Geography Mexico City has a major problem with air pollution. Venezuela has a problem with oil pollution from its oil wells in Lake Maracaibo. Deforestation in the Amazon Rain Forest is a major environmental problem in Brazil. The climate and fertility of the land on the Plateau of Mexico have caused people to live there. Most of the people in Venezuela live in the Andean Highlands in the northern part of the country next to the coast. Most of Brazilians live on the coast in cities because that is where most of the jobs are located. Most of Brazil is sparsely populated, but most take advantage of the coastal plains of Brazil. Cuba is in an ideal position for trade, but the embargo enforced by the U.S. has hurt their ability to trade. Mestizos are a blend of Native American and European people. This blending has led to a race that is a mixture of the two cultures in Latin America. Mulattos are a blend of African and European people. This blending has led to a race of people that is a mixture of the two cultures in Latin America. Latin America predominantly speaks Spanish with an exception being the country of Brazil. In Brazil, they speak Portuguese. The reason they speak these languages is because these European groups colonized these countries. A high literacy rate in a country correlates with a high standard of living. However, a low literacy rate in a country will produce a low standard of living. Most of Canada’s people live close to the border where the climate is warmer. Many of Canada’s people settled along the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes region because of the good land and ease of trade afforded them by the waterways. The high population density of population close to the border with the U.S. has caused the people to produce much pollution. The result has been acid rain especially in the Great Lakes region. As a result of this problem, the U.S. and Canada are working together to reduce pollutants especially in the Great Lakes region. In the resource rich Canadian Shield, mining has led to pollution problems in this area of Canada. Overharvesting trees in British Columbia has raised concerns to the people of Canada. Study Guide Latin America and Canada

Government Brazil has a Federative Republic and requires all citizens age to vote. Cuba has a dictatorship and allows all citizens 16 and older to vote. Mexico has a federal republic that elects a president to only one 6 year term. Canada is considered a Constitutional Monarchy because it accepts the Queen of Great Britain as the Head of State. Canada is a parliamentary democracy because the prime minister is the head of the government. Every citizen that is 18 or older may vote in Canada. The citizens in Canada vote on members of the House of Commons, and the House of Commons selects the prime minister. In a unitary government, the power is centralized in one place(strong national government with no distribution of power). In a confederation, the power of the government lies almost exclusively with the state or regional authority. In a federal government, there is a strong central government, but there is a distribution of power between the national and state governments. There are two predominate forms of democratic governments: parliamentary and presidential History Montezuma was the leader of the Aztecs at the time that Hernan Cortes led a small Spanish army to defeat them in the early 1500s. Atahualpa was the leader of the Incas of Peru at the time Francisco Pizarro led a small Spanish army against them to defeat them in the early 1500s. The Columbian Exchange that affected Europe, Africa, and the Americas after Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 resulted in the exchange of ideas, food, people, and diseases among the people. Roman Catholicism played a major role in the colonization of Latin America. Toussaint L’Ouverture was a former slave that led a revolt that overthrew French control and gave Haiti their independence. Simon Bolivar was a leader of many independence movements in Latin America especially in South America. Miguel Hidalgo was a Catholic priest that led the people of Mexico in their independence movement. The Cuban Revolution led to increased tensions with the U.S. and caused the U.S. to enforce a trade embargo. The Zapatistas, located in the southernmost state of Chiapas, have rebelled against the government because of mistreatment and anger over the NAFTA free trade agreement. Canada supported Great Britain in both world wars and as a result of their cooperation gained the right to change their constitution without British approval in Quebec wants to become an independent country separate from the rest of Canada because of clashes between the British and French cultures that exist in Canada.

Economy Specialization occurs in many countries because they do certain things really well because of the climate and or resources. Specialization encourages trade among countries because we all cannot produce everything that we need. Specialization is one of the things that makes countries interdependent upon each other. When a country invests in their human capital, then that country can expect a good GDP(Gross Domestic Product). A market economy consists of freedom for the individual. Individuals make decisions of what to produce, how to produce it, and for whom to produce. A command economy is based on governmental control. In this economy, the government makes the decisions of what to produce, how to produce it, and for whom to produce. A traditional economy is based on tradition. Tradition dictates what will be produced, how to produce it, and for whom to produce. Most economies in the world are mixed. No economy is either pure market or pure command. There is a mixture of pure market and pure command in the economy. Investment in human capital is done by education, training, or providing health care. Investment in capital goods is done by purchasing equipment, buildings, supplies, technology, or anything the entrepreneur needs to run his or her business.