World Geography Unit 4 Exam Review

REDD+ was proposed by developing countries in 2005 as an international strategy by which tropical countries would reduce deforestation . . . and be compensated by wealthy nations for any resulting economic losses. Two of the strongest initial supporters of the concept were Norway, which pledged $2.5 billion for the effort, and Brazil, which announced a national plan to reduce its deforestation rate 80 percent by 2020 (compared with its average rate over the decade 1996–2005) and later made this commitment part of its national law.— "Brazil's Success in Reducing Deforestation," Union of Concerned Scientists 2011http://www.ucsusa.org (accessed September 10, 2014)

Based on the information in the excerpt, Brazil is addressing the issue of deforestation by —

• signing treaties

• passing legislation

• punishing companies

• investing in new technologies

Over the last thirty years, the Amazon rainforest has become one of the main cattle ranching regions in the world. With 5 to 8% annual expansion, the growth of cattle herd is still strongly affecting forest resources in this region. Negative ecological impacts are evident, however economic and social constraint cannot always be generalized. Cattle ranching has allowed many smallholders to improve their livelihoods, particularly through dairy production. Still poorly developed, more sustainable farming systems are being encouraged by new international and national regulations, as well as by society. Adequate solutions to avoid or minimize the negative ecological impact of development of Amazon basin are necessary and part of these solutions will have to be found within the livestock sector. —J. B. Veiga, J.F. Tourrand, R. Poccard-Chapuis and M.G. Piketty, “Cattle Ranching in the Amazon Rainforest”, 2003http://www.fao.org (accessed September 11, 2014)

The author of the excerpt makes the argument that any policies related to development of the Amazon basin will need to include —

• investment in new infrastructure to move livestock

• provisions for adhering to international regulations

• consideration of the effects on the ranching sector

• alternatives for ranchers and farmers to make a living

Nicaragua, the poorest country in Central America and the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere, has widespread underemployment and poverty. Textiles and agriculture combined account for nearly 50% of Nicaragua's exports.

Honduras, the second poorest country in Central America, suffers from extraordinarily unequal distribution of income, as well as high underemployment. While historically dependent on the export of bananas and coffee, Honduras has diversified its export base to include apparel and automobile wire harnessing.

Based on the two excerpts, most economic activities in Nicaragua and Honduras would be categorized as —

• primary and tertiary

• primary and secondary

• tertiary and quaternary

• secondary and tertiary

About 1 million people — or 20 percent of the Cuban workforce — can now be classified as wholly in the private sector, according to a report by Richard Fienberg of the Brookings Institution.

Barbara Fernandez Franco remembers being excited when that list of government-permitted businesses first came out. She combed through the 200-odd jobs, and thought carefully about which she could do. She decided on the "tailor and seamstress" category. . .

She started off reselling clothing a friend made, but the profit margins were very small. Then, she began buying clothing from abroad — from countries like Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico — which she then resold.

At first the project was as rocky as any startup business. But a few months down the line, she says, the profits were outstanding. Barbara was able to save a good amount of money — which today is helping her purchase a new home with her boyfriend, Michel Perez Casanova.

But that boom in business soon came to an end when the government announced that importing clothing for resale on the island would be illegal as of Dec. 31, 2013.

Barbara was devastated by the news, she says, but while other businesses shut down, she chose to carry on as best she could: She learned how to sew and created her own line of baby clothing and mosquito netting for cribs.

—“Cuba’s Budding Entrepreneurs Travel A Rocky Road Toward Success”, National Public Radio, June 2014 http://www.npr.org (accessed June 24, 2014)

According to the information in the excerpt, some Cubans are satisfying their basic economic needs by —

• applying for government jobs

• working in primary industries

• establishing cottage industries

• expanding the traditional economy

El Dia de los Muertos is ingrained in the Mexican national consciousness as part of Mexican identity. And, by extension, of Mexican American identity. El Dia de los Muertos is not just a version of the widespread Roman Catholic feasts of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days. This suggests a European largesse [assistance], a colonial view that describes Mexican culture as a derivative culture. Equally diminishing is to equate or correlate El Dia de los Muertos with Halloween, a day of raucous disregard for the tradition of Dia de los Muertos. Importantly El Dia de los Muertos is not a Mexican or Mexican American equivalent of Halloween.

