Download Physical Geography of Latin America I. Introduction A. Four Regions

Physical Geography of Latin America
I. Introduction
A. Four Regions
1. Mexico
2. Central America
3. The Caribbean
4. South America
B. Languages
1. Most of the colonizers spoke Spanish or Portuguese.
2. Both of these derived from Latin.
II. Mexico
A. Varied landscape
1. Two major mountain ranges
a. Sierra Madre Oriental lie in the east
b. Sierra Madre Occidental lie in the west
2. Between these mountains lies the central Plateau
a. The northern part is mostly desert
b. To the south lie two of Mexico's highest mountain peaks.
1. The mountains are both volcanoes
2. Volcanoes and earthquakes affect the people.
3. These are caused by the movement of tectonic plates.
B. Place
1. Mexico City
a. Lies at the southern end of the Central Plateau
b. This is one of the most populated cities in the world.
c. Problems Mexico City faces:
1. Pollution is trapped by the surrounding mountains.
2. The soil is another problem
a. Mexico is built on a drained lakebed
b. Earthquakes cause a lot of damage
2. Most of Mexico's people live on the Central Plateau
3. Narrow Coastal Plains
a. West coast is bordered by the Pacific Ocean
b. East coast is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico
III. Central America
A. Location
1. South of Mexico
2. Isthmus- narrow strip of land, bordered on 2 sides by water, that connects 2 larger bodies of land.
3. On the west coast is the Pacific Ocean
4. On the east coast is the Caribbean Sea
B. Place
1. About 80 % of Central America is hilly or mountainous.
2. Most is covered with forests.
a. Rain forests cover much of the lowlands
b. In the higher regions- deciduous trees.
3. Collision of two tectonic plates.
a. forty volcanoes
1. Most active volcanoes in North and South America
2. creates fertile soil
3. many people farm in this region
b. Earthquakes occur and destroy towns and cities.
IV. The Caribbean Islands
A. Two types of islands
1. Larger islands
a. peaks of underwater volcanoes or mountains
b. includes Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico
c. most people work as farmers
2. smaller islands
a. made up of coral reefs
1. skeletons of tiny sea organisms
2. formed over thousands of years
3. usually grows over the top of a volcanic island
b. few minerals and very few plants
c. Tourism is a big part of the economy
V. South America
A. Variety of landforms
1. Andes Mountains
a. stretches over 5,000 miles
b. along South America's west coast
c. longest continuous mountain range on Earth's surface.
d. highest peaks in the Western Hemisphere
e. steep and difficult to cross
f. fertile soil attracts farmers
2. The Pampas
a. Central plains region located east of the Andes.
b. mostly flat grasslands
3. Highlands can be found along the northern and eastern parts of South America
4. Amazon River Basin
a. lies between the Andes, Pampas, and highlands
b. largest tropical rainforest in the world
c. covers 1/3 of the continent
5. Amazon River
a. Begins in the Andes of Peru
b. Second longest river in the world
c. flows 4,000 miles
d. gathers water from more than 1,000 tributaries
e. drains an area of 2,000,000 square miles
f. referred to as the “Ocean River”
B. The Amazon Rainforest at risk
1. deforestation has provided timber and land for cattle ranching
2. reduction in plants that release oxygen has led to the increase of carbon dioxide
3. Animals who find food in the rain forest may be forced to move or even die out.
4. Native American tribes that live in the rainforest might be forced from their homes.