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Latin America Physical Geography

Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

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Page 1: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Latin America

Physical Geography

Page 2: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Regions of Latin America

I. Mexico and Central America

II. Caribbean Islands

III. South America

Page 3: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America
Page 4: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Mexico

El Salvador

Honduras

Nicaragua

GuatemalaBelize

Costa Rica Panama

Cuba

Jamaica Dominican Republic

Haiti

Trinidad &Tobago

Page 5: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Brazil

Peru

Ecuador

Colombia

Venezuela

Paraguay

Chile

Uruguay

Argentina

FrenchGuiana

Suriname

Guyana

Bolivia

Page 6: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Landforms/Bodies of Water

1. Mountains:– Sierra Madre Occidental/Oriental (Mexico)– Andes (South America)

2. Rivers:– Amazon (South America)– Orinoco (Venezuela)– Parana (South America)

3. Islands:– Lesser Antilles (Small Islands)– Greater Antilles (Large Islands)

Also throughout SouthAmerica, you will

find the Pampas (aplains area) and

Patagonia (plateau)

Page 7: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Caribbean Islands: Greater vs. Lesser Antilles

• Greater Antilles:– Larger islands in the Caribbean– Ex: Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and

Puerto Rico

• Lesser Antilles:– Smaller of the Caribbean islands– All islands SOUTHEASTSOUTHEAST of Puerto Rico

Page 8: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Pampas and Patagonia

• Pampas: – Plains found in parts of Argentina and

Uruguay– Very rich soil is found here– Main resources = cattle and wheat grain

• Patagonia: – Plateau area found in Argentina and

Chile

Page 9: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Amazon River

• Flows about 4,000 miles from west to east

• Begins in the Andes Mountains and empties into the Atlantic Ocean – Fed by over 1,000 tributaries

• Carries more water to the ocean than any other river in the world

Page 10: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Climate and Vegetation

• Vegetation:– *Rain Forests (Amazon)– Desert (Argentina)– Grassland

Page 11: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Resources

• Most of the region is wealthy in terms of mineral resources (gold, silver, iron, copper, tin, lead, etc.)

• Many Energy resources are also found (oil, coal, natural gas, etc.)– Oil Reserves in Mexico– Central American countries are POOR in terms

of resources– Numerous resources in South America– Amongst the world’s leaders in mining raw

materials

Page 12: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Human-Environment Interaction

1. Slash-and-Burn:– Old method still used by today’s farmers– Cut trees/brush and burn debris to clear

fields– Exhausts the soil

2. Terraced Farming– Growing crops on hillsides

3. Urbanization:– Push and Pull Factors– Encouraged cities to grow rapidly

Page 13: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Tourism

• Pros:– Brings in money– Creates jobs

• Cons:– Congestion– Pollution– Disrupts unsettled lands

Page 15: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Latin American Vocabulary!

1. Andes Mountains 10. NAFTA2. Llanos3. Cerrado4. Pampas 11. Oligarchy5. Patagonia 12. Carnival6. Slash-and-Burn 13. Samba7. Tenochtitlan8. Mestizo9. Maquiladoras

Page 16: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Latin America

Human Geography

Page 17: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Ethnic DiversityEthnic Diversity

• Latin America is made up of many different groups of people: natives, Europeans, blacks, and mixed peoples

• MestizosMestizos = people of mixed Native American and European descent

• MulattosMulattos = people of mixed African and European descent

Page 18: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

LanguageLanguage

• Most regions have adopted the language of the people who colonized them.

• DialectsDialects = forms of a language peculiar to a particular place or group

CountryCountry LanguagLanguagee

BrazilPortuguese

Haiti, Martinique, & French Guiana French

Jamaica, The Bahamas, & Guyana

English

Suriname Dutch

Rainforest regionsNative Languages

Everywhere else Spanish

Page 19: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Population Density ~a closer look at Mexico and

Mexico City~• ~97.5 million people live

in Mexico• It is the most populated

Spanish-speaking nation in the world.

• Mexico City is ranked the 1111th most populated city in the world

• One of the most polluted cities in the world.

Page 20: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Religion

• All of the early Meso-American civilizations (Maya, Aztec, and Inca) were POLYTHEISITICPOLYTHEISITIC

• Worship gods such as the maize/corn god, sun god, etc.

