Chapter 2

Question 1

How many ‘Americas’ are there?

Answer 1

There are two ‘Americas’: North America and South America.

This includes Middle America as part of North America.

Question 2

What is the combined population of Middle + South America?

Answer 2

The combined population of Middle America and South America is approximately 666 million.

This figure varies based on current demographic data.

Question 3

What characterizes the northern borderland of the Americas?

Answer 3

It is a dynamic borderland and transition zone with the U.S., yet it experiences relative isolation from the rest of the hemisphere.

This isolation can impact trade, culture, and migration patterns.

Question 4

What competition exists within Mexican drug cartels?

Answer 4

Colombian drug cartels established new bases in northern Mexico in competition with Mexican cartel operations.

This competition has significant implications for drug trafficking routes and violence in the region.

Question 5

What is a major geographic quality of Middle America?

Answer 5

Fragmented - physically and politically.

Question 6

What is a land bridge?

Answer 6

A geographic feature connecting two larger land masses.

Question 7

What is an archipelago?

Answer 7

A group of islands.

Question 8

What seasonal hurricane regions does Middle America front?

Answer 8

Both the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean.

Question 9

What influences contribute to the cultural diversity in Middle America?

Answer 9

African/European influences in the Caribbean and Spanish/indigenous influences on mainland.

Question 10

What is a culture hearth?

Answer 10

A region where cultural traits develop and spread.

Question 11

Why are culture hearths historically important?

Answer 11

They are centers of agriculture, urbanization, writing, science, art, etc.

Question 12

When did the Lowland Maya reach their zenith?

Answer 12

3rd to 10th Centuries.

Question 13

Where did the Lowland Maya begin?

Answer 13

Yucatan Peninsula.

Question 14

What is significant about the Highland Aztecs?

Answer 14

Began 700 years ago at Tenochtitlan (> 100,000), known as subjugators and better borrowers than inventors.

Question 15

What was a significant economic system in the Caribbean?

Answer 15

Slavery and plantation economy.

Question 16

What cultural influences remain strong in the Caribbean?

Answer 16

African cultural influences.

Question 17

What year did the significant impact of Europeans begin?

Answer 17

1492

Question 18

Which European countries had the greatest effect on the Americas?

Answer 18

Spain, Portugal, France, England

Question 19

How did Africans contribute to the impact of Europeans?

Answer 19

Through the transatlantic slave trade and forced labor

Question 20

What was the role of the Chinese in the context of European impact?

Answer 20

Limited direct impact; primarily involved in trade

Question 21

What was the effect of Europeans on the Indian population?

Answer 21

Colonization and cultural exchange

Question 22

What caused the depopulation of indigenous peoples in the Americas?

Answer 22

Diseases, warfare, and exploitation

Question 23

Why did Europeans deforest the landscape in the Americas?

Answer 23

To create farmland and extract resources

Question 24

What percentage of tropical rainforest remains in Middle America?

Answer 24

10%

Question 25

What livestock did Europeans introduce and breed in large quantities?

Answer 25

Cattle, pigs, sheep, and horses

Question 26

Why were Amerindians concentrated into villages?

Answer 26

To facilitate control and conversion to Christianity

Question 27

What was the effect of introduced Roman Catholicism on Amerindians?

Answer 27

Cultural assimilation and loss of indigenous beliefs

Question 28

What are the differences in European land tenure systems?

Answer 28

Mainland (hacienda) vs. Rimland (plantation)

Question 29

Fill in the blank: Only _______ of tropical rainforest remains in Middle America.

Answer 29

10%

Question 30

Who is considered Hispanic?

Answer 30

A person of Spanish-speaking origin or ancestry

Question 31

What is the origin of the term Latino/Latina?

Answer 31

It originates from the Latin American cultural context

Question 32

What does Chicano/Chicana refer to?

Answer 32

A person of Mexican origin or descent, particularly in the United States

Question 33

Who is mestizo?

Answer 33

A person of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry

Question 34

Who is mulatto?

Answer 34

A person of mixed African and European ancestry

Question 35

What percent of Americans today consider themselves Hispanic?

Answer 35

Approximately 18%

Question 36

What percent of Americans are projected to consider themselves Hispanic by 2050?