For Mexicans as well as for Mexican Americans El Dia de los Muertos is a time to both honor and to celebrate the lives of those who lived before us and have gone on to “the other world.” For the Aztecs, that other world was the prize, the world for which one suffered the slings and arrows of this world. Thus, to celebrate the lives of our descendants was for them to share with us the mysteries of that other world.

In the Aztec calendar, this ritual coincided with the Gregorian month of July and the beginning of August, but in the post conquest era Spanish priests moved it to coincide with the Christian holiday of All Hallows Eve “in a vain effort,” as Ricardo J. Salva­dor explains, “to transform this from a profane to a Christian celebration.” It is today a blend of ancient aboriginal and Christian elements.

—“El Dia de los Muertos,” The National Hispanic Reporter, October 1992http://www.southtexannews.com/features/829-scholar-explains-dia-de-los-muertos/ (accessed March 5, 2014)

5

In what way is El Dia de Los Muertos an example of cultural convergence?

• The Aztec calendar had to be changed in order to establish El Dia de Los Muertos.

• Colonization helped to spread El Dia de Los Muertos celebrations to other parts of the world.

• Indigenous cultural practices like El Dia de Los Muertos were adapted by colonial groups.

• Traditional practices like El Dia de Los Muertos and Halloween celebrations are very similar.

In an office across the street, biologist Pedro Sentero worries about what the influx will mean for the area's environment.

On the one hand, he says the road [Interoceanic Highway] might promote eco-tourism. It will be easier for people to reach the town from Cuzco, which is home to one of Latin America's most popular tourist sites, the ruins of Machu Picchu, a pre-Columbian Incan site about 8,000 feet above sea level.

But in recent years, Peruvians from the highlands have migrated to the more fertile lowlands, Sentero says. They cut down trees and clear land for farming, or work in the gold mines. He fears the road will only speed up that process.

"The problem is that Peru has some very good laws on the protection of flora and fauna, but the issue is those laws are not enforced," he says. "The government is in charge of making sure those laws are observed, but it does nothing, practically speaking."

Brazil nut harvesting is encouraged as a sustainable way to exploit the rainforest without harming it. But some growers say it doesn't produce enough money to make a good living. The highway is bringing more people eager to clear-cut the land for logging or to plant crops. "People have been working here harvesting Brazil nuts for the last century. It's a resource that produces income for probably half the population of this region. And we are killing it off," says conservationist Enrique Ortiz.

—Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, “The Amazon Road: Paving Paradise For Progress?,” National Public Radio, 2009www.npr.org (accessed September 10, 2014)

Based on the information in the excerpt above, what is one way the Interoceanic Highway will have an economic impact on the region?

• Migration to the region will increase and along with it deforestation.

• Tourists will travel to newer sites along the route and bypass the old sites.

• Pollution in the region will increase because of the amount of vehicle traffic.

• New industries will move to the region and forcing out traditional economic activities.

Outbreaks of Epidemics in Colonial Latin America.

In what way did the events affect current demographic patterns in Latin America?

• Most of the population is comprised of indigenous peoples

• A majority of the people trace their ancestry to indigenous groups

• Indigenous peoples are underrepresented in the overall population

• Numbers of indigenous females outnumber that of indigenous males

Highlights of the Amazon Protected Areas Program in Brazil

Developed in consultation with several local communities over a ten year period

Defined policies for land occupation and management

Created conservation parks and sustainable use areas throughout the Amazon region

Trained communities on agricultural and extractive techniques to preserve natural resources

Taught communities how to prevent and extinguish forest fires

Will cover nearly 70 million hectares of rainforest upon program completion

In what way would this policy be a benefit for people other than those living in Brazil?

• It serves as a model for protecting other threatened ecosystems.

• It ensures that wood will be available for export to other regions.

• It provides for the development of ecotourism in a protected area.

• It creates an international group dedicated to sustainable development.

Volume and Direction of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

One way the migration pattern shown on the map changed cultural patterns in Latin America was by —

• spreading Christianity

• introducing new music styles

• establishing a trade in firearms

• introducing the Spanish language

Which physical feature is a natural border between Argentina and Chile?

• Deserts

• Rivers

• Mountains

• Plains