World Regional Geography

Middle America
What countries are found in Middle America?
Defining the Realm
A narrow strip of land connecting two larger land masses- known as an ISTHMUS
The main land is also referred to as a Land bridge

REGIONS OF MIDDLE AMERICA
What countries make up Central America?

What is a cultural hearth?
CULTURE HEARTH
SOURCE AREAS FROM WHICH RADIATED IDEAS, INNOVATIONS, AND IDEOLOGIES THAT CHANGED THE WORLD BEYOND.
The Main Cultural Hearth in Middle America
Maya and Aztec Civilization

The Mayan
Only civilization that arose in the lowland tropics
Reached its peak between 3rd and 10th century AD
Population 2-3 million
Dynastic rule that functioned along powerful religious hierarchy
Extent of the Maya civilization

Maya Achievement
· Skilled artists and scientists
· Domesticated turkey
· Textile industry
· Writing system
· Studied astronomy
· Urbanism

Mayan Great Cities
· Tikal-of Guatemala
It is the largest of the ancient ruined cities of the Maya civilization
· Palenque- Mexican state of Chiapas
The site was already long abandoned when the Spanish arrived in Chiapas
· Copan-Honduras
Fall of the Maya civilization
Decline during the 8th and 9th centuries
Two theories: Non-ecological and ecological.
Non-ecological
Foreign invasion,
Peasant revolt,
Collapse of key trade routes.
Ecological
Environmental catastrophe,
Epidemic disease, and Climate change.
Maya today
Many different Mayan languages continue to be spoken as primary languages today
Ex Yoko Ochoco, spoken by the Chontal people of Tabasco, Mexico.

Aztecs
Developed in highlands of Mexico
Controlled much of central America from the 12th century AD
Invaded by the Spanish invasion in the 15th century
The capital city of the Aztecs was at Tenochtitlan-Tlatlelco, what is today Mexico City,

The Fall of the Aztec
In 1519 Hernán Cortés and 500 Spaniards landed in eastern Mexico
The Spanish, -believed to be ‘white gods’ because the arrival of the Spanish had been predicted by Aztec prophecy
The Spanish conquered the Aztec in 1519

Aztecs of Today
Contemporary Mexicans are descended from the Aztec,
More than 1 million Mexicans speak Nahuatl, the native Aztec language

What is the impact of the fall of the Aztec?
· Allowed Spanish penetration and supremacy in middle America
· Enslavement of the Amerindians
· Introduction of cattle and sheep
· Amerindian came face to face with Spanish culture
· Learned Roman Catholicism and Spanish language

THE LEGACY OF COLONIALISM
Land was appropriated - colonial commercial interests
Lands devoted to food crops for local consumption were converted to cash cropping for export
Land alienation induces:
Famine
Poverty
Migration
Little agricultural diversity

REGIONS OF MIDDLE AMERICA
Four Geographic Regions
· Mexico
· The Central America
· The four Islands (greater Antilles)
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Haiti
Jamaica
· The lesser Antilles
US Virgin Islands (once Dutch), Guadeloupe and Martinique ( French), Barbados etc
MEXICO
Colonialism and Independence
Conquered by the Spanish in 1519 led by Hernando Cortez
They destroyed the Aztec City of Tenochtitlan - the site today of Mexico city.
Mexico achieved independence in 1821 under Agustin de Iturbide
Before Spanish colonization the Aztecs capital was Tenochtitlan

Culture
60% are Mestizos (mixed European and Amerindian society)
20% predominantly Amerindians
10% full blooded Amerindian
9% Europeans
Mexico
Made up of 31 states

Economics
Two economic challenges
Attempting to close the wide income gab between the rich and the poor
Attempting to develop a modern industrial economy

Manufacturing
The most important part of Mexico’s recent economic development
Factories are located in the north, along the border with the United States.
The factories are known as Maquiladoras
MAQUILADORAS
Modern industrial plants
Assemble imported, duty-free components/raw materials
Export the finished products
Mostly foreign-owned (U.S., Japan)
80% of goods reexported to U.S.
Tariffs limited to value added during assembly
Initiated in the 1960s, primarily to reduce their labor costs.
This pioneered the migration of industries in the 1970s
Today
5,000 Maquiladoras
1.2 million employees
Maquiladora products

Benefits
Mexico gains jobs.
Account for over US$29 billion in export earnings for Mexico and
employ over 500,000 workers
Foreign owners benefit from cheaper labor costs.
EFFECTS
Regional development



Negatives
Discrimination against women
Pollution
Overcrowding
Shantytowns

NAFTA
Effective 1 January 1994
Established a trade agreement between Mexico, Canada and the US, which: Reduced and regulated trade tariffs, barriers, and quotas between members Standardized ,finance & service exchanges

MEXICO AND NAFTA
It promises a higher standard of living.
More jobs for Mexicans
Mexican exporters increase their sales to the US and Canada.
Is that the entire story?

U.S. TRADE WITH CANADA & MEXICO
Canada remains as the United States’ largest export market.
Since 1977, Mexico has moved into second place (displacing Japan).
85% of all Mexican exports now go to the United States.
75% of Mexico’s imports originate in the United States.

Negative impact
Led to Chiapas rebellion
Widening income disparities between the US and Mexico
Flooding of cheap US commodities into Mexico

Central America Republic
THE REPUBLICS
Guatemala
Belize
Honduras
El Salvador
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Panama
Physiography
Highlands studded with volcanoes
Fertile volcanic soils
The inhabitants are concentrated in the upland zones where temperatures are moderate by elevation
Tierra Nevada
The highest zone
Permanently frozen

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
Tropical Deforestation
3 million acres of woodland in Central America disappear each year!

CAUSES OF TROPICAL DEFORESTATION
Clearing of rural lands to accommodate meat production and export
Rapid logging of tropical woodlands to meet global demands for new housing, paper, and furniture
Population explosion: forests are cut to provide crop-raising space and firewood

THE CARIBBEAN BASIN
The Greater Antilles
Cuba
Hispaniola
Jamaica
Puerto Rico
The Lesser Antilles
TOURISM: A MIXED BLESSING?
Advantages
State and regional economic options
A clean industry
Educational
Disadvantages
Disjunctive development
Degrades fragile environmental resources
Inauthentic representations of native cultures

The Caribbean
There are 7000 island of the Caribbean sea
The larger islands are referred to as Greater Antilles;
Greater Antilles
Cuba
Hispaniola ( Haiti and Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico
Jamaica
Lesser Antilles
Physical Geography of Middle America
NATURAL HAZARDS
EARTHQUAKES
VOLCANOES
HURRICANES
History
MAINLAND/RIMLAND FRAMEWORK
Mainland (continental middle America Mexico- Panama excluding the Caribbean coastal belt
Euro-Indian influence
Greater isolation
Hacienda prevailed
Rimland (the coastal zones and the Caribbean Islands)
Euro-African influence
High accessibility
Plantation economy
HACIENDA vs PLANTATION