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Culture region : same language and region

Latin : Mexico, Central America , Caribbean and South America

Mexico is the farthest north of the Latin American countries

Mexico major physical feature - mountains, plateaus , plains

Volcanic activity and and earthquakes frequently plague Mexico and many other parts of Latin America

Central plateau sits Mexico City, the world 2nd most population city has air pollution

Mountain is surrounding the city so it has air pollution

City is ground on drained lakebed so soils are very soft -> effects earthquake more lethal

80% of Central America is hilly or mountainous and most of it is covered by forests

Most active group of volcanoes in North or South America ->

String of more than 40 volcanoes lines 900miles of Central America's pacific coast (2 tectonic plates crash against each other )

Some of the islands lie the east of Central America are peaks of volcanic mountains rising from the ocean floor

Coral is made of organisms the shed hard skeletons where they die

Coral reef that becomes an island usually encircles a volcanic island and then grows over it

Isthmus of Panama links South America to North America

Andes Mountain is the longest continuous mountain range on earth's surface

The equator crosses Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil.

The Andes stretch 5,000 miles along the west coast.

Mount Aconcagua is the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere.

The plains in southern south America are called Pampas

Major rivers like the Amazon begin in the Andes and flow to the Atlantic.

Tributaries are rivers streams that flow into a large body of water

The Amazon is the largest river by water volume.

Deforestation is damaging the Amazon rainforest.

It increases CO₂ and destroys habitats.

Native people may lose their land.

between tropic of cancer and tropic of capricon is Tropical zone

Most of Latin America is in the hot Tropical Zone.

El Niño brings warm water and causes heavy rain in Latin America.

It also causes droughts in the western Pacific.

El Niño affects global weather and ecosystems.

Lesson2

Some Latin American civilizations formed far from rivers (fresh water O)

The Maya built cities in jungles of Mesoamerica.

Maya civilization peaked from A.D. 250 to 900.

The Maya understood zero and tracked time with complex calendars.

They developed a written language using hieroglyphs( basic of writing system).

Farming was vital to the Maya; they used slash-and-burn (화전산업) and floodplain ridges.

Around A.D. 900, Maya cities declined, but the people survived.

Today, over 6 million Maya still live in Central America.

The Aztec built Tenochtitlán on a swampy island.

They known as Wandering Warriors,

The Mexican were the dominant Aztec tribe; Mexico is named after them.

The Aztec created chinampas (floating gardens) to grow crops.

They raised animals and farmed maize, beans, squash, and more.

Aztec society focused on war and religion.

Warriors believed dying in battle honored the war god Huitzilopochtli.

The Aztec Empire ended with the Spanish conquest in 1521.

The Inca began their empire in the Andes around 1400.

They don't have writing system

From Cuzco, they controlled a vast region of South America.

The Inca built stone terraces and irrigation systems to farm.

They grew potatoes, maize(corn), and quinoa.

The Inca used quipu(숫자기록장치) (knotted cords) to keep records.

Without writing or wheels, they built 15,000 miles of stone roads.(large capital city도 만듬)

Runners(long distance running) carried messages across the empire using relay teams.

Machu Picchu shows Inca engineering and stonework.

Spanish conquistadors like Cortés conquered Aztec and Pizarro conquered the Inca.

Montezuma II was the emperor of the Aztec Empire who grew its power and land, but lost it when the Spanish, led by Cortés, came.

The Spanish enslaved Native Americans and spread Christianity.

Diseases like smallpox devastated native populations.

Millions of Native Americans died from European diseases.

The Columbian Exchange traded crops, animals, and goods.

(Spanish grows)Corn, tomatoes, and peppers went to Europe; textiles and animals came to Latin America.

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Hernan Cortes was the leader of spanish army that first landed on the shores of Mexico

Hernán Cortés came to Mexico in 1519 with about 500 soldiers and claimed the land for Spain.

The land was ruled by the Aztec emperor Montezuma II, who had between 5 and 6 million people in his empire.

