Download latin america part 1

LATIN AMERICA
WHY IT MATTERS
 Latin America reflects a unique _________ of world ______________, including ____________ American,
European & African
 In turn Latin America’s ____________ cultures have __________ to other parts of the world
 For example the languages, _____________, foods & ___________ of Latin America have profoundly
influenced life in the _______
 Today, many Americans are of Latin American ___________ & maintain close ties to their __________
 In addition, the U.S. & many countries in Latin America are close ___________ partners
 They share ______________ values based on human ___________ & revolt from European ________
THE LAND
 News accounts of _____________ disasters in Latin America describe the ________________ caused by
hurricanes, ______________ & volcanic eruptions
 A study of the physical ______________ of Latin America will explain the ____________ that make the
region ________________ to such natural disasters
Landforms
 Latin America has an area of about _____ million sq miles = ______ of Earth’s land mass/surface
 It is divided into __________ sub-regions
o ____________ to Panama
o Caribbean
o South America (the region’s _____________ land mass)
 Latin Americas most distinctive ________________ are its ______________
 It’s major mountain range begins in _____________ & travels to the tip of ______________ America
o U.S. it’s called the _________ Mountains
o Mexico it’s called the _______________
o Central America it’s called the ___________________
o South America it’s known as the __________ Mountains
 Latin America’s _____________ landscape is caused by it’s ____________ along the Pacific Ring of Fire
 Ring of Fire is an area where many of the Earth’s _____________ meet & formed mountains &
_____________ & causes _______________
o Despite this humans have ____________ on Latin America’s mountains & ___________ because they
provide ________ climates & rich natural ______________ (water, volcanic soil, timber & minerals)
Mexican Plateau
 The heart of ___________ is made up of the Mexican Plateau (700 mi/long & 4,000-8,000 ft/high), which is
broken by mountain _______________ & segmented by deep ___________
 The ____________ is fringed by two mountain ranges, the Sierra Madre _______________ (in the east) &
the Sierra Madre ________________ (in the west)
o Within the plateau are drainage ____________ which have no outlet to the ________ & which
contain some of the country's densely populated major ________/centers (Guadalajara, León,
Queretaro & Pachuca)
 A _______________ climate, relatively abundant ______________ & rich ___________ & volcanic soils
create favourable ______________ conditions & has attracted settlers for 1,000’s of years
 Much of the land supports extensive __________ as well as _________ grazing in some of the drier basins
o Significant or important _________ include corn (maize), beans, ________ & sugarcane; sugar
refineries & grain ___________ are located in Guadalajara
o Other important industries include _____________, __________ & __________
Sierra Madre
 The Sierra Madre Occidental “Mother Range” is a mountain range in __________ Mexico that extends from
near the ___________ border down to the Sierra Madre del Sur (mountain range in ____________ Mexico)
o This uplift in land has caused changes in ____________ patterns, with ____________ occurring in
the mountains providing islands of available land for wetter ______________ to form than in the
surrounding land
o This water forms ______________ (areas that drain into common waterways) that provide the arid
surroundings with water that makes it possible to __________ & ________ crops
o The wet ecosystems are islands of ___________, in what would otherwise be a _________ landscape
 ______ forests are the predominant plant life & extend into the ______land deserts
o This forest & canyon land provided a place for a variety of ___________ people to live, until Spanish
_______________ came into the area to found towns for the ____________ mines in the area
 This is a dramatic landscape of steep mountains formed by a high plateau that has been cut through with
canyons including Copper Canyon (larger & deeper in some places than the Grand Canyon)
o Located in the Copper Canyon region of northwest Mexico, Basaseachic Falls on the Basaseachic River
is the 2nd highest waterfall in Mexico at 807 ft tall & second in Mexico only to the Cascada de Piedra
Volada (Flying Stone Falls---1486 ft)
 The major _____________ in the area now are _____________ & ___________
 The highest point is probably ____________________ at 9,970-10,800 ft
Sierra Madre Oriental
 The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern ___________ that runs parallel to its Gulf of
