Beauty is on of this region s greatest resources.

Transcription

1 Beauty is on of this region s greatest resources.

2 Central America the southern tip of North America Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama Isthmus- a narrow strip of land that connects two larges areas Travel difficult due to rugged terrain and few rivers

3 The Caribbean Islands Hundreds of islands Archipelago- a large group of islands Greater Antilles Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico Lesser Antilles From the Virgin islands to Trinidad y Tobago in south America Bahamas in the Atlantic includes 700 islands

4 Islands are tops of underwater mountains and volcanoes Colliding tectonic plates formed much of the Caribbean The Caribbean still experiences earthquakes and volcanic eruptions

5 Climate and Vegetation Sunny and warm Humid tropical and tropical savannah Tropical rainforest Cloud forest- a moist, high elevation tropical forest where low clouds are common Wet and dry season ( summer rains, dry winter) Hurricanes common

6 Land and climate Tourism Agriculture : coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, and timber from the rain forests Few energy sources Resources

7 Questions What is an isthmus? How has tectonic activity affected Central America and the Caribbean islands? What is a cloud forest? Why do temperatures in the region change little from summer to winter? What crops grow will in the region? Do you think tourist who want to go to the beach are more like y to visit Guatemala or the Bahamas? Why?

8 The Maya Spain took over in the 1500s Spanish established plantations growing tobacco and sugarcane Spanish brought African slaves to work the plantations and mine for gold Early History

9 Central America since Independence Gained independence from Spain in 1821 United Fruit Company owned most of central America

10 People and language Most mestizo African decent Spanish speaking mostly

11 Religion, Festivals, and Food Most Roman Catholic Easter is a big holiday Corn, tomatoes, hot peppers, and chocolate

12 Nicaragua In 1962 the Sandinista National Liberation Front or Sandinistas formed to oppose a dictator that had controlled the country for 25 years. In 1979, the Sandinistas won the civil war. In 1981, the U.S. supported contras to overthrow the Sandinistas. Now democracy

13 Guatemala Most populous in Central America Mayan languages and Spanish speaking Small villages and highlands War between 1960 and 1996 killed over 200, 000 people. Coffee and spices are a major export

14 Belize Smallest population of Central America Ecotourism- the practice of using an area s natural environment to attract tourism Coral reefs, Maya ruins, and costal resorts

15 Honduras Mountainous Citrus fruits and bananas are an important crop Rugged land

16 El Salvador A few rich people own most of the land Much poverty Civil war- a conflict between two or more groups within a country- ended in 1992 Coffee and sugarcane

17 Costa Rica History of peace Democratic No army Coffee, bananas, tourism to beaches and rain forests

18 Panama Panama canal built by U.S. in 1914 Given back to Panama in o/camera-java.html Page

19 The Caribbean islands- History Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in He thought he had landed in India. He called the people Indians and the land the West Indies. English, French, Dutch, and Danish planted plantations. Most natives were killed by disease. African slaves were brought in. Soon Africans outnumbered Europeans.

20 Independence Toussaint-L Ouverture was born a slave and later became governor of Haiti Mid-1800s the Dominican Republic gained independence U.S. won Cuba from Spain After WWII, many of the Caribbean countries were given their independence peacefully Martinique and Guadeloupe are French

21 Culture People, language, and religion Most people are of African or European decent Spanish, French, and English are mainly spoken Haiti speaks French Creole, a dialect or regional variety of a language Roman Catholic

22 Festivals and food Carnival- before the Christian season of Lent Parades, fancy costume, music Foods from Africa- yams and okra Barbados- pigs tails, ears, and snouts Curry brought by people from India who came to work on the islands after slavery ended

23 Puerto Rico Was a Spanish colony U.S. commonwealth- a self-governing territory associated with a another country U.S. citizens, no reps in congress

24 Haiti On the island of Hispaniola Port-au-Prince is the capitol Sugarcane and coffee are main exports The poorest country in the Americas Corrupt governments, violence, political unrest, and poverty Refugee- someone who flees to anther country for political or economic reasons

25 Dominican Republic On the island of Hispaniola Santo Domingo is the capitol and the first permanent European settlement in the Western Hemisphere Tourism and farming

26 Cuba Largest and most populous in the Caribbean 92 miles south of Florida Communist since 1959 Fidel Castro now Ramon Castro Government took over banks, plantations, and other businesses (even ones the U.S. owned) Farms owned by a cooperative an organization owned by its members and operated for their mutual benefit

27 Government also controls all newspapers, television stations and radio stations Cubans opposed to the government have become refugees

28 Questions What crop was the basis of colonial economy on the Caribbean islands? Why do you think most smaller Caribbean countries were able to gain independence peacefully? What is a dialect? In what ways have African influences shaped Caribbean culture?

29 What is a refugee, and from what Caribbean countries have refugees come? Why do you think many Cubans support Castro? What would be the benefits and drawbacks for Puerto Rico if it became a U.S. State?