Slide 1 Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts 15 th Edition Chapter 4B: Middle American Regions Slide 2 Slide 3 Physiography Mexican landmass: Two peninsulas and an isthmus Mountain backbone Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental Center is the Plateau of Mexico, includes the Valley of Mexico Tropical climates Dominated by aridity Some more humid areas in the south
Slide 4 Slide 5 Regionally diverse Core Area anchored by Mexico City Transition zone diving Hispanic-mestizo north from Amerindian south Gulf Coast is Mexico s petroleum center NAFTA North is economically dynamic Regions of Mexico Diversity with regions Southern Highlands: luxurious Acapulco and interior Amerindian farms Slide 6
Slide 7 Growth slowing due to drop in fertility Distribution Densely populated in central States and southern highlands Least-populated in dry and rugged northern deserts High rate of urbanization Except in Amerindian highlands Population Patterns Slide 8 Slide 9 A Mix of Cultures Culture in Fusion of heritages Not a one-way incorporation of European culture, as acculturation But a two-way exchange of cultural traits, or transculturation Strong Amerindian presence: Linguistic persistence Dress, cuisine, artistic, and architectural styles and folkways
Slide 10 Slide 11 Agriculture: Fragmented Modernization Breaking up the haciendas after independence: Ejidos are government-held farmlands redistributed to peasant communities. System of land management is an Amerindian legacy. Half of Mexican lands are these social landholdings. Reforms did not increase production. Fragmented lands cause low yields and rural poverty. Irrigated northwest agriculture: Large-scale commercial agriculture Improving, but still tough to compete with U.S. crops Slide 12 Among the Realm s Great Cities Mexico City World s largest urban agglomeration: Primate city, hub of the nation Social contrasts: Affluence surrounded by middle class surrounded by poverty Environmental crises: Inefficient fresh water supply Air pollution and geologic hazards And still, Mexico City grows by 100,000 to 300,000 per year
Slide 13 Slide 14 States of Contrast North vs. south: Income is higher and rural poverty lower in North. Economic growth and infrastructure investment is lower in southern States. By various social indices, the south lags. Political consequences: Guerilla war in Chiapas Polarized 2006 presidential campaign Slide 15
Slide 16 Slide 17 States of Contrast Map Analysis Activity: States of Mexico 1. Identify regions of states that are poor and small, small and rich, rich and large, large and poor. 2. Speculate the reasons for their characteristics and location. Slide 18 The Drug Wars Colombian drug cartels are in northern Mexico. Various routes connect all the Americas. Cartel competition: Territorial control over entry points, processing, transport routes, and export valves Cartel politics: mergers, splits, and power struggles Mexico as a failed state: Rampant corruption Government s lack of control over its territory
Slide 19 Slide 20 Mexico s Future Government s agenda: End destabilizing violence. Reduce regional inequalities. Close the gap between rich and poor. Spread the positive effects of NAFTA southward: Invest in infrastructure, education, and antipoverty. Improve on the foundations of economic interaction with the United States. Possibility of a dry canal, as an overland rail and/or road across its isthmus, to compete with the Panama Canal. Slide 21 The Central American Republics: A Land Bridge Volcanic highland belt flanked by lowlands on both coasts: Provides fertile volcanic soils Biodiversity hot spot in Costa Rica and Panama: Has a higher-than-usual concentration of natural plant and animal species Threat of deforestation
Slide 22 Slide 23 The Central American Republics: A Land Bridge Population concentrated in cooler uplands are known as tierra templada. Borders confine El Salvadorians to coastal tropical lowlands are known as tierra caliente. Population pressures on the environment: Demographic explosion of the mid-20 th century Slide 24 The Central American Republics: Guatemala Historical geography: Heart of Maya Empire and significant Amerindian cultural influence. Once part of Mexico; mestizos (ladinos) secured independence. Guatemalan politics: Military regimes have dominated. Many died in 1960 1996 civil war between poor Amerindians and better-off ladinos. Economic potential: minerals and soil Concept Caching: Bombil Pek cave and sinkhole Northern Guatemala
