Chapter 7

World Regions in Global Context: Peoples, Places, and Environments (3 rd Ed.) Sallie A. Marston, Paul L. Knox, & Diana M. Liverman Chapter 7: Latin America Robert M. Arthur

Latin America Shared Languages Common History European colonialism Religion Independence – 19 th C. Sub-Regions Central America The Southern Cone The Caribbean

Setting the Boundaries From the Rio Grande to Tierra del Fuego Most of Central America and South America Shared Colonial History: Iberian Countries

Landforms & Landscapes The Andes 5000 miles long Highest point – 22,830 ft. The Amazon River 2.3 million square mile basin 20% of the World’s fresh water The Amazon Rainforest 100,000 + species The Altiplano The Caribbean Basin

Environmental Geography Neotropical Diversity Tropical Ecosystems of the Western Hemisphere Southern Venezuela

Natural Disasters & Minerals Tectonically Active Volcanoes Montserrat Earthquakes Volcanoes Rich soils Mineral Wealth Silver and gold Lead, zinc, tin and iron Bauxite Energy Oil and natural gas Mexico and Venezuela Coal

Climate Intertropical Convergence Equatorial rainforests Tropical Subsidence Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts – Mexico Altacama Desert – Chile Trade Winds Seasonal rainfall Topography Orographic lifting Rainshadow effect

Altitudinal Zonation Classification of environment and land use Changes in climate and vegetation with elevation Lower – warmer Higher – cooler Tierra Caliente Tierra Templada Tierra Fria Tierra Helada Different agricultural activities for each zone

Environmental Issues – Overview Figure 4.3 Wood Chips in Chile

Environmental Issues (cont’d) Mexico City What aspects of physical and human geography combine to produce air pollution in this city?

Environmental Issues (cont’d) These satellite images were taken of Rondônia, Brazil in 1975 and 2001 What differences do you see between these two time periods?

Environmental Issues (cont’d) Cochabamba, Bolivia How is this landscape related to changes in agricultural productivity?

Topography – Western Mountains and Eastern Shields The Andes Uplands of Mexico and Central America The Shields Large upland areas of exposed crystalline rock Brazilian and Patagonian Shields Lake Titicaca Patagonia

Topography – River Basins and Lowlands Figure 4.12 Itaipú Dam

Hurricane Mitch October 1998 4 ft. of rain in 48 hours Flooding and mudslides 10,000 dead 20,000 missing 2.5 m. dependent on aid Social Vulnerabilities Honduras 70% of agriculture wiped out ½ of export revenue

El Nino Periodic Warming of Ocean Surface Warmer Water off Peru’s Coast Global Climatic Effects Droughts in Brazil, Central America, and Australia Flooding in Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay Changes in North American Climate

Environmental History Domestication Plants: maize, manioc, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, squash, avocadoes, pineapples, tobacco, vanilla, cacao, peanuts, coca Animals: llamas, alpacas, dogs, guinea pigs

Environmental History Mayans Slash and burn Swidden Environmental degradation Raised fields Incas Mountain environment Terraces Aztecs Dams, irrigation systems, drainage canals Chinampa

Water Resources 3 Largest Basins The Amazon The Plata Itaipu Dam The Orinoco Lakes Lake Nicaragua Lake Titicaca Waterfalls2 Iguacu Falls Angel Falls 3230 ft. tallest in the World

Amazon Basin 1.2 Billion Acres Tremendous biodiversity Resource Potential Rubber Frontier Government policies of populating Deforestation 15% cleared 50,000 square miles each year

Costa Rica Ecotourism 12 Ecosystems 30% of its territory is bioreserve and wildlife preserve 850 bird species 6000 flowering plants 200 animal species 200 reptile species 35,000 insect species Since 1995 800,000 tourists increasing by 10% a year

