GEOGRAPHY OF LATIN AMERICA (Geography 211) 

WINTER QUARTER

 Instructor:  Robert B. South  Office:  714 Swift Hall  Office Hours: M-F, 11:00 - 11:50

 

Text:  Blouet B. and Blouet O.,Latin America and The Caribbean,(Wiley, N.Y.) 3rd. ed., 1997.

 

Exams:  Four Amini exams @ 50 pts. each.  Students have the option to take any 3 exams,

        or take 4 exams and drop the lowest score. 

Exam 4 will be given during final exam week.

3 exams @ 50 pts = 150 pts .

                        

  Themes

Topics

 Readings
I. Introduction

The Geography of Latin America: a topical-regional approach

 Chapter 1
  Exploration and Settlement of the New World

Aboriginal populations

The Colonial period

The Colonial economy

Land tenure--the encomienda

Trade and the Columbian exchange

The Latin Legacy

 Chapter 3
II. Physical Geography

Agriculture systems

Slash/burn

"Minifiundia"

Plantations

 Chapter 2
III. Agriculture

Agriculture systems

Slash/burn

"Minifiundia"

Plantations

Hacienda/latifundia

 Chapter 4
IV. Population

Population growth

Distribution

Migration (rural-urban)

 Chapter 5
V. Latin America Urbanization

Rural market centers (periodic markets)

Colonial cities

Metropolitan cities- the primate city

New towns

 Chapter 6
VI. Manufacturing and the Service Sector

Primary products

Import substitution

Export-led industrialization

"Newly" industrialized nations

The service-informal sector

 Chapter 6
VII. Mexico &

Industrialization, NAFTA

 Chapter 8
VIII. Central America

Agriculture

 Chapter 9
IX. The West Indies

Tourism

 Chapter 10
X. Andean American &

"Narco Republics"

 Chapter 11
XI. the Southern Nations

 

 Chapter 13
XII. Brazil

Boom and bust

 Chapter 12