and El Salvador)

• Capital is Quito

• Guayaquil is the largest city and commercial center

• Smallest of the 3 Andean core

• You can divide Ecuador into 3 parts

  1. Coastal belt (West)

  2. Andean Zone (Middle)

  3. “Oriente” (East)

• Ecuador has a wet coastal belt while Peru has a dry coastal belt that’s truly a desert

Andes West - Peru

• Population - 31 million, 45% Amerindian, 37% Mestizo

• Peru, like Ecuador is separated into 3 groups

  • The West - Contains the capital city Lima, 1/3 of the population, located in the desert coastal strip. A European-mestizo region. Uses nearby port Callao

    • Coast is dry because of the cold ocean front “Peruvian Current” or “Humboldt”

    • Cold current meets Ecuador’s warm current and pushes currents outward west

  • The Sierra - Isolated Andean core toward the east of Peru

    • Mostly Amerindian

  • The East - Mixed Mestizo/Amerindian, tropical, semi-tropical rainforest

    • City of Iquitos

• Politics

  • Shining Path - Insurgency group in Peru (a radical communist group; now in decline)

    • Left Wing

Andes West - Bolivia

• Population - 11.6 million, 55% Amerindian, 30% Mestizo, 15% White

• Poorest nation in South America

• Large deposits of Zinc, Copper, Natural Gas, and Oil

• Landlocked, because of a loss of a port to Chile. Landlocked countries tend to struggle more economically

• Capital is La Paz, also the highest capital in the world

• Lake Titicaca

  • Northwest of La Paz

  • Largest lake in South America

• Santa Cruz is the highest populated city in Bolivia

• Politics in Bolivia

  • Evo Morales - Elected 2005 as Socialist president

    • Elected by widest margin

    • Trouble with voter fraud on his 4th term and fled to Mexico

  • Janine Anez - Interim President, religious, and was anti-Morales

    • Formally 2nd vice and was raised above first vice because they fled

  • Luis Arce

    • Unity between all races

    • Current President

    • Far Left socialist

    • Restored relations with Iran, Venezuela, and Nicaragua

    • Mestizo east and Amerindian west fight, potential split?

Brazil - Brazil

• Population - 212 million, more than ½ of South America, 55% White, 38% White/Black, 6% Black, 1% Amerindian

• Black population came from slave trade

  • Last country to abolish slavery in the western hemisphere

• Economy

  • 8th largest economy in the world

  • #1 exporter of Coffee

  • Brasil has access to Iron ore, manganese, and other metals

  • 12th largest producer of oil

  • Lacks hydrocarbon fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas

  • The Itaipu Dam - 2nd largest dam in the world

• The Amazon River

  • Longest river system in the world

  • Water from the Andes flows toward the Amazon river making it such a wide river system

  • Manaus is a city located near another river called the Rio negro. This city is ALSO next to the Amazon but due to the benefits of the Rio Negro PH, temp, etc. leading to less mosquitos breeding, it leaves better living conditions.

  • You can see the black water of the Rio Negro not instantly mix with the brown water of the Amazon

• Urbanization

  • Historic Culture Hearth in the NW - Site of large sugar plantations

  • SE - Core areas anchored by Rio and Sao Paulo. Gold originally brought people to SE Brazil, but now the urbanization is the main pull

  • San Pauo - Largest Urban City in Brazil

  • Brasilia

    • Capital of Brazil

    • Built in 4 years

    • Purpose was to relocate the capital to a more central region of the country

• Climate

  • Constant cloud cover above the Amazon river makes it not as hot as people expect, being that its smack on the equator.

    • Even South West America is hotter

• Deforestation

  • Reasons

    • Clear land for cattle

    • Rapid logging of tropical woodlands

    • Need for space in growing populations

    • Sustain agricultural practice called slash and burn

  • Slash and Burn

    • Cutting down trees and burning the debris to clear land for planting crops

    • Cultivation of crops in recently cut/burned tropical forest cleanings are abandoned in favor of newly cleared nearby forest land

    • This causes biodiversity problems when animal populations that were once connected are now cut off.

Southern Cone - Chile

• Population - 18.2 million, 95% white,

• Capital is Santiago

• 90% of population is in Santiago

• The Atacama Desert

  • Driest place EARTH

  • Northern Chile

  • No rain has ever been recorded\

  • Cold Peruvian current doesn’t allow for much moisture.

