3.11 CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS

Question 3.41

1. If the European colonists had come to Middle and South America in a different frame of mind—if, say, they were simply looking for a new place to settle and live quietly—how do you think the human and physical geography of the region would be different today?

Question 3.42

2. Explain two main ways in which tectonic processes account for the formation of mountains in Middle and South America.

Question 3.43

3. Reflecting on the whole chapter, pick some locations that impressed you with regard to the ways in which people are dealing with either environmental issues or with issues of income and wealth disparity or human well-being. Explain your selections.

Question 3.44

4. Discuss the ways in which you see the historical circumstances of colonization affecting modern approaches to economic problems in Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, or Cuba.

Question 3.45

5. Describe the main patterns of migration in this region and discuss the effects of migration on both the sending and receiving societies.

Question 3.46

6. Name three factors you see as important in increasing political freedoms in this region.

Question 3.47

7. Explain how the Amazon Basin and its resources constitute an example of contested space.

Question 3.48

8. Argue for or against the proposition that free trade blocs such as NAFTA and UNASUR (previously Mercosur) help the lowest-paid workers have some upward mobility.

Question 3.49

9. How would you respond to someone who suggested that Middle and South America were helped toward development and modernization by the experience of European colonization?