Chapter 10 Study Guide for Apollo

Chapter 10 Study Guide for Apollo

Living in Latin America

This section focuses on the economic activities of Latin America.

Chapter 10, Section 1

Terms to Know

export To sell to other countries (page 237)

campesino A rural farm worker (page 238)

latifundia A large agricultural estate (page 238)

 minifundia A small plot of land intensively farmed by campesinos (page 238)

cash crop A crop produced in large quantities to be sold or traded (page 238)

developing country A country that is working toward greater use of manufacturing and technology (page 238)

service industry An industry that provides services rather than goods (page 238)

maquiladora A foreign-owned factory in Mexico (page 239)

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) An agreement among the United States, Canada, and Mexico that reduces trade restrictions among those countries (page 240)

Introduction (page 237) In many Latin American cities great divisions separate the wealthy and the

poor. They are caused by social, political, and economic factors and by the physical geography of the region.

Agriculture (page 237) Latin American countries export, or sell to other countries, much of their

farm products. For centuries farmland has been distributed among a small group of wealthy landowners and a larger group of farm workers called campesinos.

There are two kinds of farms in Latin America:

A. Latifundia are large agricultural estates owned by wealthy families and businesses. These estates use machines and the inexpensive labor of workers to produce large amounts of agricultural goods.

B. Minifundia are small areas of land farmed by campesinos to feed their families. The land is usually owned by a proprietor or the government, while the campesinos provide the labor.

This farm system is gradually changing. Some farm workers are leaving farming for jobs in cities. Some governments are passing laws to distribute the land more fairly. Most campesinos remain poor.

Latin America’s physical geography makes it suitable for growing cash crops, or crops produced in large quantities to be sold or traded.

A.  Coffee grows in the highland areas with fertile soil. Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and El Salvador are the world’s leading coffee producers.

B.  Bananas grow in the lush, tropical coastal areas of Central America, Cuba, Jamaica, Ecuador, and Brazil. Most of the world’s bananas come from these areas.

C.  Sugarcane grows in the tropical climates and fertile soil of Brazil and Cuba. These two countries are world leaders in sugarcane production.

Industry (page 238) Most Latin American countries are considered to be developing countries. They are working toward greater use of manufacturing and technology. Service industries such as banks provide services rather than goods. They have been growing in many countries of the region.

The growth of industries in Latin America has been slowed by several factors. Physical geography, such as the Andes and the dense rain forests, makes it difficult to get to natural resources. Foreign companies have drained off local resources and profits. Political instability stops investors from putting too much money into industries in Latin America. American and Japanese firms have built maquiladoras, or foreign-owned factories, along the United States-Mexican border. People against maquiladoras complain that the companies keep workers in low-paying and dangerous jobs and do not follow laws to protect the environment.

Trade and Interdependence (page 240) Latin America depends on foreign trade to get the goods it cannot produce. In 1994 Mexico, the United States, and Canada signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This agreement has increased the flow of goods, services, and people among the three countries. NAFTA has helped increase Mexico’s exports and has provided thou- sands of new jobs.

Many Latin American countries have large foreign debts. These debts keep some countries from financing industrial development.

Transportation (page 240) Building roads and railroads in Latin America has been difficult and slow.

Many governments lack the money for building projects. The rugged mountains, dense rain forests, and deserts are other barriers to building roads and railroads. The region’s major road system is the Pan-American Highway. This road runs from northern Mexico to southern Chile, linking more than a dozen Latin American capitals. Important water systems in the region include the Amazon River, the Parana-Paraguay, and the Panama Canal. All major cities in the region have airports.

Communications (page 241) The major sources of information in the region are newspapers, radio, and

television.  Governments may sometimes censor information. Few people have telephones in their homes. In larger cities, many people use cellular phones. Computers are too expensive for most Latin Americans, but some cities have public Internet centers.

People and Their Environment

In the last section, you read about the economy of Latin America. This section focuses on the challenges facing Latin America.

Chapter 10, Section 2

Terms to Know

sustainable development Technological and economic growth that does not deplete the human and natural resources of a given area (page 242)

deforestation The clearing or destruction of forests (page 242)

slash-and-burn Farming methods using cutting and burning of trees to enrich soil (page 244)

reforestation The planting of trees on land that has been stripped (page 244)

shantytown A makeshift community on the edge of a city (page 244)

Challenges

Introduction (page 242) Latin American countries must choose between preserving large areas of wilderness or developing those areas to raise the standard of living. One solution is to work toward sustainable development, technological and economic growth that does not use up the area’s resources.

1.  How can Latin America raise the standard of living without using up its resources?

Managing Rain Forests (page 242) Deforestation—the clearing or destruction of forests—has destroyed more than 13 percent of the Amazon rain forest.

There are two reasons why the destruction of the rain forests can affect the world:

A.  Several plant and animal species on Earth are threatened. Many of the world’s medicines and potential medicines come from rain forest plants and organisms.

B.  Since plants use carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, the destruction of rain forest plants can result in less carbon dioxide being used and more of it staying in the atmosphere. Since carbon dioxide is a green- house gas that helps hold heat, global warming, climate change, and rising ocean levels may result.

One of the most common reasons for deforestation is slash-and-burn farming. This involves clearing portions of the rain forest by cutting down plants and trees, drying them out, and then burning them. The ashes are used to make the soil more fertile. Frequent flooding of the region, how- ever, causes the fertile soil to wash away. Farmers then move to new parts of the forest and repeat the process. Ranchers use the same process to create grazing land for their cattle.

Reforestation, or the planting of young trees on the land that has been stripped, is a possible solution to the problem. Developing new methods of farming, mining, and logging, along with conservation, can protect the forests and help the economy.

Urban Environments (page 244) Latin America faces environmental challenges from rapid urbanization.

This happens when a city’s rate of population growth is greater than the available resources for housing, sanitation, education and government services. Many people cannot find jobs or housing when they move to the city. They often end up living in shantytowns, or makeshift communities on the edge of cities. Shantytowns lack running water and underground sewage systems, so disease can spread rapidly. Many people develop malnutrition from lack of food. Air pollution is common, because there are few clean air laws.

Latin American governments and international agencies are working to help solve the problems of rapid urbanization.

Regional and International Issues (page 245) Latin America faces many regional and international challenges:

A.  Border disputes have erupted over the rights to natural resources. Money that could be used for development instead has been used in border wars.

B.  Migration continues to strain the resources of cities.

C.  Out-migration from Latin America to the United States poses a problem. Many Latin Americans who leave the region are well-educated or skilled workers who could help solve the region’s problems.

D.  Industrial growth and the use of agricultural chemicals has greatly increased water and air pollution.

E.  The physical geography of the region makes it vulnerable to natural disasters.