Geog 120 - Exam 2

Front 1

Middle American Realm- 3 themes of regional character

Back 1

1) culture contact between near-equals (Europeans and existing pop)
2) first look at tropics- closer to equator
3) balance and imbalance btwn 3 regions w/in realm

Front 2

2 culture hearths in western hemisphere

Back 2

1) Meso-America
2) Andean area

Front 3

2 results of presence of Aztec and Mayan societies:

Back 3

1) European (Spanish) imprint more obviously mixed w/indigenous cultures
2) some middle american cultures are very diff. from Spanish culture, while having Spanish characteristics

Front 4

the tropics (in middle america) means:

Back 4

moving out of temperate altitude, constantly warm season, area w/o cold season

Front 5

tropic lines indicate:

Back 5

greates poleward latitude reached by sun's direct radiation

Front 6

lack of cold season in tropics implies:

Back 6

1)seasons occur by precip change rather than temp change
2)diff in temp are fxn of altitude, not latitude

Front 7

altitudinal zonation

Back 7

living in lowlands or highlands, or somewhere in between determines what kind of agriculture is possible (tierra nevada, helada, fria, templada, caliente)

Front 8

Caribbean area differs from rest of Middle America in 3 ways:

Back 8

1) climate
2) agricult activities (crops and their organization)
3) colonial history

Front 9

The Rimland is:

Back 9

-fragmented physically
-culturally diverse thru its colonial past
-generally lowland (Caliente)
-plantation agriculture

Front 10

Mainland is:

Back 10

-contiguous land along isthmus btwn N & S. America
-culturally dominated by a Spanish-Amerindian mix (indigenous)
-generally temperate and highland (Templda & Fria)
-haciendo and ranchero agriculture

Front 11

characteristics of plantation (rimland)

Back 11

1)production for export (specialized; often 1 crop)
2)foreign ownership of production (investment in; profit out)
3)labor is seasonal (periods each yr w/no work)
4)location is humid tropical (caliente) - most complementary to Europe's markets
5)with profit as goal, operation strives for efficiency

Front 12

characteristics of hacienda (mainland)

Back 12

1)self-sufficiency (not specialized)
2)resident ownership (minimal investment)
3)resident labor (yr-round dependency; tenancy)
4)temperate location-templada (similar to Spain's plateau estates)
5)goal: comfort and security (efficiency-not a priority)

Front 13

inequalities in hacienda system eventually led to (3 things):

Back 13

1)rural-urban migration
2)migration to US for work
3)maquiladora labor

Front 14

3 regions of Middle America

Back 14

1)Mexico
2)Central America
3)Caribbean Islands

Front 15

Mexico

Back 15

1) only to share land border w/US in this realm
2) spanish-speaking America's largest pop
3) isthmus to the south is both bridge and divider

Front 16

Mexico City

Back 16

is a primate city; in tierra templada region in valley of mexico; near Aztec ctr of Tenochtitlan; built on old lakebed; 2 problems: site of volcanoes/earthquakes and location in broad basin/valley + pop. size (causing air poll.)

Front 17

Mexico's biggest resource

Back 17

oil and gas

Front 18

how is British and Spanish imprint distributed in Central America?

Back 18

British-influenced coastal area
Spanish-inland

Front 19

What sets Central America apart from rest of region?

Back 19

Panama Canal across isthmus of Panama joining Atlantic and Pacific

Front 20

Greater Antilles

Back 20

Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti; Dominican Republic)

Front 21

Lesser Antilles

Back 21

tops of a volcanic chain; archipelago islands

Front 22

Location brings advantages to Caribbean in 3 ways:

Back 22

1)spacial complimentarity w/higher income: warm weather- lack winters
2)proximity- nearby, cheaper to come down in winter
3)offshore banking centers (sometimes used for illegal revenues like drug money)

Front 23

South American realm dominated by 3 areas:

Back 23

1)Andean Mtns (on pacific side)
2)Amazon Basin
3)Brazilian Highlands

Front 24

S. America grouped into 4 culture/political regions:

Back 24

1)Brazil
2)North -assoc. w/Caribb.
3)West -assoc. w/mixed pop.
4)South -outside tropics

Front 25

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

Back 25

Earth divided into clonial spheres along 50 W longitude; spanish had west of line, portuguese east of line; cut across S. America

Front 26

Non-Iberian countries that formed colonies in Northern S. America

Back 26

Great Britain; Netherlands; France

Front 27

Brazil's distinctive features

Back 27

-large area of indigenous ppl
-has signif African cultures heritage
-2 of S. America's 3 physiographic regions (no Andes)

Front 28

Why did Portuguese first penetrate Brazil's NE?

