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LATIN AMERICA
Chapter 8:
Physical
Geography and
Climate


Latin Am. – located in Western
Hemisphere
Land area of about 8 million
square miles
 16% of earth’s land surface

Usually divided into three areas
– Middle America, the
Caribbean, and South America
 Middle America – Mexico and 7
countries of Central America
 Caribbean (West Indies) – three
groups: the Bahamas, Greater
Antilles, and the Lesser Antilles
 South America – continent of 13
countries
Mountains and Plateaus

Mountains begin in North
America as Rocky
Mountains and change
names as you move south
 Mexico – Sierra Madres
 Central America – Central
Highlands
 South America – Andes
Mountains

Very rugged landscape due
to the area sitting on Pacific
Ring of Fire – plates collide
here
Mountains and Plateaus

Sierra Madres surround the
Mexican plateau
 Sierra Madre Oriental, Sierra
Madre Occidental, Sierra
Madre del Sur

Andes – world’s longest
mountain range
 @ 4,500 miles long
 peaks rising more than 20,000
feet above sea level
 Home to early civilizations
(Inca)

Andes are cordilleras
 mountain ranges that run
parallel to each other
Sierra Madre Oriental
Cordilleras
Andes Mountains
Andes from Patagonia
Andes from a plane – Cordilleras!
Hike the trails of the Incans
Plains


Llanos – A grassy, near
treeless plain used for
ranching/farming in
Venezuela and Colombia
Pampas -Vast grasslands
of Argentina and Uruguay
used by the gaucho for
ranching
 region is one of the world’s
major “breadbaskets”
 produce great amounts of
wheat
Llanos
Pampas Region
Chaco (Gran Chaco) – A grassland plain of
Paraguay, used for grazing cattle
Atacama Desert – bone dry desert of Chile
Mato Grosso Plateau – an area in the interior of Brazil
that is hilly and has plateaus, cattle ranching
Brazilian Highlands – Coffee production
Water Systems

Most of the major rivers of
region are in South America
 One exception is the Rio
Grande (Mexico/USA border)

Amazon is the Western
Hemisphere’s longest river,
world’s second longest
 4,000 miles long
○ 10 times the volume of the
Mississippi

Many smaller rivers join the
Amazon forming the
Amazon Basin
 drains much of continent
Rio Grande River
Amazon River
Amazon Basin
Low lying area that drains much of Brazil
Amazon Wildlife

The Amazon is also home to extreme
creatures
 The Anaconda - biggest snake & crushing
power
 Piranha - most ferocious
 Pirarucu –
 largest freshwater fish
- Up to a length of 15 ft!
Anaconda
Piranha
Piranha Clip
Water Systems Continued

Second largest water
system in region –
Pirana, Paraguay, and
Uruguay Rivers
 they provide
hydroelectric power for
many countries
 they flow into an estuary
– area where tide meets
a river current (Rio de la
Plata)
Satellite Photos of Rio de la Plata
Rio de la Plata – an estuary located where the
Parana R. empties into the Atlantic
Montevideo
Buenos Aires
Lakes
Few large lakes in
region
 Highest navigable lake –
Lake Titicaca (12,500
feet above sea level)

 Located between Peru
and Bolivia
 many ruins from early
civilizations located
around here
Lake Titicaca
Lakes Continued

Lake Maracaibo
 South Am. largest lake even
though it’s an inlet to
Caribbean Sea
 many important oil fields in
area
Satellite photo of Lake Maracaibo
Lake Maracaibo
Patagonia – a rugged area in southern Chile
and Argentina (tip of the Andes Mts.)
Strait of Magellan – shipping short cut on the
southern tip of South America, protected waters
Cape Horn – The very southern tip of South
America, “Rounding the Cape”
Tierra del Fuego – Rugged area located on the
southern tip of South America
Falkland Islands – a group of islands off of
Argentina claimed by England (War)
Galapagos Islands – Think Darwin
Climate

