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Units 19-26 19 Strength to Overcome -- South Africa and Kenya Two case studies on Africa South of the Sahara (Sub-Saharan Africa): The first case study, South Africa: This Land is My Land, depicts the complex situation that arose after the country's first democratically elected government, headed by President Nelson Mandela, came to power in 1994. That government faced, and continues to face, many challenges in developing post-apartheid policy, including reducing poverty, promoting community development, and fostering political stability. Apartheid was a government racial policy that persisted for decades. The implementation of land reform as a method to reverse the effects of concentrated ownership by whites is an attempt to alter problems created not by environmental conditions but by societal structures. To achieve equity and diversity, the government is pursing a legal framework to redistribute land ownership. A process creating more individual farms is likely to affect the landscape due to smaller plot size, crop diversity, and more labor-intensive methods of agriculture. The threats and tensions that arise during the implementation of land reform create a basis for potential conflicts between not only blacks and whites, but among a wide range of multi-ethnic groups as the government works to find a fair method of redistributing land to redress past injustices and reduce the level of contemporary poverty. Discussion of different types of land reform programs and the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to assess outcomes. The case follows the research of geographer Dr. Brent McCusker as he studies the progress of one farm created through land reform measures. The second case study, Kenya: Medical Geography, examines medical geography and the delivery of healthcare in a developing country. The central question is whether it is possible to improve the situation for people in Kenya, where conditions seem to be more favorable for the development of disease than for the survival of human beings. In addition to facing traditional killers like malaria and trachoma, this region is now in the grips of the terrible pandemic of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Environmental conditions in the country favor a wide range of diseases. Kenya's efforts to control these environmental factors are complicated by many conditions common to developing countries: poor transportation and communication networks, low education levels, and limited availability of basic community services. Medical research on disease diffusion in Kenya by geographer Dr. Veronica Ouma, new information on the spread of HIV-AIDS throughout the region, and efforts to bring the virus under control. Video Key Words and Concepts South Africa;; Where is South Africa, (specifically)? What was Apartheid?;; Is the black population of South Africa homogeneous? What percentage of land was controlled by the tiny white minority? Why were the Homelands created?;; What political system created them? Did blacks prosper in the homelands? Land Reform;; What is the downside to South Africa's land reform? How has land use and productivity changed? What is suggested as a solution? How many farmers pooled their government grants to purchase the large farm in the video? Was land confiscated from white owners to return to the blacks? Global Positioning System (GPS);; What did the researcher use GPS for here? **What is ground truthing? Kenya; What conditions make disease difficult to eliminate? Medical Geography;; What can geographers do? Disease Diffusion;; How has HIV-AIDS moved (geo. pattern) through this region? Name the two diffusion patterns observed for HIV/AIDS in Kenya. What has been the impact of HIV-AIDS in the Sub-Saharan region? Which age group has been affested most? How does this affect the economy of Kenya? Migration to Urban Areas;; Why do people migrate to urban areas here? **With _____% of the world's population, SubSaharan Africa has %____ of the world's AIDS cases. Have low priced drugs helped? 20 Developing Countries - Cote d'Ivoire and Gabon Both Cote d'Ivoire and Gabon are former colonies of France and have rich, culturally diverse populations. Each has pursued economic development with varied success. The first case study, Cote d'Ivoire: Cocoa and Change, shows that Cote d' Ivoire, previously known as Ivory Coast, is the largest cocoa producer in the world. The country experienced strong economic growth in the 1960s and 1970s based upon the export of this commodity. Plantation agriculture requires a hot, humid rain forest environment for cultivation and demands significant labor for crop production. Migration to fill the demand for labor has resulted in an influx of people from different ethnic groups, as shown in the village of Nipy, located in the southwestern part of this West African country. Agricultural wealth influenced the growth and activities of Abidjan, the principal city and port of Cote d'Ivoire. The government administration centered in Abidjan manages economic stabilization programs that have encouraged growth and aided development through investment in the country's infrastructure. The creation of services and facilities in the new, more geographically centered capital of Yamoussoukro has had positive and negative aspects, mirroring