Slide 25 Slide 26 The Central American Republics: Belize History more like a Caribbean island: British dependency Changing demographics Emigration of African Belizeans Replaced by other Central American refugees Hispanicized cultural geography Spanish as lingua franca Economic transformation: New crops and industries Tourism and ecotourism Offshore banking offering financial haven for foreign money Slide 27 The Central American Republics Honduras Still recovering from Category-5 Hurricane Mitch in 1998 Pre-1998, economy was third poorest in the realm Potential for ecotourism Hindered by poor infrastructure and lack of funds El Salvador Densely populated and homogeneously mestizo Coffee Republic Large landholdings and subjugated peasant labor Civil War effects: Arms supplied by other states Remittances sent by affluent émigrés
Slide 28 The Central American Republics: Nicaragua Triangle of land: Core of the country on the Pacific side Caribbean side home to remote Amerindian peoples Difficulties: Political instability Devastation of Hurricane Mitch Accelerated population growth Reliance on remittances and aid Concept Caching: Sandinista Revolution Mural Managua, Nicaragua Slide 29 The Central American Republics: Costa Rica Internal political stability: Democratic tradition Remote from regional strife Concentrated on economic development: Region s highest standard of living, literacy rate, and life expectancy Concept Caching: Agriculture and tourism View of San José, Costa Rica The Valle Central: Main coffee-growing area in the tierra templada Slide 30 The Central American Republics: Panama The Panama Canal: Expansion to boost interoceanic traffic Increases business in Panama Panama s geographies: Usual Central American culture, language, and topography Territorially small, but global Trading entrepôt and ultramodern port facilities Panama City: financial center for canal revenues and drug industry Concept Caching: Panama Canal Miraflores Locks
Slide 31 The Caribbean Basin: Fragmentation and Insularity Island arc Greater Antilles Four larger islands as the western segment Lesser Antilles Eastern segment of smaller islands reaching to the South Challenging circumstances: American coast Few economic opportunities Fragmented geography: Expensive imports territorially small and often Limited interaction with separated by considerable outside world distances Slide 32 The Caribbean Basin: Ethnicity and Class Rigid social stratification: Closely linked with ethnicity, as a colonial legacy Rankings: Europeans at top, Hispanics, mixed European- African or mulatto, then Afro-Caribbean Caribbean societies: Minorities hold power and exert influence Perpetuation of historic advantage South and East Asian presence: After end of slavery, groups arrived as indentured laborers Many languages, cultures Slide 33 The Greater Antilles: Cuba Global geopolitics: Cuban revolution Overthrew Americanbacked dictator Castro Communist dictatorship Cold War Challenging circumstances: Soviet nuclear missiles Poverty, crowded slums, Guantanamo Bay aging infrastructure, and Economic opportunities: unemployment Raw materials and Some liberalization by Raúl agriculture Castro a necessity Venezuelan oil
Slide 34 Slide 35 The Greater Antilles: Jamaica Colonial legacy: Member of British Commonwealth still recognizing the British monarch and English as official language Entirely Afro-Caribbean population Declining economic prospects: Slow population, economic growth and incomes Raw materials and agricultural exports disadvantaged Must import its necessities: oil and food Tourism is a world away from ordinary Jamaica Slide 36 The Greater Antilles: Haiti Environmental disasters: Center of Hurricane Alley In 2008, four tropical cyclones in one season Atop dangerous fault zone In 2010, ruinous earthquake Few natural resources History of instability, repression, and deprivation Heavy reliance on aid and remittances Shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic
Slide 37 Slide 38 Dominican Republic s advantages: Wider range of natural environments Stronger resource base Tourism industry Economic implosion: Bank fraud and government corruption brought down a strong economy The Greater Antilles: Dominican Republic Occupies a larger share of the island of Hispaniola than its neighbor, Haiti Slide 39 U.S. Commonwealth and a complicated arrangement: Has its own constitution, considerable autonomy, and an annual subsidy Weak economy: Industrialization and low wages kept locals impoverished Massive emigration Underdeveloped private sector The Greater Antilles: Puerto Rico Recent referendums resulted in continuation of Commonwealth status, rather than U.S. statehood or independence
Slide 40 Slide 41 The Lesser Antilles Environmental risks include earthquakes, volcanoes, and hurricanes. Socioeconomic problems: limited resources, overpopulation, difficult agricultural industry, and market limitations. Benefit to insularity and environment: Tourism. Predicament of the small-island developing economies: some islands chose to maintain a political relationship with former colonial ruler.