  • Weather moves East to West, so the Andes blocks any kind of moisture

• Chile is the largest supplier of Copper in the WORLD

Southern Cone - Paraguay

• Population - 6.9 million, 95% mestizo, 5% other

• Truly Bilingual, Spanish and Guarani

• Landlocked (Only Bolivia and Paraguay are landlocked in S. America)

  • Rio Parana allows access to the Atlantic so unlike Bolivia, it has an in country way via water to export and import

• Politics

  • Francisco Solano Lopez

    • Military dictator

    • Declared war on Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina

      • “War of Triple Alliance”

      • Over half the population killed in this war, nearly all men dead

      • Only reason Paraguay exists is as a buffer state (prevent conflict) between Argentina and Brazil

Southern Cone - Uruguay

• Population - 3.4 million, 97% White, 2% Mestizo, almost 0 Amerindian

• Capital is Montevideo

• Exports mostly Beef, Wool, and Textiles

• Tourism is important

• Located near the Pampa in the southern region of the country (very fertile land that runs very deep as well)

Southern Cone - Argentina

• Population 45.4 million, 96% White European, 4% Mestizo, small Amerindian in the Andes

• Has access to the Pampa (like Uruguay)

• Has more cattle than people (This is the case for Brazil and Uruguay as well)

• Iguazu Falls - Between Argentina and Brazil

  • Widest Waterfall in the world

Remaining Topics:

Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana)

• Guyana

  • Located Northeast in S. America, to the left of Suriname, and French Guiana. To the right of Venzuela

  • Language spoken is Guianese Creole, and English

• Suriname

  • Located Northeast in S. America in between Guyana and French Guiana

  • Language spoken is Dutch, and a more regional language being Sranan Tongo creole

• French Guiana

  • NOT considered a country

  • Located to the right of Suriname

  • Language spoken is French and Guianese Creole for the specific ethnic communities

Left Out Physical Geography:

• 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

Middle America Notes:

Sierra Maestra

• A mountain range in Cuba

Sierra Madra

• Northwest Mexico to Pacific Coastline

Greater Antilles:

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

Cuban Revolution

• Cuba (the largest island that makes up the Greater Antilles) became communist when Fidel Castro led a Guerilla Campaign against the government and then won by wearing them down with the help of Cuban citizens. In January of 1959, Fidel Castro and his army moved into Havana and assumed control. He then presumed to set up another tightly controlled dictatorship (i.e. communism).

Talking Points with Haiti, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic

• Some of the issues in the Caribbean region include: high crime rates (think Jamaica), immense deforestation and environmental issues (think Haiti and Brazil), economic issues and overall poor populations in some areas (think Haiti), and political issues (think Puerto Rico potentially becoming a U.S. state and being divided about that)

Middle America - Niceragua

• Sandinistas

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

Middle America - Honduras

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

Middle America - Mexico

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. Import duties are disappearing under NAFTA, bringing jobs to Mexico and the advantages of low wage rates to the foreign entrepreneurs. Maquiladoras account for about 1/5 of Mexico's industrial jobs and approximately 1/2 of its total exports. (pg. 214 & GL-8)
  
  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. Ejidos are an indigenous legacy, and most ejidos lie in central and southern Mexico where nativist social and agricultural traditions are strongest. (pg. 214 & GL-4)

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

  • Peninsula in southern Mexico

Politics in Mexico

• Independence in 1821

• First 50 years (average of one new ruler every year)

• Caudillo (military or political strongman; a figure sometimes seen as a patriot)
  

• Enrique Peña Nieto

  • Mexico's current president.

  • Election marks return to PRI rule

  • Biggest challenge: War on drugs

Middle America - Panama

Why a Canal?

• To shorten travel time between pacific and atlantic

How did Geography influence its design?

• Elevation differnces forced engineers to create a mechanism

Difference between French and American Effort

• French failed due to conditions of central america and disease. US succeeded because they controlled disease and learned from the French effort, along with newer tech.

Ecotourism

• Ecotourism is a form of tourism that involves visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas. It is often intended as a low-impact and small-scale alternative to traditional commercial mass tourism. (Think of Brazil and their focus on wildlife.)
  
  Tourism is very important to the realm of Middle America, especially throughout the Greater and Lesser Antilles. However, using the example of Jamaica, tourism is definitely a double-edged sword. For example, Jamaica has few natural resources but they do have sun and beaches, and therefore it is an ideal spot for tourists. Jamaica, being a poorer country, will almost never see any of the money made from tourism though. Therefore, tourism is NOT effective because it eliminates interaction between the tourists and the rest of the island. In the end, the money ends up going to the resorts instead of to the island economy, which actually hurts the island in the long-run.
  
  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
  

Introduction to Latin America Notes:

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

• A culture heath is a source area from which new ideas radiated outward and whose population could expand and make significant material as well as intellectual progress. Essentially, it is a heartland, source area, innovation center; a place of origin of a major culture. (pg. 199 & GL-3)

Characteristics that define the realm of Latin America (both Middle and South America)

• 1. Location: Western Hemisphere
  2. Language: Strong Latin Influence
  3. Population: Predominantly Urban

Transculturation and Acculturation

• Acculturation is the cultural modification resulting from intercultural borrowing. In cultural geography, the term refers to the change that occurs in the culture of indigenous peoples when contact is made with a society that is technologically superior. (pg. GL-1)
  
  Transculturation is the cultural borrowing and two-way exchanges that occur when different cultures of approximately equal complexity and technological level come into close contact. (pg. GL-13)

North America Notes

What is environmental perception?