The Colonial Experience 15 th C. – Spanish Begin Colonization Viceroyalty system – Audiencias - Quinto Real 1494 – Treaty of Tordesillas Pope Alexander VI

The Columbian Exchange Demographic Collapse Began ~ 1500 Virgin epidemics 75% of indigenous peoples died Abandonment of settlements and fields Scarcity of labor Pests Brought Over Weeds Cats, rats Competed with local species Exchange of Produce Goods went to Europe to be grown there and elsewhere Crops brought to Latin America Animals Horses, cattle, pigs, sheep Overgrazing Soil erosion Deforestation

Colonization Land Tenure Latifundia Minifundia Haciendas Domestic production Plantations Export crops Monoculture Labor Encomienda Repartimiento Slave trade A Process Spanning Two Centuries Differential Effects “ Black Legend” of Spanish Conquest The Spanish Main Piracy sponsored by Britain, France, and the Dutch Disrupt Spanish shipments

Sugar Transformed Latin America Began in the 1500’s in Brazil By 1800 the Caribbean produced 80% of the World’s sugar Required slave labor Tremendous European demand Use in tea Molasses Rum

Independence 1810 - Miguel Hidalgo Grito (cry) Mexico 1824 - Simon Bolivar Northern South America Regional Revolts Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Columbia, Chile and Brazil Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay Central America separates from Mexico The Caribbean 1804 - Haiti 1844 - Dominican Republic 1958 - West Indies Federation 1962 - Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago 1966 - Barbados 1967 - Dominica and Grenada Spanish American War U.S. gets Cuba and Puerto Rico

U.S. Dominance 1823 The Monroe Doctrine Called for European non-interference in Latin America 1848 - U.S. War with Mexico U.S. Interference Cuba (1896-1922) Haiti (1915-1934) Nicaragua (1909-1933) Panama (1903 on) Revolutions Oligarchies Banana Republics Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) Cuban Revolution (1959) Bay of Pigs (1961) Socialist Governments elected in Chile and Guatemala U.S. implicated in overthrow of these governments Nicaragua, Sandinistas (1989) Contras supported by U.S.

Distinctive Landscapes Caribbean Islands Diversity Wealth and poverty Cultural Coral reefs and Mangrove forests Mountainous and flat islands Numerous languages including Creole Economy Agriculture Mining and oil Tourism Free trade zones Offshore banking

Economic Development 1929 – Great Depression Import Substitution 1930s to 1960s Tariffs Import quotas Nationalization with global markets Government investment in new industries Stimulated growth in local industry and labor Lack of integration

The Debt Crises Oil Boom 1960s Borrowed Money 1980s Market Slump Unprecedented debt Brazil - $111 billion Mexico - $104 billion Venezuela - $33 billion The Lost Decade – 1980s Solutions: (U.S. & IMF) Extension of loans Lend more money Forgiveness Structural Adjustment Removal of subsidies Removal of trade barriers Privatization Reduction of labor union power Reduction of welfare programs Poor hit very hard Malnutrition Destitution Underemployment

People of Latin America 50 million prior to Conquest Class Structure Peninsulares European born Spanish Criollos Spanish born in the Americas Castas Mixture of European and indigenous peoples Mulatto Spanish and African Zambo African and indigenous peoples “ Whiteness” and European cultural values favored

Indigenous Populations Communal Lands and Participatory Mapping President Evo Morales of Bolivia

Diasporas African 5 million brought over during colonial period 3 million to Brazil Slavery abolished in 1800s Maroon communities Prejudice still exists Lighter color is still equated with higher status Asian immigration Also began in the colonial period Indentured workers Europeans Italian, German, British, Welsh to Argentina French to Guiana

Population Growth Currently 524 million Brazil - 172 million Mexico - 99 million Growth of 2%/year Doubling times less than 35 years Young populations High to medium fertility rates

Population and Settlement - Urban Primacy - Megalopolis Figure 4.17 São Paulo, Brazil

