Exploring Geography and History of Middle and South America

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?

Explain how tectonic processes have shaped landforms in Middle and South America.Pick some locations in Middle and South America where people are dealing with either environmental issues or with issues of income and wealth disparity or human wellbeing. Explain your selections.

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.

Name three factors that could increase political freedoms in Middle and South America.

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