• How people perceive a place without actually going there, we get the ideas from television, movies, books etc.

What is push-pull factors and migration

• the idea that migration flows are simultaneously stimulated by conditions in source area, which tend to drive people away and by the perceived attractiveness of the destination

Rust and Sun Belts

• 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. Its warmer climate superior recreational opportunities, and amenities have been attracting large number of relocating people and activities since the 1960s; broader definitions of the sunbelt also include much of the western united states even colorado and coastal pacific northwest

• 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.

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)

Joel Garreau’s “Nine Nations of North America”

Joel Garreau’s 1981 book, The Nine Nations of North America, proposes that the continent can be divided into nine culturally and economically distinct regions, or “nations,” which transcend traditional political boundaries. Each of these regions is defined by shared cultural traits, economic activities, historical development, and environmental factors. Below is an elaboration on each of these regions and the reasoning behind their names:

1. New England

• Region: Includes parts of the U.S. Northeast (like Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire) and parts of Canada.

• Characteristics: Strong Puritan roots, a history of industrialization, and a culture of education and civic engagement.

• Why the Name?: Reflects its early colonial history as the first region settled by English Puritans.

2. The Foundry

• Region: Encompasses the industrial heartland, including cities like Detroit, Pittsburgh, and parts of Ontario, Canada.

• Characteristics: Historically dominated by heavy industry, such as steel production and manufacturing.

• Why the Name?: Refers to its role as the industrial powerhouse of North America, particularly during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

3. Dixie

• Region: Covers the American South, including states like Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia.

• Characteristics: Known for its agrarian history, Civil War legacy, and cultural distinctiveness in terms of religion (Baptist dominance), music, and cuisine.

• Why the Name?: "Dixie" is a historical term for the Southern U.S., symbolizing its unique cultural and historical identity.

4. The Breadbasket

• Region: Includes the Midwest states such as Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska.

• Characteristics: A center of agricultural production, particularly grains and corn. The economy is heavily tied to farming and food processing.

• Why the Name?: Reflects the region’s pivotal role in feeding North America and its vast expanses of fertile farmland.

5. The Empty Quarter

• Region: Covers sparsely populated areas in the American West and Canada, including parts of Nevada, Utah, and the Rocky Mountains.

• Characteristics: Known for its rugged terrain, low population density, and resource extraction industries (mining, oil).

• Why the Name?: The name highlights its sparse population and vast open spaces, giving it the feel of a frontier.

6. Ecotopia

• Region: Encompasses the Pacific Northwest, including Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and parts of Northern California.

• Characteristics: A region focused on environmental sustainability, technological innovation, and progressive politics.

• Why the Name?: Combines “eco” (ecological) and “topia” (utopia) to reflect the region’s environmental consciousness and green living ethos.

7. MexAmerica

• Region: Covers the U.S.-Mexico border region, including Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Northern Mexico.

• Characteristics: Defined by its unique blending of American and Mexican cultures, economies, and languages.

• Why the Name?: Highlights the fusion of cultural and economic ties between the U.S. and Mexico.

8. Quebec

• Region: Primarily the province of Quebec in Canada.

• Characteristics: Strongly defined by its French-speaking population, distinct cultural identity, and historical efforts for political autonomy.

• Why the Name?: Reflects the province’s unique linguistic and cultural heritage, separate from the rest of Canada.

9. The Islands

• Region: Includes Florida, the Caribbean, and parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast.

• Characteristics: A hub of tourism, international finance, and diverse immigrant populations from Latin America and the Caribbean.

• Why the Name?: Emphasizes the region’s geographic and cultural connections to the Caribbean islands.

Edge City

• Like tysons corner

• More jobs than beds

• a concentration of business, shopping, and entertainment outside a traditional downtown or central business district.

Megalopolis

• a very large, heavily populated city or urban complex.

3 stages of economic development in America

• 1. Pre-Colonial and Early Colonial Period (Before 1600s - 1700s)

  • -Economy Based on Subsistence and Trade: Indigenous peoples in North America engaged in subsistence farming, hunting, fishing, and gathering. They also participated in regional trade networks.

• 2. Industrialization and Expansion (Late 1700s - Early 1900s) Industrial Revolution

  • North America saw rapid industrialization, particularly in the U.S. and parts of Canada.

• 3. Post Industrialization (Mid-1900s - Present)

  • Service and Technology Sectors: The focus shifted from manufacturing to services, finance, and technology.

Acculturation and Transculturation difference

• Acculturation is a one-way adoption of culture, while transculturation is a two-way exchange that results in something new