McGraw-Hill SocialStudies 2003 Return to Unit List
Grade 5
Lesson Review Lesson Review
Unit 9: Our Neighbors in the Western Hemisphere
Part 3: Central America and the Caribbean
 
Type your name:

 
The Land

There are many islands in the Caribbean. Hispaniola, Cuba, , and are the largest. Made up of coral reefs and inactive volcanoes, the Caribbean islands are often hit with powerful that cause major destruction. is located between Mexico and South America. It has active volcanoes, rain forests, and lowlands.

Central America and the Caribbean's Past

Native cultures lived in Central America and the Caribbean before arrived in the area. After 1492, the area was by the Spanish, the French, the British, and the Dutch. Haiti won its independence from France in the 1790s when Toussaint L'Ouverture led a revolution to end slavery, and slavery was abolished in Central America in the 1800s. Gradually, the colonies gained their , but most of the wealth and power remained in the hands of a few landowners. During the 1980s, dictators were overthrown in Haiti, , El Salvador, and .

Central America and the Caribbean Today

The people of the Caribbean and Central America are of Indians, Africans, Asians, mestizos, and Europeans. Farmers in most of Central America and the Caribbean grow cash crops such as sugar, , cacao, and cotton to export. is a big industry in the Caribbean. Equal rights is still a major issue in Central America and the Caribbean. Rigoberta Menchu has dedicated her life to fighting for the rights of Indians and in 1992 won the Nobel Prize for Peace.

Check Answers