the situation throughout the country. Major economic, environmental, and social problems have arisen, including an over dependence on a single export commodity, deforestation caused by an increase in cultivation, and an influx of migrant peoples. Changes in the Cote d'Ivoire government and commentary by Dr. Thomas Bassett concerning tensions over the reduced availability of land for cocoa cultivation, and who is or is not "Ivorian." The second case study, Gabon: Sustainable Resources?, looks at another former colonial possession of France. Situated in Equatorial Africa, the country of Gabon is sparsely populated and its economy is based upon the export of primary resources, mostly derived from oil and wood products. While oil exports now dominate in terms of revenue, the exploitation of forested areas to produce wood products remains a concern. Like Cote d'Ivoire, the fragile structure of the Gabonese economy is tied to external demand for its commodities. Because falling prices in international markets have decreased domestic tax revenues, government spending at home cannot adequately provide public services and utilities, as seen in the shanty town near Libreville, the country's capital and largest city. Most of the residents inhabiting these inadequate quarters and low-lying flood plains have migrated from rural areas. The financial crisis of 1986, caused by the fall of the price of oil and the devaluation of the Gabonese currency, has been difficult on the poor. To improve life for the people, the government is attempting to restructure its policy and reduce dependence on oil as the basis for its economy. While oil will remain an important export for the next few years, diversification into agriculture and forestry will contribute to stabilization of the country's economy. Another sector that may allow sustainable development is ecotourism, capitalizing on a new national park system that protects Gabon's equatorial rainforest. The new park system and its development, featuring commentary by Leslie White of the Wildlife Conservation Society, as well as the situation in Gabon. Video Key Words and Concepts Cote d'Ivoire ( How do you say that in English?);; Where is it. What is the colonial history of this place? Climatic and Ecological Zones;; What is the climate here? Agricultural Commodities;; What are the important ag. exports from these two countries? Economic Development;; How does the price of these affect internal govt. policy? What happened to government spending in the Crisis of 1986? What caused the Crisis of 1986? ______5 of the population is Muslim, many foreign born What religious city did the new capital copy? What is a forward capital? Ethnic and Religious Conflicts;; What are they? Who are the players? Agricultural Geography Gabon;: Where is it. What is the colonial history of this place? Primary Economic Activities: What are they and esp. in Gabon?? Environmental Preservation:: What resource is getting government protection in Gabon? _____% of housing in Libreville is substandard Income Inequality;; Where are most of the poor from? Economic Development;; What hampers government funding of development plans? Sustainable Development;; the definition varies. What is suggested here? Why(how) is Port Gentil isolated? Gabon is the largest supplier of okoumé which is used extensively in plywood manufacture. Agricultural development is very important; Gabon imports ___% of its food. Non-renewable Resources;; Does Gabon rely on a product that is not renewable? Oil exports accounted for ______% of GDP in 2000. Ecotourism;; How is this being implemented? According to the video, what is unique about Gabon's wildlife? 21 Population Geography - Mexico and Guatemala The first case study, Mexico: Motive to Migrate, explores migration both within Mexico and to Mexico's northern neighbor, the United States. A pattern of departure from Mexico's Mesa del Norte is apparent from immigration records. This arid plateau has a poor, agricultural economic base and a depressed silver mining economy. Migration to the United States is common among the people of the rural town of Cedral, located in the heart of the Mesa del Norte, though many migrants return to their homelands after a season or a year in the U.S. Not all migrants in Mexico are headed to the U.S. The city of Monterrey, the capital of the border state of Nuevo Leon, has recently experienced a large population influx, growing from 1.7 million to 2.8 million people in the past fifteen years. One of the reasons for this growth is the labor demand created by the expansion of Mexico's manufacturing industries, or maquiladoras. Maquiladoras are the result of a government program to expand Mexico's role in international trade. Industries relocate to Mexico in exchange for tariffs on the value-added portion of products shipped out of the country. By shipping the parts of a product to Mexican maquiladoras that then complete the assembly of the product, foreign companies are helping to invigorate the economy of the border region. With the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), migration patterns in Mexico will once again be altered. One result of NAFTA will be the end of governmental price supports for Mexico's agricultural sector. Even as this further impoverishes farmers in the Mesa del Norte, new opportunities will arise as the