Back 28

-b/c of Treaty of Tordesillas
-became resupply ctr; close to Africa's coast where Portuguese used to sail
-environmentally, Brazil's NE unusual b/c of tierra caliente coast, surprisingly dry season (Aw climate)-tropical savanna; dry winter
-coastal cities sea-oriented for slavery,whaling, export

Front 29

Amazon Basin

Back 29

-Brazilian govt encourages settlement in Amazon; major road construction here improves accessibility away from rivers but causes loss of biodiversity and biomass
-indig ppl living here affected negatively

Front 30

Rio de Janeiro

Back 30

-magnif. harbor
-grew as Brazil's national capital for years; cultural ctr, an dtourist destination
-but also have favelas (slums)

Front 31

Sao Paulo

Back 31

grew b/c of agricultural processing, manufacturing, financial services

Front 32

Brazil's agriculture based on 4 main products:

Back 32

coffee, soybeans, oranges, tobacco

Front 33

Brazil's SE

Back 33

-became indust. heartland b/c of rich minerals in Belo Horizonte
-when became too populated, govt began program in 50s to move pop away into interior

Front 34

Attempt to move Brazil's population away from SE into interior by:

Back 34

-in 1960s, moving capital from Rio de Janeiro 600+ miles interior to Brasilia (became a forward capital)

Front 35

Brazil's population flow trend:

Back 35

1)Portuguese came into NE Brazil
2)some moved to SE Brazil
3)then move to "empty" frontier (b/c of forward capital)

Front 36

S. America's North includes:

Back 36

2 former Spanish colonies
1 former British colony
1 former Dutch colony
1 current French colony

Front 37

S. America's North like Caribbean b/c:

Back 37

1)European scramble for colonies
2)early plantation development
3)early intro of African labor

Front 38

Venezuela

Back 38

-Caracas as polit and cult ctr
-In NW, geologic structure "cups" Lake Maracaibo where oil was discovered (more than 90% of Venezuela's export earnings)

Front 39

Colombia

Back 39

-affected by Andes range
-capitals of each region cut off from others causes regional loyalties stronger than natl. loyalties
-drug trade amplifies instability

Front 40

Colombia's urban structure of capitals:

Back 40

-Bogota: polit, cult, transport. ctr
-Cali: agricult: sugar, coca
-Medellin: agricult: coffe
-Barranquilla: import-export

Front 41

S. America's West has 4 states:

Back 41

Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay

Front 42

S. America's West shares 5 main characteristics:

Back 42

1)less productive economies
2)low per capita incomes; most of pop is poor
3)low urbanization
4)at least 1/2 of pop. is Indian
5)are continent's only land-locked states

Front 43

Characteristics of Andes Mtns

Back 43

-wet in north, dry in south
-most ppl in Ecuador and Peru live in highlands
-widens in Peru and Bolivia ("elbow")

Front 44

altiplano

Back 44

high flat plateu; where much of Indian pop of Peru and Bolivia live b/c is good for pasture and mining and echoes pre-Colombian times (Incas lived here)

Front 45

Drug trade caused by:

Back 45

1)regional isolation
2)lack of integration w/rest of state
3) poor, rural largely Indian pop
4)loss of work in tin mines
5)widespread shrub natl to area
6)large and growing demand from large wealthy pop for illegal product of plant (coca)

Front 46

"balloon effect" of drug trade

Back 46

-Bolivian and Peruvian drug sources eliminated --> moved to Colombia --> eliminated in Colombia --> moved back to Peru/Bolivia

Front 47

3 countries of S. America's Southern Cone

Back 47

Chile, Uruguay, Argentina

Front 48

3 characteristics of S. America's Southern Cone

Back 48

1)more than 90% European and mestizo
2)"European" economy (commercial, relatively high income..)
3)outside tropics-latitude and altitude both matter (climates = dry, temperate)

Front 49

3 themes of Subsaharn Africa Realm

Back 49

1)role of physical setting
2)colonial impacts
3)post-colonial challenges

Front 50

Africa's unique features

Back 50

1)continental outline - no major indentations/peninsulas
2)very small coastal plain
3)many escarpments in S. Africa; is a plateau-higher in southern end
4)river patterns: major rivers flow off the plateau
5)immense basins- once filled w/water
6)almost no folded mtns
7)The Great Rift Valley

