Download Lesson 1 Land of Latin America

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INTERACTIVE SUMMARY
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CHAPTER 7, LESSON 1
Land of Latin America
What Is Latin America Like?
Latin America covers a large part of the Western
Hemisphere and has many types of land. It includes Mexico,
Central America, South America, and the Caribbean
Islands. In the north, Mexico’s two major mountain ranges
border a large central plateau where Mexico City is located.
Much of Mexico has a warm climate, though mountain
areas can be cold. Many parts of Central America are rain
forests, and the climate there is wetter than Mexico. A
mountainous, hilly region, Central America has active
volcanoes that can cause earthquakes.
South America
Two of South America’s main features are the Andes
Mountains and the Amazon Basin. The Andes curve along
the western coast of the continent for about 5,500 miles.
East of the Andes in Argentina are grassy plains called the
Pampas. In the northern half of South America, the
Amazon Basin drains water from the eastern slopes of the
Andes into numerous streams and rivers. These tributaries
pour into the Amazon River, which flows nearly 4,000
miles before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. Thick rain
forests thrive in the Amazon Basin, a region with a greater
variety of plants and animals than any other in the world.
However, this rain forest is shrinking daily, as people clear
trees for farmland or cut trees to sell as wood.
Find and underline a form of
each vocabulary word or
term.
tributary noun, a river or
stream that flows into a
larger river
Tropical Zone noun, an
area of the world
between the latitudes 23°
north and 23° south
hurricane noun, a tropical
storm that brings heavy
rains and fierce winds
What regions make up
Latin America? Circle the
sentence that tells the
answer.
Why are the rain forests of
the Amazon Basin
shrinking? Highlight the
sentence that gives the
answer.
The Caribbean Region
The islands of this region vary greatly. Some rise out of the
water as the tops of volcanoes. Others were formed from
coral reefs. On islands with rich soil for crops, such as Cuba,
Jamaica, and Puerto Rico, farmers grow sugar, coffee, and
fruit. Much of Latin America lies in the Tropical Zone,
where temperatures are usually warm or hot. Hurricanes
may form in this region from June to November. The
climate is much colder in the high parts of the Andes and at
the southern tip of South America than it is in other areas
of Latin America.
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