Mexico ______________ with a few mountains reaching ______________
 It’s ____________ point is Cerro el Potosí, Mexico which has an Elevation: 3720 meters or _____________
Central Highlands
 The Central Highlands is the name given for the string of mountains & ___________ which run through the
middle of ____________ America which makes settlement _____________ b/c some are still active
 The highlands are part of a circle of volcanoes known as the Pacific Ring of Fire that runs through
__________, New Zealand, the _____________ & rims the entire ______________ Ocean
 Many of the country's active _____________ peaks are found along the Highland's Central Volcanic Mountain
Range (Cordillera Volcanica Central)
o _________ such as Poas & Irazu are some of the most spectacular accessible volcanoes in the country
Andes
 The Andes is the _____________ continental mountain range in the ___________ (continual range of
highlands along the ____________ coast of South America)
 This range is about ________ mi/long, ______mi/wide & has an average height of about __________ ft
(highest chain outside of Asia)
o The highest peak, Mount ____________, rises to an elevation of about ________ ft above sea level
 The Andes consists of _____________ which are “mountain ranges that run ____________” that cause
settlements to be ________________ from one another (some villages have century old customs)
o The Andes extend from north to south through __________ South American countries: Venezuela,
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile & Argentina (on the ________ coast of South America)
Mato Grosso Plateau
 The Mato Grosso Plateau is a plateau in __________ Brazil & parts of Bolivias & Peru (_________ America)
 It contains mostly _____________ (grassland ecosystem) & _______________ (forest) & is an ancient
erosional plateau that in the south gives way to ______________ called the Pantanal
 The Matto Grosso Plateau is about _____________ tall & is home to ______________ peoples
Llanos
 Llanos is the wide _______________ that stretch across ______________ South America & occupying
western Venezuela & northeastern Colombia known for ranches of ___________
o Most of the Llanos is _____________ savanna that is covered with _________ grasses & carpet
grasses in the drier areas
o Much of the Llanos Bajos is subject to ____________ flooding which allows most _________ to
nest in the gallery forests & _________ on the grassland
 Deer & rabbits, as well as the anteater, armadillo, tapir, jaguar & capybara (world’s largest living rodent)
 The raising of ______________ has long been the mainstay of the Llanos’ economy, since Spanish colonial
days but the _____________ importance of the region has been greatly enhanced by the ________ fields
in the Venezuelan Llanos
Pampas
 The Pampas or "___________" are ___________ South American lowlands, covering more than 289,577
square miles that include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos & Córdoba,
most of Uruguay, & the southernmost Brazilian State, Rio Grande do Sul
 The climate is ____________, with precipitation of _______ inches evenly distributed through the year,
making the ______________ appropriate for _____________ (large amounts of _________ & ______)
 Some of this ____________ includes the rhea, the pampas ________, several species of armadillos, the
pampas _______, the White-eared opossum, the Elegant Crested Tinamou & several other species
Eastern Highlands
 The Highlands across the ______________ side of the continent belong to the ___________ geologic
period, around the same the ___________________ Highlands
 The Highlands are divided into ___ sections (Guiana Highlands in the north & Brazilian Highlands in the south)
 They highlands are filled with “________________” which are steep ___________ that drop down to the
___________ from the mountain ranges
Brazilian Highlands
 The Brazilian Highlands or _________________ are an extensive geographical region, covering most of the
eastern, southern & central portions of Brazil (about ________ of the country's land area)
o The vast majority of Brazil's population (_____ million) lives in the highlands or on the __________
coastal region immediately adjacent to it
 _____________ has played a large part in ____________ the Highlands, forming extensive sedimentary
deposits & _____________ down the _____________
 The Brazilian Highlands are notable for the great ___________ to be found there: within the region there
are several different ____________, vastly different ____________ conditions, many types of soil &
thousands of animal & plant ______________ & an important area for raising ____________
