Central America and the Caribbean

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Central America and the Caribbean
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The Panama Canal

• The United States won control of the Panama Canal
  and a ten mile area surrounding the canal by
  supporting if not encouraging Panama to seek
  independence from Colombia.

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The Panama Canal

• The United States built and controlled the
  Panama Canal due to a series of treaties that
  turned control of the canal over to Panama in
  1999.

http//www.ared.com/kora/java/pcc/javaani.html
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Native and Colonial Central America

• The Mayan people built a great civilization in
  southern Mexico and Central America.
• The Mayan created many temple cities that were
  used for religious rituals.
• Each Mayan city was independent from the others
  and ruled by a god-king.

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Spanish Rule Ends

• Spain ruled Central America until 1821 when
  Mexico won its independence..
• In 1823, the all of the Central American
  countries declared their independence form Mexico
  and entered into an alliance called the United
  Provinces of Central America.

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Caribbean Influences

• The islands of the Caribbean were inhabited by
  the Taino when Christopher Columbus arrived.
• He believed that they would make good workers but
  most of them died quickly from disease.

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Slavery is Introduced in the Caribbean

• Africans were brought to the Caribbean to replace
  the Taino.
• The slaves were brought to work on the sugar
  plantations.
• The introduced African population has helped to
  shape the culture of the islands.

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Multi Cultured Caribbean

• By the 1800s, many European countries had claimed
  islands in the Caribbean for sugar production

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Caribbean Independence

• Haiti was a French colony that successfully won
  its independence as a rebellion of the slaves,
  led by Toussaint LOuverture overtook the French
  government on the island.

Toussaint LOuverture
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Other Successful Revolutions

• Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago all achieved full
  independence from Great Britain in 1962

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Cultural Blends

• Central America
• Native American
• Spanish
• Catholicism
• Rural populations
• Spanish language
• Problems Related to Conquest
• Deforestation
• Inequitable economic divisions
• Dislocation of people

• Caribbean
• Mixed European
• Native American
• African
• Catholicism
• Protestantism
• African religions
• Urban populations
• Spanish, English, and Dutch languages
• Problems Related to Conquest
• Slavery

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Economics

• Generally, the common people in Central America
  and the Caribbean are poor due to the legacy of
  colonialism.
• Commercial farming
• 10 of world coffee
• Bananas
• Forest products

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Popular Culture

• Music-
• Calypso Combination of African, Spanish, and
  Caribbean island elements, using steel drums,
  guitars and improvised lyrics.

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Reggae

• Developed in Jamaica in the 1960s, as a
  combination of Caribbean, African and American
  musical elements.
• Reggae deals with social and religious issues.

Bob Marley
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Tourism and Informal Economy

• Caribbean
• Rapid population growth is leading to high
  unemployment.
• Schools are preparing students for tourism
  industry and agriculture.
• Informal Economy Many in Central America and
  the Caribbean work in informal economic
  industries such as street vending, and shoe
  shining as a way to make enough money daily to
  eat.

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Poverty in the Caribbean