Unit 5 Study Guide: Latin America Today

Geography Amazon River 6 Sierra Madre Mountains 2 Andes Mountains 7 Pacific Ocean 8 Caribbean Sea 1 Atacama Desert 4 Atlantic Ocean 9 Gulf of Mexico 5 Panama Canal 3 Location What waterways Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela and Mexico have access to? Panama Canal, Atlantic Ocean Where do most Brazilians live? Near the coast What is Venezuelas most important export? Oil Why is Cuba a target for hurricanes? Middle of the Caribbean Sea What is Cubas most important export? Sugar (sugar cane) Who is Mexicos largest trading partner? United States Culture What is mulatto? European and African What is mestizo? European and Native American What 3 groups make up all ethnic groups in Latin America? European, African, Native American What is the most common language in Latin America? Spanish What is the most common religion in Latin America? Christianity (Roman Catholic) What language is spoken in Brazil? Portuguese What are the literacy rates like in Latin America compared to the United States? Who has the highest literacy rate in Latin America? lower, Cuba Brazil 1 Cuba 7 Bolivia 3 Mexico 2 Venezuela 8 Panama 4 Colombia 6 Haiti 5

Governance How do federal governments, unitary governments and confederal governments distribute (share) power? Federal different branches, central government and local governments share power (equal power) Unitary Strong central government. Only one branch of government. Central government makes laws for local governments. Confederal weak central government. Voluntary association of countries. Alliances, NAFTA, EU Who has political power in an autocracy, oligarchy, and a democracy? Autocracy one person (dictator, king/queen, emporer) Oligarchy a few wealthy or influential people Democracy all citizens through voting in free elections What is the difference between a presidential democracy and a parliamentary democracy? presidential citizens vote for legislature and head of government (president) separately. Head of State and Head of Government are same person (President) parliamentary citizens vote only for legislature (parliament). Legislature (parliament) selects head of government (prime minister). Head of State and Head of Government are 2 different people. What types of government do Mexico, Brazil, and Cuba have? Brazil federal, presidential democracy Mexico federal, presidential democracy Cuba unitary, autocracy

Cuban Revolution Who led the revolution against Cubas government in the 1950s? Fidel Castro What dictator did Castro defeat in the revolution? Fulgencio Batista Why was Castro angry enough to start a revolution? Cuban wealth controlled by foreign countries (U.S.) Who did Cuba become allies with and what type of government did Castro put in place? Soviet Union

What trade barrier did the U.S. put on Cuba? Why? Embargo, in retaliation for Castro taking property belonging to American companies. What did the Cuban Revolution have to do with the Cold War? Cuban Missile Crisis is closest we came to nuclear war. What has been the effects of the Cuban Revolution for citizens of Cuba? Fewer rights, fewer economic choices, free healthcare/education Zapatista Army Who did the Zapatista Guerilla Movement name themselves after? Why? Emiliano Zapata. He also fought for Mexicos poorest people. What Mexican state did this movement begin in? Chiapas Why do the Zapatistas oppose NAFTA? Brings only low-paying jobs to Mexico. Takes advantage of poor people What are the Zapatistas beliefs and goals? Anti-globalization, anti-NAFTA, anti-Mexican government. Believe that globalization takes advantage of the worlds poorest people. Believe Mexican wealth and resources should be controlled by the people, not the government. How has the movement changed in recent years? Moved from violent to non-violent What is globalization? the world becoming more connected through trade.