Diverse climates in Latin
America
 Much of region in Tropics
 Elevation

Tropical Regions


Southern Mexico, eastern Central Am.,
Caribbean Islands, parts of S. America
Tropical Wet
 Lush vegetation - tropical deciduous &
coniferous trees form canopy (up to
130’ and blocks sunlight)
○ Amazon rainforest = world’s largest
covers 1/3 of S. America
 Variety of plant and wildlife
 Soils leached due to high precipitation
totals – no dry season
Climate continued

Tropical Dry
 Vegetation = vast tropical grasslands with sparsely populated tropical
deciduous trees
 High precipitation totals but extended dry season changes landscape
 Soils are leached

Humid Subtropical
 most of S.E. S. America
 Winters are short and mild, Summers are long, hot & humid
 High precipitation totals

Desert and Steppe




Northern Mexico, coastal Peru & Chile, S.E. coast of Argentina
Rain shadow effect from Andes  Atacama Desert (less than 10”)
Steppe area hot summers, cool winters and light rainfall (10”-20”)
Vegetation = deep root systems, thick bark and leaves to survive harsh
climate
Marine West Coast
Southwest coast near tip of South America
 Not much seasonal change
 High precipitation totals due to winward
side of rain shadow effect

Vertical Climate Zones
Climate most affected
by elevation in this
region
 Five Spanish terms
used throughout
region to describe
vertical climate zones

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Tierra caliente
tierra templada
tierra fria
Puna
tierra helada
Agriculture

Although ¾ of Latin Am people live in cities, most
countries still depend on agriculture for major part of
income
 Export much of what is produced
○ Bananas, sugarcane, coffee

For centuries, farmland has been unevenly distributed
 Small group of wealthy land owners and campesinos (rural
farmers)
Latifundia – large estates owned by wealthy families or
corporations
 Minifundia – small plots of land intensively farmed by
campesinos to feed their familes

 Rarely owned by campesinos

The system of latifundia and minifundia are gradually
breaking down
 Farmers leaving for cities, reform minded governments, etc.
Agriculture





Many cash crops grown in Latin America
Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, and Colombia –
among leading producers of coffee
Central America, Jamaica, Honduras,
Ecuador, and Brazil – major producers of
bananas
Brazil and Cuba – world leading producers
of sugarcane
Large scale commercial producers benefit
mostly
Population

525 million people in region
 9% of world population

Native Americans
 Mexico, C. America, & Andes region
of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia

Heavy European influence
 Mostly Spanish and Portugese
 Argentina & Uruguay – known as
immigrant nations

Asians – came as temporary
workers
 50% Guyana of Asian descent
 Chinese – Peru, Mexico, & Cuba
 Japanese – Brazil & Peru

Africans came as slaves in
1500s
 Mostly Caribbean & Brazil
Population

Population density varies
throughout region
 S. America population on “populated
rim”

Ecuador = most densely
populated in S. America
(118ppsm)
 Large land areas are factor (Brazil =
52ppsm)

Caribbean countries very
densely populated
 Barbados = 1620 ppsm
Migration

Latin America experiences
a large outflow of people
 Desire better living conditions,
political freedom, etc.

Internal Migration
 Move from rural to urban
 Most people live in urban
areas
 Megacities = more than 10
million people
○ Four cities rank in top 20 world
wide – Mexico City, Sao Paulo,
Rio de Janeiro, & Buenos Aires
Global Migration
Language

Spanish is primary language in
most countries in region
 Others  Brazil = Portugese
 French  Haiti & Martinique
 English  Jamaica, Belize and
Guyana


Many different dialects spoken
Millions speak Native American
languages





Mayan dialects
Tupi-Guarani in Paraguay & Brazil
Aymara in Bolivia,
Quechua in Ecuador, Peru, & Bolivia
Many Latin Americans are
bilingual
Religion

Largely Christian
 Roman Catholic – 82%
(454,105,000 followers)
 Protestant – 8.6%
 Non-Christian – 3.5%
 Nonreligious – 2.9%

Many practice Syncretism
 Blending of beliefs & practices
from different religions into a
single faith
 Ex = many worship at
Cathedrals on Sunday but pray
to nature deities during the
week
 Voodoo practiced areas such as
Haiti & Dominican Republic
Guadalupe Cathedral in Mexico City