Mountains
The Andes Mountains are part of a chain of mountains that includes the Rockies and the Sierra Madre in Mexico
They contain many active volcanoes As a result, many people live east of
them They were home to some of the most
important civilizations, including the Inca
Plains
Cerrado – savannas with flat terrain and moderate rainfall in Brazil
Pampas – plains made of rich soil, gaucho (cowboy) culture grew up here
Llanos – grassy, treeless plains much like Great Plains in U.S.
Water
Amazon River flows west to east and empties into the Atlantic , it carries more water into the ocean than any other river in the world
Angel Falls is the world’s tallest waterfall located in eastern Venezuela
Major Islands
Caribbean Islands consist of three major groups: Bahamas, Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles
Greater Antilles (larger) – Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico
Lesser Antilles (smaller) – southeast of Puerto Rico
Resources
South America is among the world’s leaders in mining of raw materials
Jamaica began as a plantation economy dependent on bananas and sugar (and tourism)
It is now an exporter of bauxite (aluminum ore)
Mexico and Venezuela contain important oil resources
Rain Forests contain valuable products used to make medicine, many are undiscovered
HEI
Native people used slash-and-burn farming to clear the land for agriculture
This method is still used today but has over exhausted the land, which is one reason for the shrinking rain forests
The Inca used terrace farming (grown on hillsides) which reduced soil erosion
Urbanization
People move to cities hoping to improve their lives
Push factors: poor medical care, poor education, low-paying jobs, ownership of land by a few rich
Pull factors: higher paying jobs, better schools and medical care
Most populous city is Mexico City Governments find it difficult to deal with
population increases