Geography Review ----- Study Guide (Latin America)

Part 1. Identify all counties and geographical features and place them on the blank maps provided. Use
a current map or atlas (The world map found in your textbook is not recommended). You need to use both a
political map and physical (topographical) map.
A. Countries (current boundaries)/ Islands
Mexico
Guatemala
Belize
El Salvador
Honduras
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Panama

Cuba
Jamaica
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico

Brazil
French Guiana
Suriname
Guyana
Venezuela
Columbia
Ecuador

Peru
Bolivia
Paraguay
Uruguay
Argentina
Chile
Falkland Islands
Tierra del Fuego
Hispaniola

B. The following cities and geographical features

Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Caribbean Sea
Gulf of California
Gulf of Mexico
Strait of Magellan
Cape Horn
Isthmus of Panama
Yucatan Cannel

Amazon River
Rio Grande (Mexico)
Rio de la Plata
Lake Titicaca
Amazon Basin
(Rainforest)

Pampas
Patagonia

Yucatan Peninsula
Baja California

Mexico City
Buenos Aires
Havana
Sao Paulo

Mexican Plateau
Andes Mts.
Brazilian Highlands
Guiana Highlands

Part II : Basic Geography Review (Latin America) Students are expected to be familiar with these
information.
1.

The North and South American Continents are commonly known as the New World as against the Old World which
consisted of Africa, Europe and Asia. These terms are a misnomer since there were people living in the Americas long
before Columbus discovered them. The alternative terms the Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere are
also Euro-centric, since they locate the continents based on their location relative to Europe.

2.

Much of the Native American population was decimated by Old World diseases (such as smallpox) to which the Native
population lacked immunity. Slaves from Africa were brought to the Western Hemisphere to work on plantations. This
influx of slaves and European immigrants, along with their diseases, caused a significant demographic change in the
Western Hemisphere.

3.

As a result of demographic redistribution and intermarriage, a complex racial identity was developed. For example, while
people with mixed ancestry of European and Native American decent are known as Mestizos, while people with mixed
ancestry of European and African decent are known as Mulattos.

4.

Columbus landed on an island now known as Hispaniola, which became the base of Spanish territorial expansion.
The Spaniards conquered two Native American Empires, the Aztec Empire in Mexico, and the Inca Empire in the Andes
Mountains. Today, Spanish is dominant language in Latin America, with a major the exception being found in
Brazil, whose dominant language is Portuguese.

5.

Mesoamerica (Meso = Middle) is one of the great centers of American Civilization. Mayan civilization (c. 300 900 CE)
flourished in the rainforest of the Yucatan Peninsula, where they established a series of city states, such as Palenque,
Tikal, Copan, Chichn Itza, etc.

6.

The Amazon River, which possesses the highest water carrying capacity in the world, supports a vast rain forest.
The river runs from the Andes into the Atlantic. The Rainforest surrounding the river is by far the largest in the world,
covering over 2,500,000 square miles.

7.

The Andes Mountains, run through the entire continent vertically on the Pacific side, and are the backbone of South
America. The Inca civilization established its capital in Peru and flourished throughout the Andes mountains.

8.

Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire) is an archipelago found off the tip of the South America. It is separated from the
mainland by the Strait of Magellan (which is named after famous explorer, Ferdinand Magellan). The Largest island in
the chain is divided between Chile and Argentina.

9.

The Patagonia is a semi-arid plateau region found in Argentina.

10. Grasslands, called Pampas in South America, are mainly found in Argentina and Uruguay. The Pampas are famous for
the Gauchos or Cowboys, and form the major pastoral and agricultural region in South America.
11. Most of Latin America became independent from Spanish control by 1830. A revolutionary leader, named Simon
Bolivar, dreamed of a confederation of former Spanish colonies, but his dream was never realized. The current political
boundaries of Latin American nations largely reflect the provinces of Former Spanish Empire.
12. The Panama Canal cuts through the Isthmus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. The
construction of this manmade waterway was started by the French in 1881 and was completed by the United States. It
opened to traffic in 1914 and the United States administered the Canal Zone until 1979. Panama gained full sovereignty
over the region (including the canal itself) on December 31, 1999.
13. The legacies of colonization (of New imperialism) are still visible in the Western Hemisphere. For example, many
islands in the Caribbean are still under American, British (e.g. Virgin Islands), French (e.g. Guadeloupe, Martinique) or
Dutch (e.g. Aruba) control.
14. French Guiana, as the name indicates is still under the control of France.
15. The Falkland Islands, consisting of the two major islands, called West and East Falklands, and a group of smaller
islands, are located in the South Atlantic, east of the Strait of Magellan. These islands are under British administration
and have caused territorial disputes between Great Britain and Argentina. One notable case was the Falklands War of
1982 when Britain and Argentina fought a small scale war over control of the islands.