Water Systems
 Latin America’s water systems ___________ people & goods to different parts of the ________ & the world
 Most of ______________ America’s major river systems are in _____________ America
Amazon River
 Amazon River in South America is the ______________ in the world (longest in the Western Hemisphere)
o Carries ________ times the amount of water as the __________
o The Amazon also has the largest _____________ basin in the world (2,720,000 sq mi) & accounts for
approximately ______________ of the world's total __________ flow
 At some points the river ____________ into anabranchs (multiple channels) that are often very long, with
inland & lateral _______________ all connected by a complicated ____________ of natural canals
 More than __________ of all ___________ in the world live in the Amazon ____________ (a giant tropical
forest & river basin with an area that stretches more than ______________ sq mi)
o
It is the ______________ tropical forest in the world in terms of ____________ with over
__________ species of fish, mammals & dangerous ___________ & spiders
Paraná, Paraguay, & Uruguay River System
 The Paraná, Paraguay, & Uruguay Rivers form the ___________ largest river system in Latin America that
_____________ the ____________ half of South America & empties into the “_________________”
 These rivers provide an important ________________ water route for ____________ in the region as well
as providing an important source of _____________ power
Lake Titicaca
 South America's _________ lake & the world's _________ navigable body of water (borders Peru & Bolivia)
 Lake Titicaca has long been considered a __________ place among indigenous Andean peoples (considered the
birthplace of man & the sun by the Incas)
CLIMATE & VEGETATION
 Diverse ______________ make Latin America a region of astonishing contrasts from ____________
rainforests, _______ deserts, ____________ plains & ________ beaches
 In the dense nearly impenetrable vegetation of Latin America’s tropical rainforests, the world’s greatest
biodiversity exists as millions of plants & animals live together
Elevation & Climate
 Differences in ____________ & ___________ from the equator create ____ diverse _____________
climate zones in Latin America
o Tierra ____________ - Above 16,000 feet (____________), permanent ice & snow; some grasses &
temperatures below 20 F
o _____________ - 12,000 to 15,000 ft, cold temperatures; ____________ grazing (20-55 F)
o Tierra _________ - 6,000 to 12,000 ft, ______________ temperatures, winter ____________
common; grow potatoes & barley, highest zone in Central America, (up to the tree line) (55-65 F)
o Tierra _____________ - 2,500 to 6,00o ft, cooler temperatures, leafy & cone bearing
___________ trees, most densely populated zone; grow _________, corn, & wheat (65-75 F)
o Tierra ____________ - b/w sea level & 2,500 ft., hot ___________ coastal temperatures,
___________; grow bananas, sugar & rice “hot land” (75-80 F)
Climate & Vegetation Regions
 Much of Latin America has a ____________ climate with lush ___________
 Although much of Latin America is location in the ______________ it also has other ___________ regions
Tropical Wet
 A tropical ________ climate with tropical rain forest ________________ dominates much of the region
 ___________ temperatures & abundant _____________ year-round result from the area’s location on the
Equator & the prevailing _______________ that carry warm, _________ air from the Atlantic Ocean
 The Amazon ___________ holds the worlds _____________ tropical rainforest “Amazon Rainforest” & the
world _____________ tropical plain
o Heavy rains (______________ inches a year) drench much of the densely ____________ lowlands
throughout the year & the dense “____________” keeps sunlight from hitting the forest floor
Tropical Dry
 A tropical __________ climate is typical of the coast of _______________ Mexico, most of the Caribbean
Islands & north-central South America
 These areas experience ___________ temperatures & abundant ________________ but also experience an
extended dry season with many flourishing ________________ & ____________ farmland (Llanos)
Humid
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Subtropical
A humid subtropical climate prevails over much of ________________ South America
Winters here are short with cool to mild _____________ & summers are long, hot & ____________
__________ is generally uniform & short grasses are the natural vegetation of the area (due to overgrazing)
Dry Climates
 Hot _____________, cold ______________ with little to no ___________
 Home to the _____________ Desert (coastal desert) so arid that in some places no ___________ has ever
been recorded