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Chapter 7, Section 1 (Pages 192–196) Physical Features Geographic factors influence where people settle. As you read, complete the diagram below. Identify six key landforms in this region. Landforms of Latin America Landforms (pages 193–194) 1. 2. 3. 46 Chapter 7, Section 1 Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. List the three groups of islands in the Caribbean and a key fact about each. Latin America is divided into three subregions, or smaller areas—Middle America, the Caribbean, and South America. Mexico and Central America make up Middle America. Central America is an isthmus, or narrow piece of land that links two larger areas of land. It links North and South America. Middle America has active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes because four tectonic plates meet there. Mountain ranges rise along Mexico’s eastern and western coasts, and a high plateau lies between them. Forested mountains also form a backbone through Central America. Narrow, marshy lowlands are found along the Pacific and Caribbean coastlines. The Caribbean islands, also called the West Indies, are divided into three groups. The Greater Antilles includes the largest islands—Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. The Lesser Antilles is an archipelago, or chain of islands, curving from the Virgin Islands to Trinidad. The third group, the Bahamas, is another archipelago. Some Caribbean islands are low-lying. Others, formed by volcanoes, have rugged mountains and fertile volcanic soil. Landforms (continued) The 5,500-mile-long Andes ranges and the huge Amazon Basin are major landforms in South America. The Brazilian Highlands that border the Amazon Basin end in an escarpment, or series of steep cliffs, that drop to the Atlantic coast. Tropical grasslands called the Llanos cover eastern Colombia and Venezuela. Another fertile plain called the Pampas stretches through much of Argentina and Uruguay. Waterways (pages 194–195) Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Why is the Amazon River important to Latin America? The longest river in Latin America is the Amazon. It begins in the Andes and flows about 4,000 miles to the Atlantic Ocean. Many tributaries, or smaller rivers, flow into the Amazon. The Amazon is used for shipping, and people also rely on it for fish. The Paraná, Paraguay, and Uruguay Rivers form the secondlargest river system in Latin America. These three rivers wind through inland areas and then flow into an estuary, the place where river currents meet ocean tides. This estuary—called the Río de la Plata, or “River of Silver”—flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The Orinoco River flows north through Venezuela into the Caribbean Sea. The largest lake in South America is Venezuela’s Lake Maracaibo. Lake Titicaca is located 12,500 feet above sea level high in the Andes between Bolivia and Peru. It is the world’s highest navigable lake. Another key waterway in the region is the Panama Canal. This human-made waterway across the Isthmus of Panama provides a shorter route for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. A Wealth of Natural Resources What is gasohol, and why does Brazil produce it? Chapter 7, Section 1 (pages 195–196) Brazil is the largest country in Latin America and has the most natural resources. Rain forests cover more than half of the country and provide timber, rubber, palm oil, and Brazil nuts. Mineral deposits in Brazil include bauxite, gold, tin, iron ore, and manganese. Brazil does not have large oil reserves. To limit dependence on imported oil, Brazil produces a fuel for cars called gasohol, an alcohol made from sugarcane and gasoline. Venezuela and Mexico produce enough oil and natural gas to meet their needs and to export to other countries. Bolivia and Ecuador also have oil and natural gas deposits. Other minerals 47 A Wealth of Natural Resources Underline the reasons Nicaragua and Guatemala have difficulty mining gold. Wrap -Up (continued) in the region include silver in Mexico and Peru. Venezuela has rich iron ore deposits. Colombia mines emeralds, and Chile exports copper. The Caribbean islands have few mineral resources. Jamaica is an exception. It has large deposits of bauxite, which is used to make aluminum. Cuba mines nickel, and the Dominican Republic mines gold and silver. Nicaragua and Guatemala in Central America have rich gold deposits. However, political conflicts and transportation difficulties make mining their gold difficult. Answer these questions to check your understanding of the entire section. 1. Explaining What is the significance of the Panama Canal? 2. Organizing Complete this chart by listing the country(ies) in which the mineral resources are found. Minerals Country(ies) Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Bauxite Copper Emeralds Gold Iron ore Manganese Nickel Silver Tin Descri pt ptive 48 On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph describing some of the challenges of living in an area with active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. Chapter 7, Section 1