WORLD REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY By Brett Lucas
MIDDLE AMERICA Part 2 Regions
Mexico: 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
Mexico: Regions of Mexico 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 Diversity with regions Southern Highlands: luxurious Acapulco and interior Amerindian farms
Mexico: Population Patterns 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
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, and architectural styles and folkways
Mexico: 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
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
Mexico: 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
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. 2. Speculate the reasons for their characteristics and location.
Mexico: 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
Mexico: 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.
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-thanusual concentration of natural plant and animal species Threat of deforestation
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
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 Matt Ebiner
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
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
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 Barbara Weightman
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 Agriculture and tourism The Valle Central: Main coffee-growing area in the tierra templada Concept Caching: View of San José, Costa Rica Barbara Weightman
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 H.J. de Blij, P.O. Muller, and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Concept Caching: Panama Canal Miraflores Locks Colonel Eugene J. Palka
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 American coast Fragmented geography: territorially small and often separated by considerable distances Challenging circumstances: Few economic opportunities 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 and exert influence Perpetuation of historic advantage South and East Asian presence: After end of slavery, groups arrived as indentured laborers Many languages, cultures
The Greater Antilles: Cuba Global geopolitics: Cuban revolution Overthrew Americanbacked dictator Castro Communist dictatorship Cold War Soviet nuclear missiles Guantanamo Bay Economic opportunities: Raw materials and agriculture Venezuelan oil Challenging circumstances: Poverty, crowded slums, aging infrastructure, and unemployment Some liberalization by Raúl Castro a necessity
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
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
The Greater Antilles: Dominican Republic 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 Occupies a larger share of the island of Hispaniola than its neighbor, Haiti
The Greater Antilles: Puerto Rico 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 Recent referendums resulted in continuation of Commonwealth status, rather than U.S. statehood or independence
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.