Demographic Indicators Note variation in % urban across the region

Urban Form Reflects colonial origins and contemporary growth

Migration Urbanization – 50 to 90% Mexico City 21 million Sao Paulo 19 million Buenos Aries 13 million Rio de Janeiro 11.5 million Urban Primacy

Population Growth and Movements Rapid growth: 1960s and 1970s Flows within and outside of Latin America

Population Movements Rural-to-Urban Migration Border Movements European Migration Asian Migration Japanese Brazilians U.S.–Mexico Border

Urbanization Migration Rural to Urban Push – Pull Factors Movement to frontier regions Migration to other countries Mexicans to U.S. Caribbean to Britain, Canada, and U.S.

“ City of God”: Squatter Settlements in Latin America Importance of the Informal Sector Regional Names ranchos favelas barrios jovenes Pueblo nuevos Lima, Peru

Language & Culture Many Indigenous Languages Still Spoken Mostly Spanish Portuguese in Brazil English in Belize and Guyana French in French Guiana Dutch in Suriname Mexican and Caribbean Food Very Popular Latin Music Reggae

Gender Relations & Religion Gender Relations Strongly patriarchal Machismo Marianismo Stereotypical gender roles Women’s rights are improving; however, many inequalities exist Traditional culture holds back improvements Religion Catholicism very strong (400 million) Colonialism and missionaries Voodoo - 30 million Ancient Mayan – 10 million Liberation theology Fundamental Protestantism (40 million)

Transition to Democracy Initial Governments Authoritarian Single party Military Socialistic Centralized control Oppressive Social Movements Pressured governments Land reform Welfare Military Governments Argentina 15,000 killed Many more fled Chile General Pinochet Charged with similar crimes Political Change End of cold war Grass roots movements High levels of poverty

Geopolitical Framework Treaty of Tordesillas Revolutionary Movements and Independence Persistent Border Conflicts Trends Toward Democracy Figure 4.30

Green Revolution & Land Reform Land Reform Most of the good land owned by the wealthy few Broken up and redistributed to the peasants Mexico 52% given to rural peoples Ejidos Bolivia 79% redistributed Guatemala, Chile and Nicaragua 20% + redistributed Green Revolution Improve productivity High yield crops Machinery Irrigation Fertilizers Pesticides

Green Revolution Problems Increased irrigation caused salinization Caused economic dependency Only helped the wealthy Environmental degradation Loss of genetic diversity Second Revolution Biotech Nontraditional agricultural exports - NTAEs

Regional Organizations - Supranational: Trade Blocks - Subnational: Ethnicity/Ideology

Development Strategies Informal Sector in Peru High Tech in Costa Rica

Development Strategies (cont’d) Primary Export Dependency Oil Production São Paulo State, Brazil Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela

Figure 4.6.1 Figure 4.6.2a Figure 4.6.2b Maquiladora Cities – Contrasts in Wealth and Poverty

Insurgencies and Drug Trafficking Colombian National Police

The Drug Economy High Priced Crops Peasant farmers can earn much more than traditional crops Marijuana Coca Opium $632 per kg of coca leaves Drug Cartels Government instability War on Drugs Spray crops Arrest dealers “ Reduce demand”

Regional Inequalities Income From average to poor 120 million earn less than $2 daily Employment Informal economy Underemployment Health Better on average than most regions Wide variations within the region

Distinctive Landscapes The Andes Mountains and volcanoes Altiplano Lake Titicaca Agriculture Grazing Mining Tourism Incan Ruins Mountain climbing Indigenous peoples Poverty

Cultural Diversity – Historic Demographic Collapse and Indigenous Populations Columbian Exchange Tikal, Guatemala

Social Development President Bachelet, Chile

End of Chapter 7: Latin America World Regions in Global Context: Peoples, Places, and Environments (3 rd Ed.) Sallie A. Marston, Paul L. Knox, & Diana M. Liverman

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