Vocab 4 Flashcards
Agrarian Reform
Redistribution of land, usually to provide farming opportunities to peasants
Altiplano
The largest intermontaine plateau in the Andes; it straddles Peru and Bolivia and ranges in elevation from 10,000 to 13,000 feet
Altitudinal Zonation
The relationship between higher elevations, cooler temperatures, and changes in vegetation that result from the environmental lapse rate, which in turn results in different bioregions depending on the elevation
Colombian Exchange
An exchange of people, diseases, plants and animasl between the New World and Old by the arrival of European colonizers in 1492
Dependency Theory
A theory to explain patterns of economic development in Latin America; underdevelopment was created by the expansion of European capitalists that served to develop core countries in Europe and impoverish and make dependent areas such as Latin America
El Nino
Sbnormally warm Pacific current that brings torrential rains. Arrives along coastal Ecuador and Peru
Environmental Lapse Rate
The drop in temperature as one ascends higher in the atmosphere. 3.5 degrees for every 1000 feet
Grassification
The conversion of forest into grassland for grazing
Informal Sector
Economic sector that relies on self-employed, low wage jobs that are unregulated and untaxed
Maquiladoras
Assembly plants on the Mexican border. Most products are exported to the U.S.
Megacity
Urban settlement of more than 10 million people
Mercosur
The Southern Common Market. Calls for free trade among member states and common external tariffs for nonmember states
Neoliberal policies
Economic policies that emphasize export production, privatization, oppose restrictions on imports and encourage direct foreign investment
Remittances
Money sent by immigrants to their country of origin to support family members
Urban primacy
A condition in which a country has a single large city thre to four times larger than any other city in the country