Front 51

Effects of Africa's unusual features:

Back 51

1)narrow coastal plains
2)few natl. harbors- most artificial
3)mvmt via river routes
4)hydroelectric potential
5)metallic minerals potential

Front 52

Africa's unusual climate pattern b/c:

Back 52

1)equatorial location
2)seasonal shifts
3)resulting sequence from equator (rainforest -> savanna -> steppe -> desert -> temperate

Front 53

pre-colonial African states successful b/c:

Back 53

1)complementarity: E-W and N-S comp.; metallic minerals (gold); located btwn desert and mtns-surrounded by rivers and forests
2)stimulus of Islam: presence in lands in North

Front 54

Europe viewed Africa as problem b/c:

Back 54

1)lack of harbors
2)narrow coastal plain
3)escarpments
4)ignorance of Europeans
5)resistance by Africans

Front 55

Different colonial models for controlling Africa by 4 main powers

Back 55

1) Great Britain: "indirect rule"- brits oversea and assign lower level assignments to locals
2) France: "direct rule"- everything becomes French
3) Belgium: "paternalism"- Africans are kids that need to be educated
4) Portugal: "assimilation"- more active than French; believed Portuguese = best.

Front 56

Impacts of colonial experience on Africa:

Back 56

1)imposed boundaries: divided people/groups- mismatched polit and ethnic boundaries-created for frivolous reasons
2)state identity problems
3)regional fragmentation
4)national economies oriented to colonial purposes

Front 57

Africa's 3 post-colonial challenges

Back 57

1)econ. development
2)pop/health
3)polit. issues

Front 58

Africa's post-colonial challenges of econ. development: (3)

Back 58

1) reorientation of trade
2) restructuring of natl. economies (going from cash crop to balanced agric; export to growth; primary sector to 2ndary sector; no middle class to large middle class)
3)build on resource strength (metallic minerals; oil/gas)

Front 59

Challenges of pop/health in Africa:

Back 59

1)health/nutrition related to per capita income (has 20/23 lowest income countries in world)
2)also related to Africa's location on Earth (btwn tropics)

Front 60

Challenges of political issues in Africa caused by inter-group disputes (3 types):

Back 60

1)cross-boundary issues (Uganda and Sudan; Rwanda and the Congo)
2)within-state dominance (Rwanda and Burundi; Sudan and Darfur)
3)irredentism -majority of 1 country helping minority in another (Somalia and Ethiopia)

Front 61

Challenges of state identity in Africa reflected in:

Back 61

Nigeria (2 ways to solve it)
1)formed new administrative units
2)moving capital from Lagos to Abuja (compromise capital)

Front 62

2 main themes of N. Africa/SW Asia Realm

Back 62

1)absolute importance of resources in realm
2)realm's geog. fxn as "crossroads"

Front 63

near-absolute deficiency of 3 main things in realm:

Back 63

1)water; 2)wood; 3)metallic minerals; some water below surface-but can't be replenished if taken from underground; puts more pressure on other resources

Front 64

Middle East experiencing "water stress" which is:

Back 64

min. amt of clean water per capita necessary to support public health and development

Front 65

Middle East has great abundance of:

Back 65

petroleum (oil) and natural gas (few countries have abundance of both oil and water -except Iraq)

Front 66

Middle East's crossroads fxn:

Back 66

1)"confusion of cultures"
2)diffusion source (of 3 of world's major religions)
3)role as global pivot

Front 67

Middle East's confusion of cultures has 3 patterns:

Back 67

1)spatial patterns- bordered by 5 other realms; cultures carried into and thru realm
2)temporal patterns- culture moves from place to place over time
3)intra-category patterns

Front 68

2 types of expansion diffusion:

Back 68

1)contagious diffusion- spreads by personal contact like illnes (ex: language, religion)
2)hierarchical diffusion- affecting top of hierarchy allows easy diffusion to smaller places

Front 69

language diffusion tells us:

Back 69

where ppl came from; where ideas originated; all indo-european langs may have originated and spread from SW Asia; lang diffusion suggest timing and pattern of culture spread

Front 70

2 culture hearths of Middle East

Back 70

1)Mesopotamia (around Tigris/Euphrates Rivers)
2)Nile Valley

Front 71

Middle East is a global pivot b/c:

Back 71

Islam/Judaism/Christianity all consider the same place in this region to be sacred