Country Journal 25 points
This quarter, you will become an expert on one Latin American country. Each week you will locate or create entries for your country journal. As you complete the entries, check them off in the blank provided. Each entry should be short-- one-half to one page each. You will have to use the Internet, books and magazines. However, your journal entries should be in your own words, whenever possible. Please don't download entire Internet sites and put them in your notebook!
Weekly Entries:
1) Locate three maps of your country. These maps should represent different scales-- world (small scale), region (mid scale), and country (large scale). ___________
2) A: Physical geography: on a map, locate the main physical features of your country (deserts, plains, forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, etc) ___________
B: What natural hazards affect your country? Have there been hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods? Find a news account or other source. ___________
C: Locate a current event from your country-- what has happened there in the past week? __________
3) A: What are some of the indigenous (Indian) groups living at the time of contact with Europeans? If they survived, what is their social situation? ___________
B: What are the impacts of European colonization? List everything you can-- the official language, religion, foods, clothes, animals, crops, social structure, etc. ___________
C: Locate a current event -- what has happened in the past week? ___________
4) A: Describe the government of your country: Don't just rely on a vague label like "republic" or "constitutional monarchy" or "territory". Is the country's government closer to a democratic regime or a dictatorship? Has the same person been in charge for ten years or more? Do people vote? Is the country still a colony? Of who? ___________
B: Describe the relationship with the Big Neighbor to the North during the 20th century: Has it been friendly? Has the US intervened in the country? What do the people think about the US? ___________
C: Locate a current event -- what has happened in the past week? ___________
5) A: Put together an imaginary tour. Imagine you can take some friends on a two-week trip. What would you want to see and do there? ___________
B: Create an advertisement for the country. It could be tourist oriented or an anti-tourist one that tells why people should NOT come there! Be creative! ___________
C: Locate a current event -- what has happened in the past week? ___________
6) A: Based on population data for the year 2000, draw a population pyramid for your country. What stage of the demographic transition is the country in? ___________
B: Describe the migration patterns: When people migrate out of the country, where do they go? When people migrate into the country, where are they coming from? Are people moving from the rural areas to the city? Why or why not? ___________
C: Locate a current event -- what has happened in the past week? ___________
7) A: Describe the cultural landscape of your country: What are the main languages, predominant religious practices, local racial classifications? What are gender roles for men and women like? ___________
B: What are the most popular styles of music? Who are the popular musical performers? If possible, find a sample of the music and listen to it. ___________
C: Locate a current event -- what has happened in the past week? ___________
8) A: Describe the two or three main cities: Where are they? Is one the capital? Is one a primate city? What is the population? What percent of the country's population lives in the main city? ___________
B: Describe the conditions for poor people in the urban areas: Do they live in squatter settlements, shantytowns, favelas, barrios? Are there homeless people? Homeless children? What resources are available for poor people? Is there a government welfare system? Charities run by churches? Or do people rely on family resources? ___________
C: Locate a current event -- what has happened in the past week? ___________
9) A: What is the per capita income? How does it compare to the region's per capita? The US per capita? What percentage of the population is extremely poor (lives on the equivalent of one US dollar per day or less). How much money per year in the local currency would a person need to qualify as wealthy? ___________
B: What percentage of the population makes a living from agriculture? Do most of these people practice subsistence farming, commercial farming or agribusiness? What main crops are grown? Are these food crops or export crops? What percentage of the country's food is imported from somewhere else? ___________
C: Locate a current event -- what has happened in the past week? ___________