maquiladoras of northern Mexico begin to locate throughout the north central region, including the community of Cedral. This will help diversify the economy of that region, decrease the unemployment rate, and decrease migration out of the community. Dr. Richard Jones' research and current trends in Mexican migration, as well as a wealth of new maps showing migration patterns. The second case study, Guatemala: Population and Conquest, examines the historical geography of Guatemala. The country's history of Spanish conquest began in 1524, when Mayan mountain Indians were subjugated, not for their land or wealth, but to provide the labor needed to create and maintain plantations and haciendas. After Spanish rule was overthrown in 1821, the country lapsed into a period of political turmoil until 1873 when Justo Rufino Barrios redistributed the lands of the Roman Catholic Church and revived the plantation economy. The Mayan Indians were once again exploited as a source of labor, this time by international businesses intent on producing crops such as coffee, sugar, and bananas. The political status of the Mayans deteriorated as land ownership became more concentrated, with three percent of the population controlling two-thirds of the land. A second attempt at land reform in the 1950s led to a U.S.-backed invasion of Guatemala that overthrew the liberal-democratic government of Jacobo Arbenz Guzman, touching off a civil war. The country continues to experience civil unrest, and many historic homelands of the Mayan Indians are now occupied by the Guatemalan military. Dr. George Lovell revisits the family profiled , explores the difficulties the Maya face in feeding themselves, and examines future population growth of the Maya people. Video Key Words and Concepts Mexico;; Population and Migration;; "The Hollow Core" What tis the hollow core, and why is it called that. Diffusion of Maquiladoras;; What factor allowed them to move south? U.S. Border Policy;; How has the new policy affected migration tot he U.S.? Guatemala ;; Where is it? Cycles of Conquest;; To what does this refer? Population Collapse and Boom;; When did the Indian population first colapse and why? With the new surge in population where do younger Mayans live? Lack of Land Reform;; How does this affect the Indians (Mayans)? Social Upheaval;; How has this affected the people of Guatemala? What is a typical farm size for a Mayan? New Questions 09/08/08: Where were the conquistadores from and when did they land in Latin America? Locate the Mesa del Norte on a map of Mexico. Why are people migrating from this region to other areas? How are haciendas and plantations similar? How do they differ? What effects do they have on land-use patterns? 22 The Dynamic Pacific Rim - Ecuador and Chile The first case study, Ecuador: Orange Alert, examines how humans interpret the dangers of their environment. It chronicles the science and sociology of monitoring volcanic activity in the Andes. The case study features Patty Mothes, a researcher who tracks changes in an active volcano and then maps probable ash and lava flows. By doing so, she illustrates the ways in which geographic tools can facilitate better understanding of natural hazards. Geographer Mothes and geologist Peter Hall provide new insight into the Tungurahua volcano and their ongoing research, as well as video footage and photographs of the volcano threatening to erupt. Chile: Pacific Rim Player explores Chile's unique geography and the role it has played in the country's shift away from its traditional economy and European connections. The country's history is rooted in the Indian cultures of the Andes Mountains, but little of this heritage has been reflected since the Spanish entered Chile in 1536. Nearly three hundred years of Spanish rule has left its imprint on the architecture and demography of Santiago, Chile's capital and primary city. Recently, Chile has worked toward integrating itself into both the Latin American region and the countries of the Pacific Rim, building a dynamic, growing economy on the strength of its agricultural and forestry sectors. Global interaction continues to exert powerful forces on this country. Geographer Robert Gwynne comments on the changes that have occurred in Chile since he was originally interviewed in 1994. Video Key Words and Concepts Ecuador;; Ecuador, squarely on the equator, has several climates. How can that be? Physical Geography Volcanoes How long was Baños evacuated? Who mandated the evacuation? Is Baños safe from an eruption? The eruption of Nevado del Ruiz and subsequent mudflows killed more than 23,000 people in Colombia in 1985 Tectonic Plate Boundaries Humans and Hazards;; How can geographers save lives here? Chile;; what are the latitudes of Chile? Diverse Natural Environments Primary Economic Activities;; What are Chile's exports? Dynamic Export Economy;; Is Chile part of the Pacific Rim? Human Geography Gender Roles and Settlements Patterns 23 Brazil: The Sleeping Giant - Sao Paulo and Amazonia The first case study, Sao Paulo: The Outer Ring, shows how a small Portuguese settlement grew into the world's third largest city and the largest city on the South American continent. Located in southeastern Brazil, the city has long been a leading center for Brazil's manufacturing sector as well as the site of heavy industry, financial