Many Native Americans did not like Aztec rule and helped the Spanish to defeat the Aztecs.

Montezuma II welcomed Cortés and gave him gifts, but Cortés took him prisoner soon after.

The Aztecs fought back and killed Montezuma II, but the Spanish with their Native American allies took back the city of Tenochtitlán.

The Spanish had better weapons like steel swords, guns, cannons, and horses, which helped them win.

In 1521, Tenochtitlán fell, and Spain started their colony called New Spain with Mexico City as the capital.

Spain ruled Mexico for about 300 years and brought new animals, jobs, and Christianity.

The Catholic Church became very strong in New Spain and built churches, schools, and hospitals.

Some Native Americans accepted Christianity, but others were forced to believe it.

Mexican culture mixed Spanish and Native American traditions, like making tortillas from corn.

New Spain had a class system: peninsulares were people born in Spain, criollos were born in Mexico but had Spanish parents, and mestizos were people with mixed Spanish and Native American parents. Native americans are lowest class.

Africans were brought to Mexico as slaves, and their culture also mixed with Mexican culture.

The encomienda system made Native Americans work for Spanish men and pay them with goods or work, but they lived in poverty.

In the early 1800s, many Mexicans wanted to be free and choose their own government.

THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

After France took over Spain in 1808, the call for independence grew stronger.

Father Miguel Hidalgo - cries of Dolores

Dolores - call to chage (reform)

On September 16, 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo gave a speech called the Grito de Dolores, telling people to fight against Spain.

Hidalgo and his small army of Native Americans and mestizos marched to Mexico City but were defeated, and Hidalgo was killed.

Other leaders continued the fight for 11 years, including rich criollos and some Spanish nobles.

In 1821, Mexico became independent, but peninsulares and criollos still had most power.

Native Americans and mestizos did not get many benefits from independence.

Mexico was bigger then and included land that is now part of the southwestern United States.

Spanish and Mexican priests built missions in the north during the 1600s.

The northern land was hard to travel and had many fights with Native American tribes like the Apache and Comanche.

To get more settlers, Mexico invited people from other countries, mostly from the United States, to live in the north.

By the 1830s, more settlers from the U.S. lived in Texas than Mexicans.

In 1835, Texas settlers fought against Mexico and won independence in 1836, starting the Republic of Texas.

Most Texans wanted to join the United States, and in 1845, the U.S. accepted Texas as a state.

Mexico and the U.S. argued about where the border between Texas and Mexico was.

In 1846, a war started between Mexico and the U.S. over the border.(US win and get territory of mexico)

The U.S. army won and took control of northern Mexico.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 made the border official and gave the U.S. much of Mexico’s northern land.

In 1853, the Gadsden Purchase gave the U.S. even more land from Mexico.

Since then, the U.S. and Mexico have made small changes to the border but have not fought again.

Lesson2

The constitution of 1917 was made because Mexico had many problems in the 1800s.

Mexico fought a long war and became free from Spain in 1821.

About 20 years later, Mexico fought with the United States and lost Texas, California, and other lands.

After freedom, Mexico had many fights inside the country, and army leaders often took control.

Some places had bandits attacking people, and farmers fought with rich Spanish landowners.

A few rich people had most of the money, while many people were very poor.

In the 1850s, many Mexicans wanted change and found a leader named Benito Juárez, who was poor but became president.

Juárez became justice minister and then president in 1858.

The reformers made a new constitution in 1857 that gave people rights like freedom of speech and equality.

The 1857 constitution stopped slavery and forced work but did not change religion rules.

The reformers also made the army less powerful in the government.

Rich landowners, church leaders, and army officers were angry about these changes.

From 1858 to 1860, there was a war called the War of Reform between the reformers and their enemies.

Mexico became weak from the war, so Spain, Britain, and France sent soldiers to Mexico.

In 1863, France took over Mexico City and made a European nobleman named Maximilian the emperor.

Mexicans fought back, stopped Maximilian, and executed him in 1867.

