Latin America Vocabulary Worksheet
Student Name: ____justin smithers______/ Date: ______Teacher Name: ______/ Score: ______
Match the term on the left with its definition on the right:
__ / Alpine / A. / This country was once home to the Maya and Aztec civilizations, came under Spanish control in the 1500s, and since 1917 has been a representative, democratic republic with a presidential system.__ / Altiplano / B. / This country is located in an isthmus between Central and South America.
__ / Amazon / C. / This pre-Colombian civilization inhabited central Mexico from roughly 1400 BCE to 400 BCE and is now remembered for both their colossal carved stone heads and for rapid and mysterious decline.
__ / Andes / D. / This country's capital is Bogota and is bordered to the east by Venezuela and to the west by Panama.
__ / Caribbean / E. / This body of water touches Mexico and the American states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
__ / Catholic Church / F. / This is the name given to the area in the northern portion of the Andes Mountains that is the most extensive area of high plateau in the Western Hemisphere.
__ / Chichen Itza / G. / This is the name of the climate zone that is found above a tree line in high elevations.
__ / Cocaine / H. / This was an ethnic category for colonial Latin Americans who were of European heritage but were born in the Americas.
__ / Colombia / I. / This was a Mesoamerican civilization that existed in the Classical Period, controlling most of the region before the Aztecs rose to power.
__ / Creole / J. / This country is located in the Caribbean Sea, just to the south of Cuba.
__ / Cuba / K. / This is the largest river (by volume of water) in the world and it runs through the northern regions of South America.
__ / DEA / L. / This country is located on the eastern side of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.
__ / Deforestation / M. / This connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through Central America.
__ / Developing Countries / N. / This is the part of the Department of Justice whose task it is to enforce the nation's drug laws.
__ / Dominican Republic / O. / This is the world's largest Christian denomination, embracing over half of the world's Christians and one-sixth of the world's population. It is led by the Pope.
__ / Gulf Of Mexico / P. / This is a historic term that refers to a person of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry living in Latin America.
__ / Haiti / Q. / This Caribbean country lies to the south of Florida and is the only Communist government in the Western Hemisphere.
__ / Jamaica / R. / This narcotic is produced from the "coca" plant and is now illegal, though it was once used for medicinal purposes.
__ / Latin America / S. / This term refers to the change in landscape that occurs when humans clear land for farming or other endeavors.
__ / Mayan / T. / This is a major archaeological site that was once a regional center to the Mayan Empire in Ancient Mesoamerica.
__ / Mestizo / U. / This island in the Caribbean is located on the western side of the island of Hispaniola and was once a colony of France.
__ / Mexico / V. / This body of water to the north of South America contains the countries of Cuba and Jamaica.
__ / Olmec / W. / This is the name given to a region of dense vegetation, tree growth, and precipitation, usually found in tropical regions of South America, Africa, and Asia.
__ / Panama / X. / This is the part of the Western hemisphere where languages derived from Latin (usually Spanish or Portuguese) are the primary language.
__ / Panama Canal / Y. / These are countries with low standards of living and a low industrial capacity. These are what used to be known as "Third World Countries."
__ / Rainforest / Z. / This mountain range is found in South America and was home to the Incan Empire.