Answer 36

Approximately 29%

Question 37

Are the categories Hispanic, Latino, and Chicano necessary today?

Answer 37

This is a subject of debate and varies by individual perspective

Question 38

What is the largest and most influential country in Middle America?

Answer 38

Mexico

Question 39

What is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world?

Answer 39

Mexico

Question 40

What is the percentage of Mestizo in Mexico's cultural diversity?

Answer 40

62%

Question 41

What percentage of Mexico's population is predominantly indigenous?

Answer 41

21%

Question 42

What percentage of Mexico's population is full-blooded indigenous?

Answer 42

7%

Question 43

What are the main reasons Mexicans migrate to the U.S.?

Answer 43

Economic opportunities, family reunification, and violence.

Question 44

What invited Mexicans to migrate to the U.S.?

Answer 44

Labor demands in the U.S.

Question 45

What is the term for the blending of cultures that occurs through migration?

Answer 45

Transculturation

Question 46

What is Mexico's rank as a provider of imports to the U.S.?

Answer 46

2nd largest provider

Question 47

What is the primary type of factory known as maquiladoras in Mexico?

Answer 47

Foreign-owned factories

Question 48

How many people do maquiladoras employ in Mexico?

Answer 48

More than 2 million

Question 49

What is Mexico's most important export?

Answer 49

Oil

Question 50

What percentage of Mexico's oil export goes to the U.S.?

Answer 50

90%

Question 51

What is Mexico's rank as an oil supplier to the U.S.?

Answer 51

Second largest supplier after Canada

Question 52

How many countries are in Central America?

Answer 52

Seven

Question 53

What are the characteristics of the republics in Central America?

Answer 53

Troubled, small in area/population, and prone to deadly natural hazards

Question 54

What is the impact of fragmented agricultural lands in Central America?

Answer 54

Results in low yields and rural poverty

Question 55

What is altitudinal zonation?

Answer 55

A system that categorizes agricultural land based on elevation

Question 56

What are the two lowest (in elevation) zones in altitudinal zonation?

Answer 56

Tropical and subtropical zones

Question 57

What are important crops from the two lowest zones?

Answer 57

Crops such as bananas, coffee, and sugarcane, coffee, corn, wheat, vegetables

Question 58

How many tourist visits does Caribbean America see per year?

Answer 58

25 million tourist visits per year ## Footnote This statistic highlights the significance of tourism in the region's economy.

Question 59

What are the Greater Antilles?

Answer 59

Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica ## Footnote These islands are the main large landmasses in the Greater Antilles region.

Question 60

What comprises the Lesser Antilles?

Answer 60

Remaining ~700 smaller islands ## Footnote The Lesser Antilles includes a variety of smaller islands that are not part of the Greater Antilles.

Question 61

What is Hurricane Alley?

Answer 61

All of the Greater Antilles, southern Florida, Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, and the Gulf of Mexico ## Footnote This area is particularly prone to hurricanes due to its geographical location.

Question 62

What are some downsides to the tourism industry?

Answer 62

Greater environmental impact, cultural dilution, economic dependency ## Footnote These downsides can significantly affect local communities and ecosystems.

Question 63

When was the Panama Canal built?

Answer 63

1904-1914 ## Footnote The construction was carried out by U.S. contractors.

Question 64

What was the status of the Canal Zone until 1999?

Answer 64

U.S. territory ## Footnote The U.S. controlled the Canal Zone until it was handed over to Panama.

Question 65

What significant event occurred in Panama in 1903?

Answer 65

Panama broke away from Colombia ## Footnote This led to a deal with the U.S. for canal construction.

Question 66

What year was the Panama Canal completed?

Answer 66

1914 ## Footnote The canal was completed after a decade of construction.

Question 67

How many ships does the Panama Canal carry per year?

Answer 67

14,000 ships ## Footnote This includes ships traveling along 80 shipping routes.

Question 68

What percentage of the world’s cargo volume does the Panama Canal handle?

Answer 68

5% ## Footnote This figure highlights the canal's significance in global trade.

Question 69

What percentage of the U.S.A.'s cargo volume is handled by the Panama Canal?

Answer 69

16% ## Footnote This indicates the canal's importance to U.S. trade specifically.