Why should you study Latin America? For many reasons--its fascinating

literature and rich culture, its history of heroes and villains, of suffering,

survival, and courage. But also because it contains riches that have be-

come increasingly important to the world economy. The oil that provides

gasoline for your family s automobile or furnace may be from Latin

America. Much of the world s supply of such important minerals as cop-

per, lead, tin, gold, silver, and uranium comes from Latin American

countries.

What happens in Latin America may directly affect your future. The

Amazon rain forest, the largest single area of jungle in the world, is burning

down. Some scientists feel that its destruction may change the climate of

the world. The millions of trees in the Amazon forest create a significant

part of the oxygen in the world s air. If they disappear, what you breathe in

the twenty-first century may be hazardous to your health. How the Bra-

zilian government deals with its Amazon region is of great importance

to you.

Furthermore, several Latin American cities are now major centers of

trade and business. Mexico City and Sfto Paulo, Brazil, are both larger

than any city in the United States. As our own nation s economy becomes

more dependent on worldwide trade, we must both compete with and

cooperate with the people of Latin America. Major banks in the United

States have billions of dollars invested in Latin American countries. If

those countries do not succeed in building their economies, they will

default on the loans--and you will be affected.