Latin America Exam Prep

Question 1

What sets of islands constitute the Caribbean islands?

Answer 1

The Greater Antilles
Lesser Antilles
Bahamas

Question 2

Mexico City sits on the former capital of what empire?

Answer 2

Aztec Empire

Question 3

What sets Brasilia apart from other major Brazilian cities?

Answer 3

The new capital city.
Was “planted” in 1956 and represents economic movement
The government started a massive road-building project in the center of the city, creating thousands of miles of new roads. The government also heavily promoted settlement within the city through land grants and permits for mining and prospecting.
It is different from other major Brazilian cities because it is not on the coast - it is 600 miles inland.

Question 4

Where are the Andes and how long are they?

Answer 4

Western South America (spans from Colombia through Peru and Bolivia to Chile and Argentina)
It is 4,500 miles long.

Question 5

Where is the Amazon River Basin?

Answer 5

Northwestern Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia

Question 6

What is geographically significant about Lake Titicaca?

Where is it located?

Answer 6

It is the world’s highest large navigable lake. It is located on the border between Peru and Bolivia.

Question 7

What are the major population centers in the Caribbean?

Answer 7

Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Buenos Aires

Question 8

What are the major economic activities in the Caribbean?

Answer 8

Main focus on tourism and agriculture
The islands are responsible for producing much of the world’s sugar, bananas, coconuts, cocoa, rice, and cotton.
Other industries include sugar refining, packaging coconut and rice products, and the textile industry.

Question 9

Describe the distribution of wealth in Latin American nations.

Answer 9

Unevenly distributed, with a small percentage of the population enjoying wealth and the majority of the population unemployed and impoverished.

Question 10

Where would you find oil production in Mexico?

Answer 10

Concentrated along the eastern coastline, especially in Tampico, where many of the most successful oil fields are located.

Question 11

What economic activities dominate the southern Pacific coastline of Mexico?

Answer 11

Tourism, oil production, manufacturing

Question 12

What are some of the major exports coming out of Central America?

Answer 12

Cash crops, such as coffee bananas, and cotton.

Brazil is the world’s “coffeepot” - grows 1/4 of world’s supply

Question 13

What is the basis of the Venezuelan economy?

Answer 13

Oil: 56% of the total national income comes from oil, and the country is a member of OPEC

Question 14

What is the basis of the Colombian economy?

Answer 14

The basis of Colombia’s legal economy is coffee, but large amounts of cocaine and heroin are also sold. Authorities estimate that profits from illegal drugs are twice as much as those from coffee.

Question 15

How does cash crop production impact the ability to feed the people of a nation?

Answer 15

Greatly impacts the ability to feed the people of a nation because farmland is occupied by crops that are exported, not eaten. Weather is also unpredictable, putting the expected profits that are used to buy food in jeopardy.

Question 16

What nations suffer from drug trafficking issues?

Answer 16

Colombia and Mexico

Question 17

Who does the US have a trade embargo for life against?

Answer 17

Cuba (until Fidel Castro dies) - but he died Nov. 25, 2016 and embargo has not been officially terminated

Question 18

What is NAFTA and how did it benefit the Mexican economy?

Answer 18

North American Free Trade Agreement
Creating job opportunities, reducing the cost of tariffs, which in turn allow more products to be traded at a cheaper price

Question 19

What are the three peoples that make up the majority of Mexico’s population?

Answer 19

Natie Americans, Spanish, Mestizos (Native American and European descent)

Question 20

What ancient cultures have roots in Latin America?

Answer 20

Aztecs, Mayas (Mexico)

Incas - western South America, mostly Peru

Question 21

What are 6 examples of what has led to conflict in Central America?

Answer 21

Shortage of available farmland
Needs of a growing population
Unequal distribution of land
Limited access to productive technologies and methods
Political instability
Violence

Question 22

Who were the Sandinistas and how did they rise and fall from power?

Answer 22

The Sandinistas were a group that overthrew the corrupt Somoza government in 1979. They governed Nicaragua under a socialist system, and their control of agriculture and industry led to a drop in exports. Guerrilla fighters called the contras began to fight against the Sandinista government. A ceasefire in 1990 ended the conflict, resulting in the first free election in the country’s history.

Question 23

What nations in the region have felt a heavy communist/socialist influence?

Answer 23

Cuba because of Fidel Castro, who made Cuba communist
Nicaragua experienced socialism through the Sandinistas and had two civil wars because of government scandals involving communists

Question 24

Who was Hugo Chavez and what was his political ideology?

Answer 24

The president of Venezuela from 1999-2003, leader of United Socialist Party of Venezuela
He disagreed with most US views on foreign policy and was an ally to Cuba

Question 25

Explain what happened in El Salvador and the death squads.

Answer 25

Wealthy landowners, who had much of the power in El Salvador, hired death squads to kill political opponents who wanted land reform. The Salvadoran Civil War, which lasted from 1979 to 1992, involved the army, death squads, and Marxist rebel guerrillas. Before the UN peace agreement in 1992, over 70,000 people died.

Question 26

Who was Pablo Escobar and what was the significance of the Medellin Cartel?

Answer 26

Pablo Escobar was the leader and founder of the Medellin Cartel in Colombia. Escobar was very popular in Colombia because some of the cartel’s profits went into providing for the poor. The Medellin Cartel itself was significant because it controlled about 80% of the US cocaine trade, which equates to 15 tons of cocaine smuggled over the border per day.

Question 27

Explain the African influence in Brazil and the Caribbean.

Answer 27

Portuguese colonists in Brazil brought over 3 million enslaved Africans to work on their sugar plantations from the 1500s to the 1800s. African influence can be seen today in Brazil’s northeastern region, where the folktales, food, and religion remain. European colonists brought enslaved Africans to the West Indies (Caribbean Islands) to work on sugar can fields. Today, most of the region’s population is descended from these slaves, and calypso music, which is the modern-day version of slave folk music, is popular.

Question 28

Explain how cartel violence hurts the Mexican economy.

Answer 28

Cartel violence has hurt the Mexican economy. Drug cartels have stolen $1 billion worth of oil from the Mexican government. In addition to this, cartel violence has discouraged tourism, which is one of Mexico’s top sources of foreign income. Cartels have started to target tourists as a response to the government’s action in the war on drugs. Recent US State Department statements suggest limiting travel in all or parts of 14 Mexican states, including Acapulco, Cancun, Ixtapa, Mazatian, and Zihuatenejo.