intro to geography: middle america

Middle America

Physiographic Boundaries

• Pacific Ocean• Gulf of Mexico• Atlantic Ocean• Caribbean Sea• Unclear boundaries to the north of Mexico• Isthmus of Panama

Climate

• At or below the Tropic of Cancer– Warmer temps and direct sunlight

• Mixture of desert climate, tropical rainforest, and highlands climate

Climate

Altitudinal Zonation

• High relief regions– As elevation increases, climate gets colder

Hurricanes

• Hurricane Alley• Season- June to December (peak Aug-Sep)

• Mexico– Two peninsulas

• Baja and Yucatan

– Mountain Ranges• Sierra Madre Occidental

and Oriental

– Climate• Dry to the north and

more humid to the south

Physiographic Features


• Central America– Volcanic highland belt– Fertile soil

• Biodiversity Hotspot- high concentration of plant and animal species


• Isthmus of Panama– Land bridge that links two continents– Narrow (40 mi)


• Formation of the Isthmus of Panama– Intensified the gulf stream– Atlantic ocean became saltier than the Pacific


• Caribbean– Island archipelago– Over 7000

• Greater Antilles– Big islands

• Lesser Antilles– Small island arc

Tectonic Setting

Fault Zone

• Frequent Earthquakes in the Greater Antilles– i.e. Haiti, 2010, Magnitude 7

Volcanic Island Arc

• The Islands of the Caribbean• Mountain chains which formed through tectonic plate convergence (subduction)

Central American Volcanic Arc

• Volcanic Mt. Range

Geologic Resources

• Oil along the Gulf of Mexico– Mexico’s oil supply was

nationalized for 75 years– Recently, reforms have

allowed foreign oil companies to return to Mexico

Environmental Issues

• Tropical Deforestation– Clearing forests for economic opportunity– Related to agriculture

Environmental Issues

• Tropical Deforestation

Human Geography

Mesoamerica

• Cultural Hearth- source of new ideas and intellectual progress– Advances in art and science

• Extended from Mexico City to Nicaragua

Mesoamerica

Mesoamerica

• Mayan Civilization (peak 300-900 C.E.)• Lowland tropics• Population 2-3 million

Mesoamerica

• Aztec Civilization (13th-16th century)• Intermontane Highlands• Tenochtitlan- Modern Mexico City

Spanish Conquest

• Group of Spaniards led by Cortes (16th century)– Invaded Tenochtitlan and defeated Aztecs– Destroyed Tenochtitlan and built Mexico City

Spanish Conquest

• Spanish-style settlements

Conquest and Colonialism

– Religious conversion– Diseases wiped out millions of indigenous people– Destroyed knowledge base– Deforestation– Language conversion

– Competition over land and resources between Spain, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and later the U.S.

Conquest and Colonialism

• Hacienda- landholdings with Spanish landowners and indigenous workers

• Plantation Agriculture- high efficiency and profit, one crop such as bananas, sugarcane, tobacco, etc.– Trans-Atlantic slave trade used to provide labor for

plantations

European Influence

Mainland and Rimland

Diversity of People

• Amerindian- people native to the Americas• Mestizo- mixed ethnicity– i.e. European and Amerindian

• European– Hispanic (Spanish speaking)

• African American

• Transculturation- two way exchange of cultural traits

Independence

• Independence movements began in 1800’s and is continuing today– Some Caribbean nations are still under European

control

• Ejidos- government breakup of haciendas and plantations – Redistributed as communal lands

Neocolonialism

Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Regional Issue…The Role of the Tourist Industry in Middle

American Economies

IN SUPPORT OF THE TOURIST INDUSTRY• Without tourism, there is no

economy.• Demand for infrastructure

benefits locals, too.• Affluent tourists will always

come to escape northern climates.

• It is a “clean industry.”• It is educational.

CRITICAL OF THE TOURIST INDUSTRY• Tourism does not constitute

a real and fundamental benefit to local economies.

• Tourism represents inequality and affluent isolation.

• It debases local peoples and cultures to tourists’ tastes.

• Tourism is still environmentally damaging.

Regions of Middle America

Mexico

• Core Area of the region– Anchored by Mexico City– Economic focus to the

north, poor south– 77 % of population in

urban areas

NAFTA

• North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (1994)– Between U.S., Mexico, and Canada– Maquiladoras- factories converting raw materials

into goods for the U.S.– Boom in urbanization along the border

Border Zone

• Worlds longest border between rich and poor regions

Drug Trade

• Drugs produced in Columbia, Bolivia, and Peru enters the U.S. through Mexico

• Mexican cartels have developed through these transactions

Drug War

• Results of the drug trade– Rise in violent crime

• Control of territory

– Increase in addiction– Loss of government

control– 60,000 deaths from

2006-12

Population Growth- Mexico

Cities

• Mexico City• Population > 30 million• Environmental Issues

Mexico City

• Air Pollution • Overuse of groundwater

A Week of Groceries- Mexico

$ 189.09

Central America

• Guatemala• Belize• El Salvador• Honduras• Nicaragua• Costa Rica• Panama

Central America

• Isolated region• Population explosion• Contains 1% of land, but 7% of natural species– Ecotourism

• Disadvantaged economies• Internal conflicts• Impacted by drug trafficking


• Panama Canal (1914)– Human made waterway which links the Atlantic

Ocean to the Pacific Ocean– Third lane to open in 2015

Population Growth- Nicaragua

A Week of Groceries- Guatemala

$ 75.70

Caribbean Basin

• Fragmented region• Social stratification based on colonial

influences• Most densely populated region of the western

hemisphere (90% in the Greater Antilles)• Labor shortage after emancipation brought

immigrant workers from Asia.

The Greater Antilles

• Jamaica• Hispaniola– Dominican Republic– Haiti

• Cuba• Puerto Rico

The Greater Antilles• Jamaica– English speaking– Still recognizes British

monarchy

• Haiti– Still recovering from

devastating Earthquake in 2010

– Poorest country in the western hemisphere

• Puerto Rico– U.S. Territory– Discussions about

possible statehood or independence

• Dominican Republic– More land/ resources in

Hispaniola– Government corruption

has hurt stable economy

The Greater Antilles

• Cuba– Largest Caribbean state– Became a communist dictatorship under Fidel

Castro in 1959• Close ties to the Soviet Union• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

– Receiving oil from Venezuela

Population Growth- Cuba

A Week of Groceries- Cuba

$ 64.00

The Lesser Antilles

Thousands of islands including;• Bahamas/Turks & Caicos • Virgin Islands (U.S)• Trinidad & Tobago

• Many islands choose to remain affiliated with their European colonial power

Population Growth- Bahamas

intro to geography: middle america

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