The Democratic Struggle of Latin America

     Democracy depends on free and fair elections, citizen participation, majority rule with minority rights, and guaranteed freedoms. In Latin America, fraud and corruption is used to win elections. It is just now gaining support from Latin Americans.
     There are things need in Latin America to create democracies : political, economic, and land reforms. A goal of political reform is to establish a constitutional government. Land reform is a program used by some governments to fairly break up large landholdings and giving portions to land-poor peasants. It is used to rich landowners couldn't keep other Mexicans in a cycle of poverty. Inflation is a problem in the way of economic reforms and is a problem for developing democracies. It was fought by replacing the peso (which would eventually come back), reducing government spending, and freezing prices.
     In Latin America the three largest countries in terms of supporters of Democracy are Brazil, Central America, an Uruguay. 50% of Brazil, 49% of Central America, and 86% of Uruguay support it. All these reforms are aimed at creating stability. Democracy is starting to have a good chance of being in Latin America

Understanding Main Ideas pg 247

3 A.) Important resources of the rain forest include lumber, space and soil, and plants and animals that            provide medical care.

   B.) Global warning, dwindling populations of animals and plants, and secret cures and whatnot.

   C.) The debt-for-nature swap and the juggling act

4.) I think that in the future, farmers will have the forest whittled down to the point they can't go any further, because the new territory is protected. Then, after a few hundred years, the forest will have started to make a comeback.

1-10 pg 214

1 - The Andes Mountains have affected settlement by causing more progress and settlement inland because things cant be built easily on the mountains

2 - Agriculture and livestock

3 - Caribbean, the greater and lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas

4 - Trinidad and Tobago - the result is factories turning the country into an exporter of methanol and ammonia

5 - Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina

6 - it gets colder as you go up, so plants won't get much warmth and have trouble growing

7 - Brazilian nut tree

8 - They have to do it again in 2 years because the soil becomes exhausted

9 - Better medication, jobs, housing, and more money

10 - congestion and pollution

Bolivia

1) What climate zones and vegetation exists in your country?
Bolivia has five types of climate: humid tropical, steppe, humid subtropical, highland, and the tropical savanna. Humid tropic zones have rain forests, steppes and tropical savannas have tree dotted grasslands, mixed forests are in humid subtropics, and highlands have forests to tundra, depending on the elevation and location.

2) Explain the important resources of the area.  Also any river systems, mountain systems, or plains that run through your country.
Natural resources of Bolivia include, gases, petroleum, zinc, copper, silver, lead, and iron. Agricultural resources include items such as cotton, corn, and beef. Lakes and plains in Bolivia include the Plains of Eastern Bolivia, Lake Titicaca, and Lake Poopo. Bolivia also has the Andes Mountains.

3) What do most people in your country do for a living?
Farm, mine, and riot/protest.

4) What is the largest city?
Santa Cruz

5) What is the capital city?
Sucre and La Paz

6) Does your country face any problems - economy (think Bolivia) or environmental (Brazil) or other?  
Bolivia has an economy problem - they don't own any water there. They don't own any bodies of water and even the rain is owned by a bank in NYC.

12 Questions

1) What did you learn from the video?  Do you think its fair that a corporation can own a country's water?
I learned that you can, in fact, own water, even rain. I don't think it's fair because everyone should have free access to water.

2) Do you think the people of Bolivia had a right to react the way they did?
Yes, but maybe it could have been a little less extreme.

3) How has geography affected settlement in Latin America?
Because of the Andes Mountains, most settlements in Latin America are inland

4) Where are the Andres Mountains located?
They're along the west coasts of South America

5) What are the three major river systems in South America?
Amazon, Parana, and Orinoco Rivers.

6) What river carries more water to the ocean than any other river in the world?
Amazon River

7) What are the three mjor island groups in the Caribbean Islands?
The Bahamas, and the greater and lesser Antilles.

8) What are Llanos?
Vast Plains in Colombia and Venezuela that are used for livestock grazing and farming

9) What are three types of resources found in Latin America?
Lumber, gold, and coal

10) What S. American country generates the most hydroelectric power and why?
Brazil, because most of the Amazon River is in it.

11) What types of landforms are found in Latin America?
Highlands, lowlands, mountains, and plains

12) What is your favorite South American country?
Venezuela

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