Download Physical Characteristics of Latin America

Important Dates
• Latin American Map Key due – January 21st
(Today)
• Latin America Map Test – January 27th
• Latin America Content Test – February 3rd
Physical Characteristics of
Latin America
What is Latin America?
• North American:
– Mexico
– Central America
• All of South America
Central America
• An isthmus connecting South America to
Mexico
• Isthmus: a narrow strip of land connecting
two larger land areas, usually with water
on either side.
In your notes
• Shade in Latin
America
Major Mountain Ranges of L. America
Sierra Madres
• Mexico has mountains on its east and
west coast with a plateau between
Oriental
Occidental
Plateau Definition
a large flat area of land that is higher than other
areas of land that surround it
Major Mountain Ranges
Andes Mountains
• Longest mountain
system in the world
• Stretch for over
5,500 miles, peaks
over 20,000 ft.
Chilean Andes
Cordillera definition
• Parallel
mountain chains
Columbian cordillera
Tectonic Activity
• Five plates
meet in
Central
America –
lots of ?
Biomes & Climate Zones of
Latin America
TROPICAL
CLIMATES ARE
PREDOMINATE!
Why?
Reminder:
During which months is it summer
in South America?
Rain Forests
• Tropical wet
climate is found in
Caribbean and
much of Central
and South
America
• Year round hot
temperatures
• Rain Forests
located here
Rainforest Facts
• Rainforests now cover less than 6% of Earth's
land surface.
• Scientists estimate that more than half of all
the world's plant and animal species live in
tropical rain forests.
• Tropical rainforests produce 40% of Earth's
oxygen.
• Seventy percent of the plants in the rainforest
are trees.
• About 1/4 of all the medicines we use come
from rainforest plants.
Rainforests, continued
• Tall straight trees with few branches until
you get to the top of the tree. Why?
• Canopy
– umbrella like covering of leaves where little or no
sunlight reaches the forest floor
Where do
you think
most
animals
live?
Amazon River Basin
• South America has
the world’s largest
rain forest –
Amazon River
Basin
– Highest amount of
biodiversity in the
world
• Def: the existence
of many different
kinds of plants and
animals in an
environment
Coastal Desert
• Atacama Desert
– One of the driest
places on earth
– Along the Pacific
coast of northern
Chile
– Located in the rain
shadow of the
Andes
Rain Shadow Effect
• Windward –
located on the
side that is facing
the direction that
the wind is
blowing from
• Leeward - located
on the side that is
sheltered from the
wind
Rain Shadow Effect
• Orographic Effect
- As the air system
moves up the side
of the mountain, the
temperature drops,
causing the water
vapor in the air to
also cool off and
condense.
Tropical Grasslands
• llanos
• Lowland plain
• Stretch through
eastern Colombia
and Venezuela
Temperate Climates
• Most temperate zones
lie SOUTH of the Tropic
of Capricorn
(southeastern South
America)
– From southern Brazil to
the Pampas of Argentina
and Uruguay
• Winters are short and
mild, summers are long
and humid
Seasonal Differences
Temperate Grasslands – Pampas
• Flat fertile grasslands in Southeast S.
America
• Herding cattle is a major economic activity
in the pampas of Argentina and Uruguay
– Gauchos – cowboys of Pampas
Archipelagoes – collection of
islands
Caribbean
Tierra del
Fuego
1.
The grasslands located in the tropical region of S. America are
called __.
2. The Atacama desert is caused by the __ of the __ mountains
3. The Caribbean islands are considered a(n) __.
4. Central America is considered to be a(n) __ b/c it is a narrow strip of
land connecting two larger pieces of land.
5. The majority of Latin America’s climate is considered __.
6. The South American rainforest is centered around the ___ River
Basin.
7. Why are there so many earthquakes and volcanoes in Latin
America?
8. Which kind of plate boundary is most likely to produce earthquakes?
9. The ___ mountain ranges run on either side of Mexico with a(n)__
in the middle.
10. The grasslands in the more temperate region of South America are
known as the ___.
11. Most the biodiversity in the rainforest is located in the ___.