Juárez and the reformers came back to power and Juárez was president until 1872.

After Juárez died, new leaders cared less about change, and poverty stayed.

By 1910, rich families owned most of the land, and many people had no land at all.

Many Mexicans wanted change again and started the Mexican Revolution in 1910.

Francisco Madero, a rich ranch owner, became president in 1911 and wanted fair elections.

Emiliano Zapata was a famous fighter for farmers’ land and said, “Land and Liberty!”

Poor farmers wanted the government to give them land by breaking up big farms called haciendas.

In the late 1800s, rich ranch owners took land from poor farmers to make bigger haciendas.

Many armies fought in the revolution with different goals.

Haciendas were big farms in Latin America where many people worked, often for rich landowners. (40,000 or 50,000 acres)

Madero was killed in 1913, and Zapata was killed in 1919.

Over 1 million people died in the revolution between 1910 and 1920.

In 1920, a new government stopped the fighting, but the work to change Mexico went on.

The 1917 constitution promised to share land more fairly.

From 1920 to 1940, the government divided big farms into smaller farms and community farms called ejidos.

Farmers were happy to have their own land or work together on ejidos.

The revolution was so important that the main political party had “Revolution” in its name.

This party, the PRI, ruled Mexico from 1929 to 2000 with peaceful changes of leaders.

Mexico has a democracy with three parts of government: executive, legislative, and judicial.

Mexico’s government shares power between the national government and 31 states.

Each state has a governor and lawmakers, but the national government can remove governors.

Local governments get money from the national government and take care of services like safety and sewers.

In 2000, Vicente Fox became president, the first leader in over 70 years not from the PRI, starting a new time in politics.

Mexico’s official name is Estados Unidos Mexicanos, or the United Mexican States.

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Central America includes seven nations: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

The nearby Caribbean islands, known as the West Indies, include 13 nations and 11 dependencies.

A dependency is a place governed by or connected to another country, like Puerto Rico to the U.S.

In 1492, about 750,000 Native Americans lived in the West Indies.

European colonizers forced them into harsh labor, and many died from disease and violence.

Almost all Native Americans on the islands died after European arrival.

In Central America, some Native Americans survived by moving to the mountains.

One-fifth of today’s Central Americans are Native American.

Europeans brought enslaved Africans to the Caribbean and Central America.

Over time, Spanish, Native Americans, and Africans intermarried.

People with mixed European and Native ancestry are called ladinos and make up about two-thirds of Central America’s population.

People with mixed African and European ancestry in the Caribbean are called mulattoes.

From the 1500s to the 1800s, European powers ruled the region as colonies.

Colonies had to fight or be granted independence, unlike dependencies.

Sugar plantations with enslaved workers became a major source of wealth.

In 1804, St. Domingue (now Haiti) became the first to gain independence.

In 1821, several Central American nations declared independence from Spain.

These nations were briefly united, but separated by 1839.

Today’s Central Americans reflect a diverse cultural heritage.

The U.S. is the region’s largest and most influential neighbor.

The U.S. helped Panama become independent from Colombia in 1903.

In exchange, the U.S. built the Panama Canal, which opened in 1914.

The canal created a shortcut for global shipping between oceans.

Spain kept control of Cuba and Puerto Rico even after losing most colonies.

In 1898, the U.S. fought Spain to help Cuba and Puerto Rico gain independence.

After the war, Puerto Rico became a U.S. dependency, and Cuba became independent but under U.S. influence.

Gaining independence didn’t always mean gaining freedom.

Only Costa Rica has always been a democracy since the early 1900s.

Many other countries were ruled by violent dictators.

Over time, most nations moved toward democracy and removed dictators.

In 1990, Nicaragua elected Violetta Chamorro and ended dictatorship.

Some elected leaders became dictators by refusing to give up power.

Still, democracy and freedom have grown in the last 50 years.

LESSON2

In the past, Caribbean islands mostly grew one crop: sugar cane.

Single product economy - is a country whose economy mainly depends on one product or resource for most of its income.

