Download LatinAmericaNotes_IQP#1to4

Physical Geography of Latin
America
• Latin America reaches from the border between the U.S. and
Mexico down to Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South
America
Mountains
• Andes Mountains
• Has many volcanoes
• They form a barrier to
settlement, so most of
population is on eastern
side of the Andes
• Mountain ranges were
home to Incas in Peru
IQP #1: Mountainous Terrain has caused
various climates within South America.
Mountains also prevent invasion, separate
cultures, and give you a location to terrace
farm.
Plains
• Llanos
 Located in Columbia and Venezuela
 Vast (large), treeless and grassy plain
 Area is used for livestock grazing and farming
• Cerrado
 Located in the Amazon River Basin in Brazil
 Savanna with flat terrain and moderate rainfall
 Area is suitable for farming
• Pampas
 Located in Argentina and Uruguay
 Areas of grasslands and rich soil
 Area is used for raising cattle and growing wheat
Rivers
• Orinoco River
 Winds thru northern part of continent
 Drains interior lands along Columbia – Venezuela border to the
Atlantic
 Home to the Native American tribe: the Yanomamo
 Some remarkable animals live in and around the Orinoco. They
include aggressive meat-eating fish called piranhas, 200-pound
catfish, and crocodile as long as 20 feet. More than 1,000 bird
species live in the Orinoco River basin.
Rivers
• Amazon River
 Starts in the Andes and flows to the
Atlantic.
 Largest river in
the world.
Amazon carries
more water to
the ocean than
any other river
in the world
Rivers
• Parana River
 Origins in highlands of southern Brazil
 Travels through Paraguay and Argentina.
 Empties in the Atlantic
Major Islands of the
Caribbean
•
•
3 groups– The Bahamas, the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles
Islands are sometimes called the West Indies and were first land encountered by
Christopher Columbus
• The Bahamas are made up of hundreds of islands off the southern tip of Florida and
north of Cuba.
• The Greater
Antilles: larger
islands
• The Lesser
Antilles: smaller
islands
Resources of Latin America
•
Mineral Resources
 Gold, silver, iron, copper, bauxite, tin, lead and nickel are abundant
 Also mines produce precious gems, titanium and tungsten
 South America is among world’s leaders in the mining of raw
materials
Resources of Latin America
•
Energy Resources
 Oil, coal, natural gas, uranium, and hydroelectric power are all plentiful
in Latin America
 Venezuela and Mexico have major oil resources
 Brazil is rich in hydroelectric power
 Trinidad has vast reserves of natural gas
Climate
• Ranges from hot and humid (Amazon River) to
dry and desert (northern Mexico and Southern
Chile).
• Reasons for varied Climate
 A large part of Latin America is on or close to the
equator
• Big change in elevation
• Warm currents of Atlantic an cold Pacific currents
affect climate
Vegetation
• Vegetation
 Rain forests, savanna (flat grasslands),
and desert areas all found in region
 Vegetation varies from tropical forests,
grasslands and desert shrub
 Much of the original savanna
vegetation inland has been cleared.
 Called deforestation
 It has been replaced by
plantations and ranches.
Tropical Climate Zones
•
Tropical Wet
 Climate is hot and rainy
 Amazon Rain Forest





Largest forest in the world
2 million square miles
Mostly located in Brazil
Scientists have discovered 2500 varieties of trees
Animals include the Anaconda, jaguar, and the piranha
IQP #2: Most of Brazil, Central Africa, and South East Asia are all
near the equator and all have this common physical characteristic.
They all have a T________R__
climate.
Tropical Climate Zones
•
Tropical Wet and Dry
 Savannas
 grasslands dotted with trees common in tropical and subtropical
regions
 Hot climates with seasonal rain
 Found in Brazil, Columbia and Argentina
 Semiarid
 dry with some rain
 Large grass- covered plains
 Desert shrubs
 Found in Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina
 Desert
 Northern Mexico, much of Peruvian coast
 Atacama Desert is in Northern Chile
 Argentina’s southern zone Patagonia has a desert
Mid- Latitude Climate Zones
•
•
•
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Humid Subtropical
 Rainy winters and hot, humid summers
 Includes Paraguay, Uruguay, southern Brazil, and southern Bolivia
Mediterranean
 Hot, dry summers, cool moist winters
 Parts of western Chile
Marine West Coast
 Cool, rainy winters and mild, rainy summers
 Found in southern Chile and Argentina
Highlands
 Temperatures depend of elevation
 Moderate to cold
 Found in the mountains of Mexico and South America
Earthquakes
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent Mexico, Central America
and the Caribbean.
Human- Environment Interaction
•
•

Agriculture Reshapes the Environment
 Native people changed their environment to grow food
• They burned the forest to clear land
• They diverted streams to irrigate crops
Slash and Burn Agriculture
 Definition
 burning trees, brush, and grasses to clear fields for
farming
 Farmers use this practice today
 This is the main reason for the destruction and shrinking of the rain forests
Terraced Farming
 Definition
 technique for
growing crops on
hillsides or mountainous
slopes
 Farmers and workers
cut step-like horizontal
fields into hillside and
slopes
IQP #3: Terraced farming is a
modification that improves
your lifestyle. Now you can
grow food!
Urbanization: The Growth of
Cities
• Throughout Latin America, people are moving from rural
areas into cities in search of jobs and a better life
 From country to city
 Most urbanized areas in Latin America
 Argentina, Chile and Uruguay
 Many people in rural areas struggle to make a living and feed
their families. They are subsistence farmers
 Push and Pull factors
 Push and Pull factors move people from rural areas to the city
 Push factors are factors that “push” people to leave rural areas.
They include : poor medical care, low-paying jobs
 Pull factors are factors that “pull” people toward cities they
include: higher paying jobs, better schools, and better
medical care
Rapidly Growing Cities
Megacities
 Largest cities in South America.
 Mexico City, Mexico
 20 million people
 Sau Paulo and Rio de Janiero, Brazil
 Buenos Aires, Argentina
 Lima, Peru
 Bogota, Colombia
 Santiago, Chile
 Problems: slums, high crime, pollution , shortage of water
supplies, poor infrastructure
 Local governments cannot afford the maintenance of the
infrastructure
Education
 Many Latin American citizens
are unable to get a meaningful
job because of the lack of
education. This prevents
them from taking advantage of
a free-market system.
Tourism
•
•
•
Tourism is a growing industry in Central America and the Caribbean
Advantages of Tourism
 Tourists spend money and help create jobs
 New hotels, restaurants, shops popped up in the Caribbean
 Resorts offer activities that provide jobs for local people like being guides
 In this way, tourism closes the income gap. Jobs raise income and gives
the local people a stake in their society
Disadvantages of tourism
 As resorts are built, congestion occurs and pollution increases
 Gap between rich tourists and poor local residents sometimes creates
resentment
 Often owners of tourism places are not from there and sent profits back home which does not help local
economy
IQP #4: Tourism and
agriculture are the two
largest economic activities
within Central America and
the Caribbean.