Central America Central America is am isthmus. a narrow strip of land connecting two larger area 1914 Panama Canal opened Seven small countries make up Central America Three major landforms: mountains, the Caribbean lowlands, and the Pacific coastal plain each has it’s own climate Population includes: Indians, Europeans (Spanish), mestizos, & mulattos people of African and European decent most central Americans are poor farmers the wealthiest are Europeans and mestizo, and are mainly plantation owners

Central America armed conflicts shortage of farmland is cause of unrest government serves the interest of the wealthy guerilla movements Armed forces outside of the regular army Fight in small bands against the government controlled army

Caribbean Islands Caribbean Islands divided into three groups and lie in the tropics: the Greater Antilles the Lesser Antilles the Bahamas the Bahamas form an archipelago and the Lesser Antilles form another archipelago group of islands The Greater Antilles include the four larger Islands Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico

Caribbean Islands mountainous islands tops of volcanoes coral islands Flatter islands created by the remains of tiny sea animals( coral polyps) sea and wind effect climate windward islands face the wind & get a lot of rain leeward islands face away from wind & get little rain

Caribbean Islands Caribbean people are descendants of Africans that were enslaved by European colonists and brought to work on plantations many Caribbean people depend on farming(sugar, bananas, coconuts, cocoa, rice, cotton) and industries related to farming such as packaging rice products Caribbean attracts tourism, but few islanders benefit most islanders to find work or escape political unrest

Brazil nearly half of South America’s people and land two main land forms plains plateaus Coast of Northeast Brazil 1500’s Portuguese started sugar plantations (slavery) poverty still today due to poor soil and uncertain rain

Brazil Southeast Brazil smallest region Economic heartland Coffee Fertile soil 40% of Brazilians live here Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo Cities attract the poor who end up living in favelas slum communities w/ houses made of mud, tin,&wood boards

Brazil Brazilian Highlands Brasilia, capitol built here to attract people to the area central plateau Amazon River Basin Home to 1000’s of plants and animals 10% of Brazilians live here including 200,000 indians

Brazil country of extremes Rich in resources Much poverty attack poverty increased industry encourage settlement in the interior Gave away land and mining permits built roads

Brazil manufacturing now make sup 1/3 of Brazil’s GNP Grows own fuel, gasohol A new fuel that mixes gasoline with ehtonol (comes from sugar cane) ½ the population works in the service industry (hotels restaurants, stores, government)

Brazil economic change has been good except for… favelas have grown larger (more moving to large cities) settlers in Amazon River Basin cut down rain forest to plant crops deforestation permanent removal of woodland threatens thousands of species of plants and animals