Latin America Unit

Question 0

Terraced farming

Answer 0

A farming method in which steep hillsides are fashioned into a step-like series of level terraces

Question 1

Slash and burn agriculture

Answer 1

An agricultural technique that involves cutting and burning of forests to create fields

Question 2

Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)

Answer 2

A Mexican political party that held power in the country

Question 3

Mestizo

Answer 3

A mixed race consisting the Spaniard race and the American Indian race

Question 4

Immigration

Answer 4

The action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country

Question 5

Emigration

Answer 5

To leave one’s own country in order to settle permanently in another

Question 6

Maquiladora

Answer 6

A factory in Mexico run by a foreign company and exporting its products to the country of that company

Question 7

Panama Canal

Answer 7

A canal across Panama that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

Question 8

Informal economy

Answer 8

A part of an economy that is not taxed, monitored, or included in GNP

Question 9

Treaty of Tordesillas

Answer 9

A treaty that divided the newly discovered lands between Portugal and Spain

Question 10

Pampas

Answer 10

Treeless plains in South America

Question 11

Llanos

Answer 11

A treeless, grassy plain

Question 12

Amazon River

Answer 12

A major South American River; the world’s second longest river

Question 13

Deforestation

Answer 13

Clearing an area of forests or trees

Question 14

Global warming

Answer 14

A gradual increase in the overall temperature of earth’s atmosphere

Question 15

Debt for nature swap

Answer 15

A transaction in which a foreign exchange debt is transferred to another organization on the condition that the country use local currency for a designated purpose

Question 16

Oligarchy

Answer 16

A small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution

Question 17

Junta

Answer 17

A military or political group that rules a country after taking power by force

Question 18

Caudillo

Answer 18

A military or political leader

Question 19

Land reform

Answer 19

The statutory division of agricultural land and its reallocation to landless people

Question 20

Income gap

Answer 20

Economic inequality is the difference between individuals or populations in the distribution of their assets, wealth, or income

Question 21

Mercosur

Answer 21

A customs union between Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay

Question 22

Why is Latin America called ‘Latin’?

Answer 22

Latin is the root language for Spanish and Portuguese

Question 23

What are the subregions of Latin America?

Answer 23

Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, and South America

Question 24

What are the two peninsulas of Mexico?

Answer 24

Baja California and Yucatan

Question 25

What creates the mountain barrier in central Mexico?

Answer 25

Occidental Sierra Madre and Oriental Sierra Madre

Question 26

Mesoamerica

Answer 26

A cultural region that extends from central Mexico through part of Central America

Question 27

What are the Native civilizations that inhabited Central America?

Answer 27

Olmec, Maya, Toltec, and Aztec

Question 28

When did Mexico gain independence from Spain?

Answer 28

1821

Question 29

What type of government does Mexico have?

Answer 29

Federal republic

Question 30

Who is the president of Mexico?

Answer 30

Enrique Pena Nieto

Question 31

How often are elections held for presidency in Mexico?

Answer 31

Every 6 years

Question 32

What type of economy does Mexico have?

Answer 32

Mixed-free market economy

Question 33

What is the unemployment rate for Mexico?

Answer 33

5.5%

Question 34

What are some current issues in Mexico?

Answer 34

Income gap, emigration, drug cartels, and government corruption

Question 35

What are some important physical features in Central America?

Answer 35

Isthmus of Panama and rugged highlands

Question 36

Cultural crossroads

Answer 36

A place where different cultures interact

Question 37

What two cultures are found in Central America?

Answer 37

Maya and Spanish

Question 38

When did the United Provinces of Central America split?

Answer 38

1830s

Question 39

What country in Central America was a formal British colony?

Answer 39

Belize

Question 40

Archipelago

Answer 40

Cluster of islands

Question 41

What cultures influenced the Caribbean?

Answer 41

Native, European, and African

Question 42

What is the only communist nation in the Western Hemisphere?

Answer 42

Cuba

Question 43

What are some examples of extreme weather in the Caribbean?

Answer 43

Hurricanes and earthquakes

Question 44

What cultures influenced South America?

Answer 44

Incan, European, and African

Question 45

What did Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin do?

Answer 45

Helped countries in South America gain independence

Question 46

What are some environmental issues in South America?

Answer 46

Deforestation, slash and burn agriculture, loss of biodiversity, and climate regulation