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Chapter 11, Section 1 LATIN AMERICA: LAND AND WATER Where is Latin America? Latin America includes all of the nations from Mexico to the tip of South America. 3 regions make up Latin America: - Mexico and Central America (also called Middle America) - The Caribbean - South America Mexico and Central America Mexico and Central America stretch 2,500 miles from the United States border to South America. This is almost equal to the width of the United States from Los Angeles to New York City! Plateau A plateau is a large raised area of mostly level land. •Most of Mexico’s people live in the central plateau which lies between two mountain ranges. -It can be difficult for people to travel to and from the central plateau because of the surrounding mountains. Mexico Mexico is the United States’ southern neighbor. Capital: Mexico City (one of the world’s largest cities; 20,063, 000) Isthmus An isthmus is a strip of land with water on both sides that joins two larger bodies of land. Part of Central America, located south of Mexico and north of South America, is known as an isthmus. The Caribbean region of Latin America is made up of two types of islands. Some of the smaller islands are made up of coral, the skeletons of tiny sea animals. The Bahamas The larger islands are the tops of huge underwater mountains. Cuba Jamaica Hispaniola Puerto Rico Some of these mountains were once volcanoes, and a few are still active today. The Caribbean The Caribbean: Haiti Capital: Port-au-Prince Haiti lies on the western third of the island of Hispaniola. It is the only nation in the Americas formed as a result of a successful revolt by enslaved Africans. It is also known as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, especially after the 2010 earthquake. In 2010, an earthquake registering 7.0 magnitude, devastated much of this country. At least 52 aftershocks were recorded and their death toll went over 220,000 people. South America Andes Mountains The Andes Mountains run some 5,500 miles along the western coast of South America. Lake Titicaca, up in the mountains, is the highest lake in the world on which ships can travel. (12,500 feet above sea level) In some places the Andes rise to heights of more than 20,000 feet! (about as high as twenty 100-story buildings) pampas The pampas are a large region of flat grasslands that stretches through Argentina and Uruguay. The pampas are similar to the Great Plains of the U.S. rain forest A rain forest is a dense evergreen forest that has abundant rainfall throughout the year. *The Amazon River Basin contains the largest tropical rain forest in the world. This rain forest covers more than a third of the continent. Peru Peru is a mountainous country that is home to many species of animals, including the llama. Capital: Lima clothing. Llamas thrive in the mountains and their wool is used for clothing. Brazil Brazil is the largest country in Latin America and is the home of Sao Paulo, the fastest-growing city in the world (population of 20,365, 000). Capital: Brasilia More than half of the country is made up of Amazon Rain forest. Chile Chile is a long, narrow country with a mountainous landscape. In some parts of Chile, people still live as their ancestors did. Capital: Santiago Latin America’s Waterways Latin America has some of the longest and largest bodies of water in the world. These waterways are important to the people of the region and serve as natural highways in places where it is hard to build roads. Amazon River Latin America’s Amazon River is the second-longest river in the world. (the Nile in Africa is the longest) It flows 4,000 miles from Peru across Brazil into the Atlantic Ocean. It carries more water than any other river in the world! About 20% of all fresh river water on Earth! tributaries Tributaries are the rivers and streams that flow into a larger river. The Amazon gathers power from more than 1,000 tributaries that spill into it. Rio de la Plata The Rio de la Plata system is a waterway that separates Argentina and Uruguay. There are three rivers that form this system: The Parana, Paraguay, and Uruguay rivers. Iguazu Falls These falls divide the Iguazu River into upper and lower Iguazu. They stretch into a horseshoe shape along 2-miles of border between Argentina and Brazil, and consist of 270 total waterfalls.
