Latin America

Introduction

Map of Latin America In this module, we will travel to Latin America. Latin America is made up of four main regions including Mexico, directly across the Rio Grande River from the United States, Central America which begins directly south of Mexico and extends through the Isthmus of Panama to South America, and the island nations of the Caribbean.

Latin Americans today come from a variety of ethnic groups and races. As a result, Latin America has one of the most diverse populations in the world. Spanish and Portuguese are the two major languages spoken in Latin America. Other languages such as Dutch, French, English, and other native languages such as Mayan are also spoken by select cultural groups throughout Latin America.

From its culture to its physical features, Latin America is a land of striking beauty and energy. Some of the challenges that the countries of Latin America face include illegal drug trafficking, clear-cutting of the rainforest, and a high poverty rate. In addition to these problems, political unrest within governing bodies continues to be a problem in many Latin American nations.

We will learn about the economic growth and productivity of many Latin American countries. These nations are primarily dependent on the supply of natural resources and environmental factors in a given area.

We will explore many of the environmental issues facing Latin America, focusing on significant environmental problems including the Amazon rainforest, Mexico City and Venezuela.

The Amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world and contains many natural resources that people use to increase economic productivity. Because of deforestation and the overuse of natural resources within the rainforest, deforestation has become a major environmental issue in Latin America. Air pollution is a significant problem in Mexico City and Venezuela's oil production and its environmental impact will be a part of our study since Venezuela is one of the leading oil producers in the world. Venezuela faces many environmental problems including air pollution, toxic waste and oil spills as a result of its oil production.

Also in this module we will also investigate various economic systems found throughout Latin America. We will compare a few of the economic systems found in Latin America today with those in the United States and Canada.

Finally, we will analyze the impact of nationalism and guerilla movements on the development of modern Latin America and how this conflict brought about change, explore the organizational structure of specific Latin American countries and determine why different governments exist in this region. We will also explore how interaction of different ethnic groups, languages, and education levels contribute to Latin American culture and development today as well as identify political, geographic and physical features of the region and determine how location impacts the development of Latin American countries.

Questions to consider as you study this module:

What 20th century issues are major concerns in Latin America in the 21^st century?
What regions and climate zones make up Latin America?
What physical features are located in Latin America?
What cultural characteristics make up Latin America and the Caribbean?
What types of government systems are found in Latin American and Caribbean countries?
What are the structures of government in Latin American and Caribbean countries?
How does the literacy rate affect the standard of living in Latin America?
What are the major environmental concerns of Latin America regarding the issues of air pollution in Mexico City, Mexico, the destruction of the rainforest in Brazil, and oil related pollution in Venezuela?
What are the basic economic systems found in Latin America?
What are the functions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
What factors cause economic growth?
What is the relationship between investment in human capital (education and training) and gross domestic product (GDP)?
Explain the relationship between investment in capital goods (factories, machinery, and technology) and gross domestic product (GDP.)

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

Explore Latin America: Discover the unique geography, climate and culture of Latin America in this lesson.

Types of Government Systems: Discover the different ways Latin American nations have chosen to govern their countries. Find similarities and differences between them.

Economics and the Environment: Discover environmental concerns impacting Latin America today.

Latin American Issues in the 20th & 21st Centuries: Learn more about 3 major issues impacting Latin America.

Key Terms

Download a copy of this module's key terms by clicking here.

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