Economic and Political Characteristics Latin America Economic and Political Characteristics

Major issue: Deforestation Amazon being cut down at an alarming rate

Original Forest Cover Current Forest Cover Future Forest Cover

A cause of deforestation: Slash and burn agriculture Cutting down and burning the area Soil is not very fertile and can only farm a couple of years

Drugs Major issue for the region Cause corruption Major health issues http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/world/2009-mexican-cartel/index.html

*cocaine from Colombia *Drug trade routes *cocaine from Colombia

Diverse Range of Mineral Resources in the Andes Chile has copper Venezuela and Brazil have iron ore

Oil Drilling is significant in Mexico, Venezuela, and Ecuador Large oil reserves are Nationalized - PEMEX

The Panama Canal Construction began in 1904 and was finished in 1914 The canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans enabling ships to pass through the canal instead of having to sail all the way around South America. The canal was owned by the United States, but ownership of the canal passed back to Panama in 1999.

Diverse Economies: Hacienda-large farm or ranch estate in LA -rich families Cash crops – those produced to sell on market Examples??? Legal & illegal Subsistence farming- farming just enough for your family dominates the economies- poor families

Plantation Agriculture Large companies own the land and have huge farms Grow cash crops to be sold for a profit

Llanos and Pampas Cattle raised Have gauchos-cowboys

Ejido In Mexico Large communally owned farms Operated by community residents

Terraced farming in the Andes Mountains is vital.

Mexico is a member of NAFTA-North America Free Trade Agreement and was created in 1989 to reduce trade barriers

Mexico Major economic growth from NAFTA Maquiladoras – border factories import raw materials, export finished products Though recent years have lost some to Asia (China)

Wide range of income Suffer from income disparity….only a few are wealthy and many are poor

Migration Migrating North: Many people in Latin America migrate in search of a better life. Immigrants from L. America live in every US state, Push Factors: Things that make people want to leave a country. Civil War Lack of Economic Opportunity Personal and Religious Persecution Lack of Political Freedom Pull Factors: Things that make people want to enter a country. Peace Economic Opportunity Educational Opportunity Freedom Family Ties

Urban Challenges Rapid urbanization often exceeds the capacity of cities to provide services. People arrive and find there are not the jobs and housing that they hoped for. Shantytowns often develop outside of major cities. These poor areas lack water and sanitation.

Squatter City in Brazil

Overcrowding in Sao Paolo, Brazil

Squatter Settlements in Major Latin American Cities

Shantytown=favelas

Mexico City has enormous pollution problem: Layer of smoke and fog over city called smog One of the most polluted cities in the world