Most people worked on large farms called plantations.

When sugar lost value, many people lost jobs.

So they started growing other crops like bananas and pineapples.

Tourism is now very important because of the warm weather and beaches.

After becoming independent in the 1820s, countries wanted to trade more.

Coffee became a popular crop to sell.

Later, U.S. companies grew bananas in the region.

These countries tried new businesses like factories and tourism.

Tourists visit places like Guatemala to see old Maya ruins.

Caribbean culture is a mix of Native, African, and European traditions.

People speak different languages.

Music like reggae and salsa is popular and shows this mix.

Most people are Catholic, but some practice religions with African roots, like voodoo.

Central American culture mixes Spanish and Native traditions.

Most people speak Spanish, but many Native languages are still used.

Religion is mostly Catholic, but some people follow old Maya beliefs.

Many towns are known for crafts like weaving and pottery.

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pg494

Africa is about three times the size of the U.S.

225 million years ago, Africa was part of Pangaea.

Pangaea broke apart, but Africa stayed in place.

Africa has lowlands in the north and west.

Highlands are in the south and east.

Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Kenya and Tanzania.

Its name means "shining mountain" in Swahili.

The peak looks bright because it is snowcapped year-round.

pg495

Most of Africa south of the Sahara lies on a high plateau.

A plateau is a raised, mostly flat area of land.

The plateau rises from coastal plains in the north and west.

Southern and eastern coasts have steep cliffs.

The east plateau is about 5,000 feet high; the west is about 1,500 feet.

Africa's tectonic plates have been pulling apart for 50 million years.

This formed steep valleys called rifts.

The Great Rift Valley stretches from the Red Sea to Mozambique.

East Africa may become an island like Madagascar.

Some rift valleys filled with water to form large lakes, like Lake Tanganyika.

Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake, between two rift valleys.

Lakes and rivers provide water and fish, but waterfalls and rapids block boats.

The Nile River, from central Africa, is the world's longest river.

The Okavango River flows through Angola, Namibia, and Botswana into marshes.

The Zambezi River has many waterfalls, including Victoria Falls.

The mist from Victoria Falls can be seen 25 miles away.

pg496

Africa has four main climatic regions: desert, semiarid, tropical, and equatorial.

Each region has different temperatures and rainfall, affecting plants and animals.

Deserts include the Sahara, Kalahari, and Namib.

Deserts have little rain, high temperatures, and few plants or animals.

Semiarid regions surround the deserts and get more rainfall.

The Sahel, south of the Sahara, is semiarid.

The Sahel faces desertification, where deserts spread.

Drought, overgrazing, and overuse of land cause desertification.

Desertification reduces plants and fertile soil, creating barren land.

People work to stop it to prevent hunger and lack of farmland.

pg497

The tropical climate lies between semiarid areas and the Equator.

Tropical regions have a rainy season up to six months and a dry season.

Savannas are flat grasslands with scattered trees and shrubs.

Africa has over 4.5 million square miles of savannas.

Many animals, like lions, elephants, giraffes, and zebras, live in savannas.

The equatorial region has two rainy seasons and two short dry seasons.

Equatorial regions are hot year-round with 50–60 inches of rain annually.

Rain forests here have trees up to 195 feet tall.

Animals in the rain forest include chimpanzees, gorillas, hippos, and African gray parrots.

pg498

Africa is rich in minerals like gold and diamonds.

Other minerals include copper, tin, chrome, nickel, and iron ore.

Nonrenewable resources cannot be replaced quickly.

Renewable resources can be replaced in a short time.

Renewable resources include trees, cocoa, cashews, peanuts, vanilla, coffee, bananas, rubber, sugar, and tea.

Africa's wildlife and historic sites attract tourists worldwide.

Most of Africa south of the Sahara is a plateau with lowlands and highlands.

Major lakes and rivers include Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and the Nile River.

Africa has four main climatic regions: desert, semiarid, tropical, and equatorial.

Tourists visit Africa for its natural landscapes and resources.