organizations, and petroleum refining. In addition, the Sao Paulo region leads Brazil's coffee production, producing more than one-third of the country's total output. The recent growth of Sao Paulo into a mega-city is part of a trend of urbanization across South America. Over seventy percent of the continent's population now live in urban areas, nearly 20 million people in Sao Paulo alone. Looking across the cityscape reveals the scale of the city. Shanties ring the city for miles and miles, full of new immigrants from northeastern Brazil. These new settlers build with whatever materials they are able to find and afford, but receive little help from the cosmopolitan heart of the city. Most of the homes in the shanty areas are built by squatters with no legal ownership of the land, and no public services are provided by the city. Data on Sao Paulo's growth and new interview segments. The second case study, A Second Chance for Amazonia?, explores how humans gauge their impact on the environment. The case study uncovers a new use for geographic data collection techniques -- to monitor sustainable development policies in the rain forests of northeastern Brazil's state of Para. There, research on the location of deforestation activity may hold clues to future forest management practices that balance agriculture, ranching, and forest land-use prospects. Maps and commentary from ecologist Dr. Daniel Nepstad, discussing in part how better logging techniques can preserve the rainforest. Video Key Words and Concepts Sao Paulo;; Is a leader center for....,, the region is famous for what crop? Mega-City;; it is the world's --------largest city. Urban Geography;; Is Latin America a rural region or an urban region? Where do most people live? Immigration and Ethnic Diversity;; what ethnic groups have settled Sao Paulo? Squatter Settlements and "Self-construction". Amazonia;; Where is this place? What is happening here? Tropical Forest Ecology;; What makes it unique, fragile? Human/Environmental Interaction;; What is the impact of deforestation? Infrastructure and Transportation Cost;; What has spurred the development of the Amazon region? Sustainable Development;; Does everyone agree as to what is sustainable? 24 Cityscapes, Suburban Sprawl - Boston and Chicago Located in North America, the United States and Canada have the most urbanized and mobile populations in the world. Two of the most important results of that mobility are the abandonment of inner-city neighborhoods by the middle class and the increasing loss of prime agricultural land to suburban development. The land-use pattern that is emerging is one that looks something like a doughnut. This has been created by the middle class fleeing an increasingly poor and empty downtown for life and work in a ring of suburbs and edge cities. The first case study, Boston: Ethnic Mosaic, visits the hometown of some of the nation's finest institutions of higher education and centers for research and development. Boston has a vibrant central business district, but it is also experiencing middle class flight. The city's ethnic diversity is due in part to the attraction of cheap housing for newly arriving immigrants. Inner-city Boston has become, however, a place where tax dollars are simply not adequate to deal with the problems caused by poverty. Inner-city residents and the city must turn to the federal government for assistance in solving their social and economic problems. The case study focuses on the spatial distribution of some of Boston's ethnic and racial groups and their competition for inclusion in a proposed empowerment zone. The zone is to include the most impoverished areas in Boston, yet those areas don't necessarily follow established neighborhood boundaries. A geographer is asked to use her professional skills and input from citizens to determine what boundary should be proposed in the grant application. The stakes are high: a first-place, $100 million federal grant could go a long way in providing job training, offering social services, and attracting new businesses to Boston's struggling core. Boston's empowerment zone program, new funding received by the city, and the results of that funding in various inner-city neighborhoods. The second case study, Chicago: Farming on the Edge, leaves the downtown core to take a look at the increasing threat that middle class flight presents to farmland at the urban fringe. No longer are suburban communities dependent upon jobs in the downtown core. The availability of cars and the highway infrastructure has enabled a new kind of city to spring up around Chicago. These auto-dependent edge cities provide jobs and services to the residents of the surrounding suburbia, allowing them to avoid downtown altogether if they choose. Furthermore, these new job centers, already many miles from the old downtown core, enable suburbia to penetrate more deeply into the countryside. Video footage and interviews profiling suburban growth on Chicago's fringe, new interviews with Dr. Richard Green as he visits areas undergoing land-use change, and new maps showing the extent of farmland loss. Video Key Words and Concepts Boston;; Who lives here and why? Empowerment Zone;; Why clamor to be in it? How has suburbanization affected income distribution in Boston? What are the three ethnic groups in inner city Boston? Neighborhood Revitalization;; How is this attempted? Geographic Information System (GIS) What is this and how is it used? Relative Location;; Central Business District (CBD);; how does th is trend affect Chicago's CBD? Chicago Urban to Suburban Migration;; What facilitates this? What unique resource is being removed from productive use? Can it be restored? Farmland Loss:: Is this significant in Illinois? Why or why not? Edge Cities;; How are these different from a simple "suburb"? 