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Physical Geography of Latin America

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Latin America is made up of 3 Parts: 1. Central America (Mexico & 7 countries of Central America 2. Caribbean (Bahamas, Greater Antilles & Lesser Antilles) 3. South America (13 countries)

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Latin America Facts The Region of Latin America is twice the size of the United States Comprised of 37 Countries The Region of Latin America stretches 6000 miles from Northern Mexico to Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire) which is cold and rocky (southern most point of South America)

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What is the southern most point of South America? 1.Tierra del Fuego 2.Andes 3.Patagonia 4.Pampas

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Located near the Equator in both Central and South America Over 3,000 + plant species per sq. mile

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What vegetation is located along the equator (tropical wet climate)? 1.Desert 2.Llanos 3.Tropical Rainforest 4.Glaciers

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Slash and Burn Agriculture Constant rainfall washes away nutrients in soil unless held in place by tree roots. When land is cleared, soil turns hard and little grows This NASA satellite image shows hundreds of fires (indicated by red dots) burning near the Yucatan peninsula on April 20, 2003. Credit: MODIS. This photo was taken in Petn, Guatemala.

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Mountains Mexico Sierra Madre Occidental (west) and Oriental (east) Canon de Basaseachic in the Sierra Madre Occidental

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Mountains Andes West Coast of South America Worlds longest mountain chain 2nd highest mountains in the World- use terrace farming Home of the Inca in Peru Barrier to movement into the interior, thus most settlement has occurred along the eastern and northern coasts.

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Andes Mountains mountain range that runs through the western part of North, Central and South America. It is called the Rockies in North America, Sierra Madre in Mexico and the Andes in South America.

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What type of farming takes along the Andes Mountains? 1.Rotation farming 2.Terrace Farming 3.Deforestation 4.Irrigation

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Mountains Guiana and Brazilian Highlands Angel Falls are located at Akuyantepui, the largest mountain plateau in the Guiana Highlands. Brazilian Southern Highlands and Canyons Many people live in the valleys, but mountains block communication, isolating regions and people

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Plateaus & Hills Patagonia - Argentina Perto Moreno glacier El Chaltn Bariloche: NW Patagonia Steppe

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Plains LLANOS Colombia and Venezuela Plains area used for grazing and farming Upland llanos, Bolivar, Venezuela In Brazil known as CERRADO

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PAMPAS Farming and grazing area of Argentina and Uruguay

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What are the three plain regions? 1.Patagonia, Andes, Brazilian Highlands 2.Atacama Desert, Amazon, Patagonia 3.Llanos, Cerrado, Pampas 4.Yucatan Peninsula, Pampas, Guiana Highlands

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Amazon River Basin The CERRADO is a savanna with moderate rain that is suitable for farming Currently underdeveloped Brazilian government is encouraging settlers to move into the interior and develop the land

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Rivers Central America and the Caribbean do not have the extensive river systems that are found in South America. Orinoco River Northern South America: Venezuela and Colombia

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Amazon River Runs from the Andes through Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean for some 4,000 miles. Carries more water than any other river in the world Fed by over 1,000 tributaries- hydro electric power This image map made by the ASAR (radar) on Envisat shows the Amazon drainage basin to be generally low in elevation and flat.

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Parana River Starts in the Brazilian Highlands Turns into the Rio de la Plata Commercial Highway

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What feature allows Brazil to have a large amount of hydro electric power? 1.Mountains 2.Plateaus 3.Deltas 4.Rivers

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Parana River 3,000 miles Orinoco River 1,500 miles

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Why would Rainforest, mountains, and rivers hinder movement and communication?

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Caribbean Islands (West Indies) Greater Antilles Larger islands of the Caribbean.

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Lesser Antilles- smaller islands Soufriere Hills, Montserrat Antigua St. Lucia

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Bahamas Hundreds of islands off the coast of Florida

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Energy Sources: Oil & Natural Gas~ Mexico is the worlds 5 th largest producer; Venezuela member of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) Hydroelectric Power (rivers & waterfalls)~S.A. has abundance of rivers Coal

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What two countries have a large amount of oil reserves? 1. Argentina and Peru 2. Chile and Paraguay 3. Venezuela and Mexico 4. Columbia and Ecuador

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Mineral Resources: Abundant mineral supply throughout region Latin America among the worlds leaders in mining of raw materials Mines: gold, silver, iron, copper, bauxite (aluminum ore), tin, lead & nickel

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Urbanization People are steadily moving towards the cities to improve their lives. Push factors poor medical care, poor education, low-paying jobs, ownership of land by a few rich people Pull factors higher-paying jobs, better schools, better medical care Several cities in South America rank among the worlds largest in population, and they are rapidly growing. (2) Mexico City 18,131,000 (4) So Paulo - 17,711,000 (10) Buenos Aires 12,431,000 (19) Rio de Janeiro 10,556,000 (26) Lima 7,443,000 (30) Bogot - 6,834,000 (42) Santiago 5,261,000

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What is urbanization? What causes urbanization? 1.Push factors 2.Pull factors 3. both Negative effects of Urban Sprawl? 1.Plenty of space 2.Big Houses 3.Water Shortage 4.Private schools

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LATIN AMERICA CITY GROWTH

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Millions of people each year visit Latin American resorts. Luxurious cruise ships anchor in the Caribbean. Resorts offer many activities for locals to have job opportunities. Gaps in rich tourists and local poor Countries incur debt by building resorts/airports/harbors Tourism- growing industry