Latin America is the region of the Americas where Romance languages like Spanish and Portuguese are primarily spoken. Infrastructure and levels of development vary significantly across Latin American countries. Many countries still face challenges of poverty and are considered developing. Economic indicators like GDP, GNP, and per capita income are used to measure and compare levels of development between developing, transition, and developed nations. The geography of Latin America is diverse, containing rainforests, isthmuses, mountainous regions, and deserts. International agreements and trade blocs have aimed to increase economic integration and development across the Americas.

1. Latin America Problems and Passions

2. Latin America T he region of the Americas where Romance languages (i.e., those derived from Latin) – particularly Spanish and Portuguese,– are primarily spoken.

3. Developed or Developing? Infrastructure: Basic support system needed to keep an economy going. Examples: power, communications, transportation, water, sanitation, and education . The more sophisticated the infrastructure, the more developed the country .

4. Poverty Children work at the municipal dump of La Chureca in Managua, Nicaragua. AP Photo /Cristobal Herrera

7. GDP (2004) purchasing power parity (PPP) method Normal method

13. Central American rain forest The tropical rain forest is a forest of tall trees in a region of year-round warmth. An average of 50 to 260 inches of rain falls yearly. Rain forests belong to the tropical wet climate group. The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets higher than 93 °F or drops below 68 °F ; average humidity is between 77 and 88%.

14. This is the narrowest point of the link between North and South America. Isthmus of Panama

15. Today, ships get stuck in traffic jams because there are so many of them and often have to wait up to 20 hours to go through the canal.

16. The city that oil built Caracas, Venezuela

17. Informal settlements locally known as barrios crowd some of the hillsides of Caracas, Venezuela

19. Nazca Desert, Peru.

20. Iguazu Falls

21. Cape Horn, Antartica.

22. Antarctica The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 by 12 countries. The treaty prohibits military activities and mineral mining, supports scientific research, and protects the continent's ecozone.

23. NAFTA Since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed in January 1994, its member countries, which include Mexico , the United States and Canada , have suffered economic peaks and pitfalls. But according to panelists at "NAFTA at 10: Performance, Prospects and Social Impacts," Not everyone, however, is thrilled with the results North American leaders Bush, Mulroney, and Salinas initiating NAFTA in San Antonio in 1992.

24. Speaker V: Maquiladoras employ a half million people in Mexico and bring $3.5 billion into Mexico each year. Speaker W: While workers in foreign owned maquiladoras get paid 20% less than what workers in the U.S. would get for the same work, the Mexican government is happy to have the industries in Mexico. Speaker X: The Mexican government is offering incentives, such as reduced taxes and cheap land, to urge foreign companies to develop industries in Mexico. Speaker Y: Lack of government regulation of maquiladoras has resulted in air and water pollution What conclusion can be drawn from speaker W’s statement? A. Most Americans support maquiladoras. B. Environmental concerns are not critical to the Mexican government. C. Although maquiladoras workers offer a low wage labor pool to American industry, they still earn more than other workers in Mexican cities. D. American industries in Mexico are very profitable.

25. Speaker F: An influx of cheaper agricultural products from Mexico will hurt our sales. Speaker G: NAFTA will hurt the environment because of poor regulation of industry by the Mexican government. Speaker H: Entire U.S. Factories and industries will be moved to Mexico because of NAFTA. Speaker I: Under NAFTA increased exports to Mexico will demand greater productivity and higher wages to people in the U.S. work force. What conclusion can be drawn from speaker H? A. The creation of NAFTA will lead to a stronger economic future for the U.S. B. Farmers in the U.S. will be hurt the most by NAFTA. C. The economic advantages of NAFTA far outweigh the disadvantages. D. Opponents of NAFTA feared it would lead to a loss of jobs in the U.S.