25 Ethnic Fragmentation in Canada - Vancouver and Montreal This video program features two case studies on Canada: Vancouver: Hong Kong East and Montreal: An Island of French. Vancouver: Hong Kong East, focuses on this emerging Pacific Rim metropolis and the consequences of a recent influx of wealthy Hong Kong Chinese immigrants into the area. Older, well-established "Anglo" neighborhoods fight to preserve their cultural landscape, as new Asian residents tear down older homes to erect larger, more modern dwellings with radically different styles. Vancouver nearly a decade later showing the results of construction by Asian immigrants, and new interviews with geographer David Ley discussing the reversing migration trends and Vancouver's economy. Montreal: An Island of French examines the French-speaking population within Montreal, its turbulent history with the English-speaking minority, and the ongoing efforts to resist linguistic domination in North America. The case study focuses in particular on the city's large immigrant populations and their importance to francophone efforts to maintain majority status. Examination of the 1995 referendum on Quebec sovereignty featuring detailed maps of the voting patterns among speakers of different languages. Video Key Words and Concepts Vancouver, Where is British Columbia? Why is the Great Circle Route discussed here? Why so Asian Immigration in the mid 1990's What was the cultural conflict and how was it resolved? What is the Pacific Rim? Where is Montreal, Quebec? Quebecois & cultural preservation Are television shows in English broadcast in Quebec? How is Immigration being used to encourage use of the French language? Which language do the new immigrants prefer - based on perceived economic opportunity? What was the language of business and commerce in Quebec before the laws of the 70's Which group tipped the balance in the sovereignty referendum election on Quebec's leaving Canada? Nationalism/Quebec Sovereignty 26 Regions and Economies - Oregon and U.S. Midwest The first case study, Oregon: A Fight for Water, looks at agricultural production in the regional transition zone from the lush West Coast of Oregon to the state's more arid landscapes on the east. Technology has enabled residents of eastern Oregon to harness scarce water resources to support agricultural production, but at an environmental cost. Farmers there rely upon the Columbia River for irrigation for their fields and for transportation of their products, thirty percent of which is shipped across the Pacific to Asia. A local Native American tribe is demanding that the diversion of the river be limited in order to revive the dwindling salmon runs that rely on the Columbia and its tributaries to spawn. Maps and video footage updating the status of the water dispute and salmon population, and further analysis of the differences between the West Coast and the interior of the state. U.S. Midwest: Spatial Innovations focuses on the geographic distribution of Japanese auto plants throughout the Midwestern United States and explores the spatial nature of Japanese just-in-time production techniques. Key reasons for Japan's decision to locate in this region are proximity to the majority of U.S. consumers and the sophistication of the Midwest's transportation infrastructure. The case study also explores the U.S. automotive industry, its history of competition with Japan, and its gradual incorporation of Japanese production methods to meet the high standards set by its competitor. Competition and cooperation among industries and nationalities have led to new levels of productivity and quality in this U.S. region. Archival footage, new discussion of the impact of just-in-time production, an examination of future trends in automobile manufacturing, as well as further interviews with geographer Dr. James Rubenstein who was featured in the original case study. Video Key Words and Concepts conflicting interests: farmers Indian fishermen, hydroelectric power vs. fishing and farming What restoration effort is underway in the Umatilla Basin? What project did damage to the original habitat of the river? Whose water rights were affected? What crop is grown here? Center Pivot Agriculture - circular irrigated fields Where did the government find water for the $50 million restroation project? Hydroelectricity Formal Regions Demography and Physical Geography Rain Shadow: Why is population distributed so unevenly in Eastern & Western Oregon and Washington What and where is the U. S. Midwest ? Relative Location and Site Selection : Why did the big three relocate from Japan to the U.S.? How were Tennessee and Kentucky and Ohio chosen for new factories? Traditional Mass Production ( Henry Ford) In what city was buying a Japanese car seen as unpatriotic? Lean Production System Just in time production - KANBAN - What is the role of middle managers? Diffusion |