Download Physical Geography of Latin America

Physical Geography of Latin America
Unit 5, Lesson 1
River Basin: the entire geographical area drained by a river and its tributaries
Isthmus: narrow strip of land, with water on both sides, that connects two larger bodies of land
I.
II.
III.
Latin America’s patterns of settlement are closely tied to the physical geography. Deserts, rainforests,
mountains, and islands all inhibit growth in settlements. However, this region also has made use of extensive
coastlines, which is evident in the peripheral settlements: most major cities are directly on the coast. The focus
of this lesson is on the physical geography of Latin America, but specifically in light of how it affects settlement
patterns. We will learn about the diverse physical landscapes and climates of Latin America, and compare the
physical geography with population density in order to draw conclusions about patterns of settlement in Latin
America.
Latin America is composed of three regions: Mexico, Central America-Caribbean Islands, & South America.
Mexico
a. Physical Geography
i. Mountains dominate Mexico’s physical setting. The two biggest mountain ranges are the Sierra
Madre Occidental, and the Sierra Madre Oriental.
ii. Between the Sierra Madres (Mother Ranges) lies Mexico’s central plateau (area of high, flat land)
iii. The Southern Pacific Coast includes the city of Acapulco, and the Yucatan Peninsula sticks out
into the Gulf of Mexico like a thumb.
b. Climate: (Factors) Climate is a major reason that people live in the Central Plateau.
i. Northern Mexico: the towering Sierra Madres block rainfall coming from the ocean
ii. Southern Mexico: moist ocean winds find their way through the mountains to bring rain to the
lower end of the plateau
iii. Elevation: key factor in the climate of the central plateau
EOC: What environmental and economic conditions encourage migrations to Mexico’s Central Plateau?
c.
IV.
Natural Resources: Major Industries are Petroleum exports and tourism.
i. Investment dollars pour into resort cities
d. Population: Most people in the countryside work in agriculture.
i. Migrant workers travel from place to place following jobs.
ii. Urban Life: ¾’s of Mexico’s population live in urban areas
1. Cities offer jobs, education, and excitement
2. People flock to Mexico City in search of a better life
3. Mexico’s working class are generally skilled laborers who maintain strong ties to traditional
Mexican culture
Central America and The Caribbean
a. Physical Geography: Central America is an Isthmus
i. Central America forms a land bridge between North America and South America. There are three
major landform regions that make up Central America
1. Mountainous core
2. Caribbean Lowlands
3. Pacific Coastal Plain
b. Andean Countries include Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. The Andes form the longest unbroken
mountain chain in the world (about 5,500 miles long). They were formed because the Nazca Plate
converged with the South American plate along the west coast of South America.
c. Caribbean Physical Geography: consists of three island groups with all islands located in the tropics.
i. Greater Antilles
ii. Lesser Antilles
iii. Bahamas
iv. The Bahamas includes nearly 700 islands northeast of Cuba. A group of islands is called an
Archipelago.
d. Central America Climate: Elevation between 3,000-6,000 ft. with a year-round, spring like climate that is
cool enough to grow corn and coffee. Above 6,000 ft. the climate is cold. Few crops other than potatoes
can grow at this elevation. There is also a tropical wet climate (hot and humid with year-round high
temperatures and heavy rain). The different climates are due to moist winds that sweep across the
Caribbean. The winds drop rain on the Caribbean.
e. Caribbean Climate: Marine climate is affected more by sea and wind than elevation.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Central
i.
ii.
V.
Year-round temperatures average 80 degrees
Prevailing winds also affect rainfall in the Caribbean
Windward side facing the wind (up to 200 inches of rain can fall on this side of the islands)
Leeward side facing away from the wind (may see only 30 inches of rain a year)
f.
American Natural Resources
The majority of Central Americans live off of the land.
Farming is done by plantation owners who hire workers and pay low wages
1. Farmers buy the newest machines to help produce cash crops
2. Cash crops are sent to the U.S. and Europe
g. Caribbean Natural Resources: fertile volcanic soil.
i. The Caribbean produces most of the world’s sugar, bananas, coconuts, rice and cotton. Most
work is related to agriculture, from producing it to shipping it.
ii. Tourism: because of their natural beauty, the islands draw many tourists
h. Central American Population: Indians (natives) have lived the longest in Central America. Largest number
of natives lives in Guatemala. Europeans arrived in Central America during the 1500s.
i. Spanish conquered the region, so Spanish is the official language in almost all of Central America
ii. Costa Rica: largest European settlement here (Mostly Spanish descent)
iii. Both El Salvador and Nicaragua have large mestizo populations
iv. African Descent: most live on the Caribbean coast and are descendants of African slaves.
1. Some came to work on banana plantations or to work on the Panama Canal
i.
Caribbean Population: many of the natives died from diseases brought by the Europeans (Spanish).
Millions of Africans were brought, by the Europeans, to work the land.
South America Physical Geography: Three regions of South America – Northern Tropics (Plateaus and
Escarpments), Andean countries (Mountainous), Southern Grassland Countries (rivers w/grasslands).
a. South America Climate: climates include tropical wet climate and the most important point is that in South
America CLIMATE VARIES WITH ELEVATION.
b. South America Natural Resources: the biggest cash crop is coffee. Brazil is referred to as the world’s
“coffeepot”. One major step was the development of gasohol (a mix of gasoline and ethanol). Ethanol is
made from sugar cane. Brazil also has plenty of oil and hydroelectric dams. Fishing, sugar cane, and
bauxite (mineral used in the making of aluminum). Guyana is one of the world’s largest bauxite exporters.
Key words: OIL and AGRICULTURE.
c. South America Population: Africans and Asians are the two major ethnic groups in Guyana.
i. Mulattos: people of mixed African and other ancestry. Mulattos make up most of the population
in Suriname and French Guiana. How did they get here?
1. In South American countries, minority Europeans (Spaniards) run the nations
2. South American countries, minority Europeans (Spaniards) run the nations
3. South America has native Indians, African descent, mulattos and mestizos (people of
mixed ancestry usually European mix)
4. Because of the Columbian Exchange we can see that African cultural influence is evident
today