South & Central America -- Quick Review

*North America*

1 Hernan Cortes kidnapped the Aztec emperor; the Spanish then occupied Mexico; the home of chocolate

*Central America & the Caribbean*

2 Guatemala (the former Maya empire)

3 Belize They speak English

“Banana Republics” (The United Fruit Company)

4 El Salvador (the savior)

5 Honduras (hurricanes)

6 Nicaragua (Lake Nicaragua + man-eating sharks) (maybe a future canal)

7 Costa Rica (Spanish = “Rich Coast”) no army, good education; tropical rain forest

8 Panama Canal

9 Cuba cigars & sugar (sugar cane); conga; Guantanamo prison; Guantanamera

10 The Bahamas (English-speaking; secret bank accounts)

11 Jamaica (English-speaking; calypso music: steel drums)

12 Haiti (French-speaking; very poor; tremendous earthquake damage)

13 The Dominican Republic (better-off than Haiti)

14 Puerto Rico (American, but NOT a state)

*South America*

15 Colombia (heroin, cocaine, coffee; coca leaves)

16 Venezuela (member of OPEC: petroleum)

17 Ecuador (Spanish = “equator” English) is on the equator

18 Peru former center of the Inca Empire (Pizarro kidnapped Atahualpa and stole tons of gold and silver; the Spanish occupied Peru); the potato and guinea pigs come from P.

19 Brazil (the Amazon rain forest; the samba: the biggest, most famous Carnival; they speak Portuguese)

20 Bolivia (Lake Titicaca: the highest navigable lake in the world)

21 Paraguay (they speak Spanish AND Guarani, the aboriginal language; they make beautiful music with harps)

22 Chile (they sell guano [bird poop] and salmon; grapes à wine; apples)

23 Argentina (the tango; grass-fed beef)

24 Uruguay (people from Italy & Germany)