Lesson 23: Review for Exam 3

April 20, 2026

Review Topics:

• Mining in South America
  • Copper in Chile
  • Silver in Bolivia at Cerro Rico
  • Lithium Triangle (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile)
• Africa Presentations
  • Water Crisis in Cape Town
  • Oil in Nigeria
  • Diamonds in Botswana
  • Water Politics on the Nile
  • Copper Mining in Zambia
• Latin America Presentations
  • Baseball in the Dominican Republic
  • Hydropower in Paraguay
  • Water in Mexico City
  • Ecotourism in Costa Rica
  • Mining in Peru
  • Current events in Venezuela
  • Debt and hyper-inflation in Argentina
  • From drug violence to economic vibrancy in Medellin Colombia
• Migration from Central America
  • Nicaragua
    • Somoza family dictatorship (U.S.-backed, 1930s–1979)
    • Sandinista revolution (1979) overthrows Somoza
    • U.S.-backed Contras vs. Sandinista government (1980s civil war)
    • Iran–Contra Affair (covert U.S. funding of Contras)
    • Daniel Ortega returns to power (2007–present)
    • Rosario Murillo, wife of Daniel Ortega and Vice President
    • Migration networks established in Costa Rica and the US
  • El Salvador
    • Civil war (1980–1992): government vs. leftist insurgents (FMLN)
    • U.S. supports right-wing government to prevent communism
    • Human rights abuses by military and death squads
    • Assassination of Óscar Romero (1980)
    • Murder of 4 American churchwomen (1980)
    • El Mozote massacre (1981) (~800+ civilians killed)
    • Large-scale refugee migration to the U.S., networks established
  • Guatemala
    • 1954 U.S.-backed coup removes President Jacobo Árbenz
    • Civil war (1960–1996): government vs. insurgents
    • Extreme violence against indigenous populations
    • Genocide in early 1980s (military rule)
    • Rigoberta Menchú raises global awareness
    • Mass displacement and migration, networks established in the U.S.
  • Takeaways
    • Cold War proxy conflicts → weak institutions → long-term instability
    • Violence in the 1980s → migration to the United States
    • Weak institutions and violence increases “push” to leave Central America
    • Migration networks established increases “pull” to the US.
• Hydropower
  • Amazon Basin
    • Belo Monte (Brazil)
    • Damocracy video
  • What are the tradeoffs?
    • Growing economies need energy
    • Dams destroy ecosystems, local communities, markets
    • Dams (and other major construction projects) are a prime opportunities for corruption
• NAFTA
  • The North America Free Trade Agreement
    • Signed in 1992 by George H.W. Bush
    • Went into effect in 1994
  • Winners
    • Broad-based economic growth
    • Avocado industry
    • Corporate cost cutting
    • Drug Cartels
  • Who did it hurt?
    • US communities reliant on manufacturing jobs
    • Concentrated in specific regions
  • USMCA = NAFTA 2.0
    • United States Mexico Canada Agreement
      • Signed by Donald Trump in 2018
      • Went into effect in 2020
      • Similar to NAFTA but with key improvements
        • Auto manufacturing
        • Labor standards
        • Reviewed every 6 years – first in July 2026
• Geography of Cocaine
  • Coca cultivation
  • Cocaine Industry established by Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel in Colombia
  • Demand skyrockets and distribution scales
  • Colombia crackdown and established distribution network rebalances power structure
  • Power and money gradually shift from Colombia to Mexico