Page 21: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

The Maya

•Central America (present-day Guatemala)

•Tikal – city in modern Guatemala

•Pyramid shaped temples

Page 22: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

The Maya … continued…• Skilled in

mathematics• Developed

concept of zero• Calendar – based

on orbit of the Earth & Sun (365 ¼ day calendar)

• Invented Game that is a cross between basketball & soccer

Pictures of Ballcourts

Page 23: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Aztecs

• Valley of Mexico• Capital of Tenochtitlan on

an island in the middle of a lake (modern day Mexico City is built on top)

• Advanced farming – Chinampas – floating

artificial islands built on large rafts covered with mud.

Page 25: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

The Aztecs … continued…

• Complex political system with an emperor• Worshipped many gods & goddesses

ceremonies with prisoner sacrifices• Hernan Cortes – conquistador from Spain,

conquered the Aztecs

Page 26: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America
Page 27: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

The Incas • People of the Andes

Mountains• Capital is Cuzco in

Peru• Political system with

an emperor• Terrace farming –

cut into the side of mountains

• Domesticated the alpaca & llama

Page 28: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

The Incas … continued … • QuipuQuipu = a rope with knotted cords

of various lengths and colors, used to keep records and send messages

• Machu Picchu – “Lost city of the Inca”

Machu Picchu – Incan city in the Andes mountains - discovered in 1911 untouched!!

Page 29: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America
Page 30: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Incan Terrace Incan Terrace FarmingFarming

Page 31: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Religion1. Human Sacrifice

Purpose = to celebrate accession of king or stop crisis

a. Victims = child (most beautiful or royalty)

b. How i. Option A: child = given alcohol… bound

with rope, hit in head… walled inside stone structure

ii. Option B: child placed on sacrifice table… shaman cuts artery in thigh… bleed to death

Page 33: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

The Incas … continued …

• Taken over by a Taken over by a Conquistador or Conquistador or “Spanish conqueror”“Spanish conqueror”

• Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca people

Page 34: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Legacy of colonialism

• When colonies, Latin America was ruled by kings and queens of Europe.

Page 35: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

• All became independent by the mid to late 1800s -Ruled by a few leaders, called an oligarchy. – Did not always

protect people’s basic rights (freedom of speech, and press)

Page 36: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

• During the 20th century some Latin American countries were ruled by a military dictator, a caudillo.(kaw-deel-yoh)

• Ex. Juan Peron of Argentina, whose wife Evita Peron was famous for being loved by the people.

• When the government could not control the people, sometimes the military took over, a junta, and was ruled by generals.

Page 37: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Creating Stable Governments

• Today all the countries of Latin America except Cuba are some type of democracy.

• CUBA = Communist

• The goals of Latin America today are to end poverty, pollution, & illiteracy

Page 38: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Art ~ Diego Rivera ~

• Used art to educate• Created huge murals combing modern

forms with traditional designs to present the daily life and history of the country.

• Most famous mural is in Detroit, Michigan

Page 39: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Art~ Frida Kahlo ~

• Mexican artist whose tormented paintings gave her great fame and changed the art world

• Featured on the cover of Vogue magazine

• 2002 movie staring Salma Hayek about her life.

Page 40: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Literature • Modernism = 1800s literary

movement, in which writers and poets focused on artistic expression for its own sake.

• Gabriela Mistral – writer from Chile• Gabriel Garcia Marquez – writer

from Colombia– A movie is being made of his book

“Love in a time of Cholera”

• Both have won a Nobel Prize for Literature.

Page 41: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Music • Calypso – from

Trinidad (combines musical styles of Africa, Spain and the Caribbean)

• Reggae – Jamaica, 1960’s – deals with social problems and religion – Bob Marley

Page 42: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Baseball

• Very POPULAR In Latin American countries• MANY MLB players come from various

countries throughout this region• Examples:

– David Ortiz (Dominican Republic)– Pedro Martinez– Rafael Furcal– Javy Lopez (Puerto Rico)– Manny Acosta (Panama)– Jorge Campillo (Mexico)– Yunel Escobar (Cuba)

Page 43: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Leisure Time & Celebrations • Futbol (soccer)

very popular and a national sport in many countries

• Jai alai (HY-LY) – a traditional favorite in Mexico and Cuba, fast paced game like racquetball

• Brazil has won the World Cup of Soccer 5 times!!

Page 44: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Leisure Time & Celebrations … continued …

• Capoeira – martial arts of Brazil

• Samba – Brazilian Dance

Page 45: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America

Leisure Time & Celebrations … continued …

• Carnival – festival celebrated just before the beginning of Lent, the Christian holy season that comes before Easter – the biggest Carnival is held each year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Page 46: Latin America Physical Geography. Regions of Latin America I.Mexico and Central America II.Caribbean Islands III.South America