Transcript Population Patterns

Population
Patterns
Chapter 9 Section 1
Jap.-Braz. film director
Human Characteristics
 About 588 million ppl (2014)
 Most practice Roman Catholicism!!
 Many ethnic groups:
 Amerindians (Natives/ Indigenous)
 Europeans (Span, Port, & French started)
 Argentina & Uruguay = immigrant nations
 Africans
 Asians (Chinese in Peru & Japanese in Brazil)
 Came to Latin America: 1800s, labored as temp.
workers, stayed to form communities
Human Characteristics
 Blending of groups:
 Mestizos: Europeans + Amerindians
 (Mexico, Honduras, El Salv., Paraguay)
 Mulattoes: Europeans + Africans
 (Cuba, DR)
 Zambos: African +
Amerindians
Human Characteristics
 Language:
 Spanish = primary lengua (language)
 Brazil: Portuguese
 Haiti, Martinique, F.G.: French
 Jamaica, Belize, Guyana: English
 Do not speak exactly like Europeans—have own
dialects, or forms of a language unique to a
particular place or group
 Native Languages spoken in some parts of C & S
America
Human Characteristics
 Lang. cont’d
 Most people are bilingual, speak two
languages (European & another
language)
 Some speak a form of Patoisdialects that blend indigenous,
European., African, and Asian.
Population
 Prediction: 800 million by 2050 (Growth @ 55%)
 Problem b/c geog. limits where people live
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Temperature extremes
Dense rainforests
Mountains
Arid deserts
Pop. lives on only 1/3 of land
Population
 Populated Rim of South America:
 Most live on coast
 Why not interior? Why coast?
 Interior: rain forests, deserts & mountains  harsh
conditions, poor soil  lack of human settlement
 Coast: good climate, fertile land, easy access to
transportation
 E. Coast is most populated
 N & W: Caracas to Santiago is next
 Few live on NE coast (too tropical—hot & rainy) & few in
far S (Patagonia—climate & land = harsh)
Population
 To get people
to the interior,
Braz. govn’t
moved capital
from Rio de
Janerio to
Brasilia
(1960s!!)
Population
 Density: don’t forget about size of country!
(important factor of pop density)
 Ecuador= 118 ppl/sq. mile
 Brazil= 52 ppl/sq. mile
 Big area: less people per square mile (not crunched
together)
 Barbados= 1,807 ppl/sq. mile
 Mexico: world’s most populous Spanish-speaking
country, #2 populated country in Latin America (#1 =
Brazil)
Population
 Greater Mexico City is world’s 2nd most populous
metro area (21.2 mil)
 Tokyo is 1st (37.8 mil)
 Sao Paulo is largest city in LA & 12th in world
(11.8 million)
 Shanghai is largest (24.1 mil)
Migration
 Reason to move N to US:
 better living conditions
 political freedom
 escape polilical unrest
 Mostly from MX, Cen. Am., and Caribbean
 Most move to CA, TX, NY, FL, and IL
Migration
 “Coyotes”- those who help to illegally
smuggle people, esp. from MX
 Multibillion $ business
 Some do it to help
 Others do it for the money and are
ruthless and violent
Migration
 “Wet foot” vs. “Dry foot”
 For Cuban immigrants
 Make it to land, they’re granted
asylum (immunity) from
communist Cuba
 Can apply for citizenship
 Those caught in water are sent
back
Migration
 Seven Mile Bridge
 Connects mainland to FL islands
 Damaged multiple times from
hurricanes
 If Cubans make it to old part/piers
that are no longer connected sent
back to Cuba (not on US soil)
Migration
 Internal Migration:
 Rural to urban for jobs
 Fertile land is scarce or not shared by wealthy
 MX City, Rio & Sao Paulo, Buenos Airesmost urbanized in population
 Cities have grown as they have absorbed
other cities & suburbs, creating megacities
(pop. of 18mil+)—Mexico City
 Stresses cities resources (fresh water, sewers,
utilities, HOUSING)
Migration
in Rio de Janeiro
 Common pattern:
Move to city for job 
Rural ppl lack edu./ skills for good job 
Housing, schools & health care strained
No $ to return to village 
Forced to live in poverty w/ poor housing

Families split under stress 
Many homeless children
Migration
 Moving to other LA countries
 Leave mostly to escape substandard
conditions
 DR is in bad shape…many move to
NYC (800,000 in 80s) or PR (200,000 in
80s) waiting to get into US
 Haitians moving to DR stress
resources