Download PowerPoint Lesson for 11-1

Where is Latin America?
• Located in the Western Hemisphere
• South of the United States
• Includes everything from the northern border
of Mexico to the southern tip of South
America
• Includes everything in the Caribbean too
• Three basic regions:
1) Mexico & Central America (Middle America)
2) The Caribbean
3) South America
Regions
of
Latin
America
The Caribbean
Central
America
South
America
Satellite Image of Latin America
Mexico & Central America
• Area stretches 2,500 miles, which is
similar to distance from L.A. to
N.Y.C.
• Mountains run the full length like a
backbone, with coastal plains on
either side
• In Mexico a plateau lies between two
mountain ranges & most of the
population lives there
• Central America is a isthmus which
connects Mexico with South America
• Mountains, some with active
volcanos, run down the middle &
coastal plains run along the coast
The Caribbean
• Two types of islands exist in the
Caribbean
• Some are made of coral and others are
the peaks of mountains that begin at the
ocean floor
• Islands that are formed from the tops of
mountains include Cuba, Puerto Rico,
Jamaica, and Hispaniola
• These islands all have lowlands along
their coasts & many have sandy
beaches & coral reefs that make the
area very popular for vacationers
South America
• Andes Mountains are the second
highest mountains in the world and the
longest
• People farm this area even though the
elevations are often difficult to cross
• Highland areas exist east of the Andes
in Brazil, Guyana, & Venezuela
• In the south is an area called the
pampas, which are huge plains of
Uruguay & Argentina
• The largest tropical rain forest on the
planet lies in much of the northern half
of Brazil & covers 1/3 of the continent
• One of the driest areas of the world is
the Atacama Desert in central Chile
Mountains
and
Peaks
Sierra
Madres Mts.
Guiana
Highlands
Brazilian
Highlands
Andes Mts.
Patagonian
Plateau
Andes Mountains (Peru)
The Eastern Flank of the Andes
Llamas in the Andes
Brazilian Highlands
Amazon Rain Forest
Cattle Ranching on the Pampas
Latin America’s
Waterways
• The rivers in Latin America provide
transportation, food & in some cases
energy for the people of this region
• The Amazon is the second longest
river in the world, but carries more
water than any river in the world –
20% of all fresh water on the planet
• More than a 1000 tributaries make
this river very powerful
• Other important rivers of South
America include the Paraná,
Paraguay, and Uruguay Rivers which
make up the Río de la Plata system
• People in Venezuela rely on the
Orinoco River, Lake Maracaibo, &
Lake Titicaca (the highest navigable
lake in the world)
Gulf of
Mexico
Caribbean Sea
Lake
Maracaibo
Orinoco R.
Amazon R.
Pacific
Ocean
Lake
Titicaca
Paraguay
River
Parana R.
Uruguay R.
Rio de La
Plata
Atlantic
Ocean