Physical Geography
• Latin America includes
Mexico and Central
America, the Caribbean
islands, and South America.
• Almost every physical
feature can be found in this
region.
Which set of four regions most
appropriately group the nations of Latin
America politically?
A.
Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean
Islands, and South America.
B. Mexico, Central America, South America
west of the Andes, and South America
east of the Andes.
C. Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, and French
colonial areas.
D. North America, Central America, South
America, and Brazil.
Which physical feature is a natural border
between Argentina and Chile?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Rivers
Deserts
Mountains
Plains
Physical Geography
• Latin America has
many different
climates.
– Has a huge range of
latitudes.
– Wide range of
altitudes.
Human Geography
• Latin America is home to 33 countries and
more than 500 million people.
• The region is called Latin America because
most of its people speak Spanish or
Portuguese.
– Modern languages based off of Latin.
Human Geography
• History
– First people nomadic hunters.
– Over time settled down and farmed.
– Maya and Aztecs built their empires in this region.
Human Geography
• Colonial History
– 1492 Columbus landed on the Caribbean
beginning a long period of European conquest.
– By 1825 most of Latin America had thrown off
colonial rule.
Human Geography
• Modern Era
– Independence usually resulted in dictatorships not
democracies.
– By the 1980s, Latin Americans were weary of
dictators.
Human Geography
• Latin America has a wealth of natural
resources – which first attracted explorers.
• Farming and ranching are important.
– Commercial coffee farms.
All of the following affect
subsistence farming EXCEPT -
A.
B.
C.
D.
climate
soil
topography
services
Spatial Inequality in Mexico City
• Spatial Inequality – The unequal distribution
of wealth or resources over a geographic area.
– Some places within Mexico City are richer or
poorer than others.
Tenochtitlan
Spatial Inequality: Mexico City
• 1521 Spain conquers Tenochtitlan building
Mexico City in its place.
• Many people have relocated to the capital
because of rural decline (increasing poverty in
the countryside).
Spatial Inequality
• 15% of land is suitable for farming.
• Types of farms:
– Small privately owned.
– Large communal lands (ejidos)
– Large commercial farm
Spatial Inequality
• Migration and family size has gone down,
however, Mexico City is continuing to expand.
• Problems of Urbanization:
– Pollution
– Overcrowding
– Sanitation
Air Pollution
Water Pollution
Spatial Inequality
• “Have Nots”
– Live in slums.
– May work but long hours and little pay.
• “Haves”
– Live in houses or apartments.
– Life has become harder recently because the
economy has suffered.