Chapter 7-8 Review Questions

  Chapter 7-8 Review: Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean

1. What body of water borders Mexico to the East?
2. Much of the interior landscape of Mexico consists of a high, mostly 
rugged region called the _____.
3. Mexico City is located in the _____.
4. The volcano _____, near Mexico City has been active since _____.
5. Mexico’s best farmland is in the _____ where the soils and climate there 
are good for farming.
6. Caves and sinkholes in the Yucatan have been caused by _____.
7. What is the climate like in Mexico’s mountain valleys?
8. What is the vegetation like in northern Mexico?
9. What were Mexico’s most valuable resources before oil was discovered?
10. Where did the Olmec live?
11. What were some achievements of the Maya?
12. Where did the Aztecs build their capital?
13. What were the most important parts of the colonial economy?
14. Miguel Hidalgo gave a speech calling for the common people of Mexico 
to______.
15. What was a result of the Mexican-American War?
16. Most Mexicans speak Spanish because ______.
17. Mexico’s government has traditionally been different from the U.S. 
government because the same political party _________.
18. Mexico will probably continue as a developing country until it can deal 
with some of its _______.
19. Trade among Mexico, Canada, and the United States has been made easier 
by ______.
20. U.S. and foreign companies have built factories in Mexico because they 
_______.
21. Slash-and-burn agriculture could be a problem because _____
22. A problem in Mexico City that is made worse by the surrounding mountains 
is _____.
23. Mexico’s colonial history can easily be seen ______.
24. Northern Mexico is probably most affected by American culture because 
_____.
25. The Caribbean islands divide _____.
26. Which island group lies in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Florida?
27. Name the islands that make up the Greater Antilles.
28. What are the results of tectonic plate motion in the Caribbean?
29. The weather of Central America and the Caribbean Islands is typically 
_____.
30. Cloud forests are found _____.
31. From summer to fall, _____ are a threat to the region.
32. An export of the rain forests in the region is _____.
33. Many people of Mayan descent still live in _____.
34. Central American Indians and enslaved Africans were forced to work 
______.
35. The United Fruit Company controlled most of the banana production in 
Central America in _____.
36. Armed struggle might have been prevented in Central America if _____.
37. Two Central American countries with little land for agriculture are 
_____.
38. Most people in El Salvador live in poverty because _____.
39. Nicaragua was ruled for many years by a group called _____.
40. Most Caribbean Indians died from _____.
41. Ideas of independence in the Americas were sparked by a slave revolt in 
_____.
42. Many people on Caribbean islands speak a language that is a combination 
of _____.
43. Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony, but today it is _____.
44. The poorest country in the Americas is _____.
45. The first permanent European settlement in the Western Hemisphere was 
_____.
46. Newspapers, television, and radio stations in Cuba are controlled by 
_____.