Geography: Realms, Regions and Concepts 15 th Edition By de Blij and Muller Chapter 4B: Middle American Regions
Mexico: Physiography Mexican landmass Two peninsulas & an isthmus Mountain backbone Sierra Madre Occidental & 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
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 Mexico: Regions of Mexico Diversity with regions Southern Highlands: luxurious Acapulco & interior Amerindian farms
Growth slowing due to drop in fertility Distribution Densely populated in central States & southern highlands Least-populated in dry & rugged northern deserts High rate of urbanization Except in Amerindian highlands Mexico: Population Patterns
Mexico: A Mix of Cultures Culture in Mexico 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 & architectural styles & folkways
Mexico: Agriculture: Fragmented Modernization Breaking up the Haciendas after independence Ejidos are government-held farmlands redistributed to peasant communities System of land management an Amerindian legacy ½ of Mexican lands are these social landholdings Reforms did not increase production Fragmented lands causes low yields & rural poverty Irrigated northwest agriculture Large-scale commercial agriculture Improving, but still tough to compete with US crops
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 & geologic hazards And still Mexico City grows by 100,000-300,000 per year
North vs. South Income is higher & rural poverty lower in North Economic growth & infrastructure investment is lower in southern States By various social indices the south lags Political consequences Guerilla war in Chiapas Polarized 2006 Presidential Campaign Mexico: States of Contrast
Mexico: 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. Speculate the reasons for their characteristics and location.
Colombian drug cartels in northern Mexico Various routes connect all the Americas Cartel competition Territorial control over entry points, processing, transport routes & export valves Cartel politics: mergers, splits & power struggles Mexico: The Drug Wars Mexico as a failed state Rampant corruption Government s lack of control over its territory
Mexico: Mexico s Future Government s agenda End destabilizing violence Reduce regional inequalities Namely, closing the gap between rich & poor Spread the positive effects of NAFTA southward Investing in infrastructure, education & antipoverty Improve on the foundations of economic interaction with the US Possibility of a dry canal, as an overland rail and/or road across its isthmus, to compete with the Panama Canal
The Central American Republics: Volcanic highland belt flanked by lowlands on both coasts Provides fertile volcanic soils Biodiversity hot spot in Costa Rica & Panama with a higher than usual concentration of natural plant & animal species Threat of deforestation A Land Bridge
The Central American Republics: Population concentrated in cooler uplands known as tierra templada Exception: borders confine El Salvadorians to coastal tropical lowlands known as tierra caliente Population pressures on the environment Demographic explosion of the mid-20 th century A Land Bridge
The Central American Republics: Guatemala Historical Geography Heart of Maya Empire & significant Amerindian cultural influence Once part of Mexico; Mestizos (ladinos) secured independence Guatemalan politics Military regimes dominated by ladinos & civil war Contrast between poor Amerindians & better-off ladinos Economic potential: minerals & agriculture Concept Caching: Bombil Pek cave and sinkhole Northern Guatemala
The Central American Republics: 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 Belize Economic transformation New crops & industries Tourism & ecotourism Offshore banking offering financial haven for foreign money
The Central American Republics Honduras Still recovering from Category-5 Hurricane Mitch in 1998 Pre-1998 economy was 3 rd poorest in the realm Potential for ecotourism Hindered by poor infrastructure & lack of funds El Salvador Densely people & homogeneously mestizo Coffee Republic Large landholdings & subjugated peasant labor Civil War Arms supplied by other states Affluent émigrés send remittances
The Central American Republics: Nicaragua Triangle of land Core of the country on the Pacific side Caribbean side has been home to remote Amerindian peoples Difficulties Political instability Devastation of Hurricane Mitch Accelerated population growth Reliance on remittances & aid Concept Caching: Sandinista Revolution Mural Managua, Nicaragua
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 & life expectancy Agriculture & tourism The Valle Central Main coffee-growing area in the tierra templada Concept Caching: View of San José, Costa Rica
The Central American Republics: Panama The Panama Canal Expansion to boost interoceanic traffic & increase business in Panama Panama s Geographies Usual Central American culture, language, & topography Territorially small, but global Trading entrepôt & ultramodern port facilities Panama City: financial center for canal revenues & drug industry Concept Caching: Panama Canal Miraflores Locks
The Caribbean Basin: Fragmentation and Insularity Island arc Greater Antilles 4 larger islands as the western segment Lesser Antilles Eastern segment of smaller islands reaching to the South American coast Fragmented geography: territorially small & often separated by considerable distances Challenging circumstances Few economic opportunity Expensive imports Limited interaction with outside world
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 & exert influence Perpetuation of historic advantage South & East Asian presence End of slavery, groups arrived as indentured laborers
Global geopolitics Cuban revolution Overthrow Americanbacked dictator Communist dictatorship Cold War Soviet nuclear missiles Guantanamo Bay Economic opportunities Raw materials & agriculture Venezuelan oil The Greater Antilles: Cuba Challenging circumstances Poverty, crowded slums, aging infrastructure, & unemployment Some liberalization by Raúl Castro a necessity
The Greater Antilles: Jamaica Colonial legacy Member of British Commonwealth still recognizing the British monarch & English as official language Entirely Afro-Caribbean population Declining economic prospects Slow population, economic growth & incomes Raw materials & agricultural exports disadvantaged Must import its necessities: oil & food Tourism is a world away from ordinary Jamaica
The Greater Antilles: Environmental disaster Center of Hurricane Alley 2008 4 tropical cyclones in one season Atop dangerous fault zone 2010 ruinous earthquake Few natural resources Haiti s challenge History of instability, repression & deprivation Heavy reliance on aid & remittances Haiti Shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic
The Greater Antilles: The Dominican Republic Dominican Republic s advantages Wider range of natural environments Stronger resource base Tourism industry Economic implosion Bank fraud & government corruption brought down a strong economy Occupies a larger share of the island of Hispaniola than its neighbor, Haiti
The Greater Antilles: US Commonwealth & a complicated arrangement Has its own constitution, considerable autonomy, & an annual subsidy Weak economy Industrialization & low wages kept locals impoverished Massive emigration Underdeveloped private sector Puerto Rico Recent referendums resulted in continuation of Commonwealth status, rather than US statehood or independence
The Lesser Antilles Environmental risk: earthquakes, volcanoes & hurricanes Socioeconomic problems: limited resources, overpopulation, difficult agricultural industry, & market limitations Benefit to insularity & environment: Tourism Predicament of the small-island developing economies: some islands chose to maintain a political relationship with former colonial ruler