Stylized
map of the Western Hemisphere
This is Lesson 2, The Geographic Setting.
Multiple choice questions for Lesson 2 (click on the correct answer;
if you are wrong, we'll let you know gently; if you are right you will get
a confirmation):
Multiple choice question 2-1: The "backbone"
of the Western Hemisphere is:
Multiple choice question 2-2: From a cultural
perspective, where does "Latin America" begin on the Pacific side?
Short-answer questions for Lesson 2. Instructions: If you are not sure
about the answer and would like a hint, click on the figure labeled "Hint".
Note: In later versions of this web site we plan to make
it possible for you to type your answer directly on the web site and send
it back to the instructor electronically. For the moment you might want
to type your answers in a word processing program and let the instructor
have them for extra credit (on paper or electronically via email to jchild@american.edu).
We may also be discussing these questions orally in class, and similar questions
will appear in unannounced quizes.
Hint
Question 2-1: What does the term "Latin America" include,
and what does it leave out?
Hint Question 2-2: How
did Columbus describe the America he saw on his first voyage? Do you think
it was accurate? Please explain.
Hint Question 2-3: What
nation in Middle America does not have a Caribbean coast? Can you think
of any international political reason in the last ten years why this was
important?
Hint Question 2-4: Where
does Latin America end? Give at least two answers, one from the perspective
of a US government official who is also an amateur sailor, and the second
from the perspective of a Chilean or Argentine citizen.
Hint Question 2-5: Explain
why vertical climates are important in the tropics.
Hint Question 2-6: What
are the major rivers in Latin America? In what way are they different from
those in North America?
Hint Question 2-7: Explain
the tapestry metaphor as a way of describing Latin America. Do you find
it useful?
Hint Question 2-8: Latin
America has about 20% of the world's land surface area but only about 10%
of the world's population. What does this mean?
Hint Question 2-9: What
are the general features of the topography of South America, and in what
way do they differ from Mexico and Central America?
Hint Question 2-10:
What are the implications of the fact that the widest part of North America
is in the temperate zone, while the widest part of South America is in the
tropics?
Hint Question 2-11:
Why do "Latin Americans" sometimes resent that term?
Hint Question 2-12:
Define "Latin America" from the simple state-centered approach.
Hint Question 2-13:
Why is Middle America a "watery nation"?
Hint Question 2-14:
Which are the Andean nations of South America?
Hint Question 2-15:
What are the implications of the fact that the Equator cuts Latin America
roughly in half?