Physical Characteristics of Latin America and the Caribbean Francisci WG.4

Land & Climate Latin America is divided into 3 regions (all languages spoken in these areas are forms of Latin): Central America Caribbean South America

Land & Climate Latin America is known as the “hollow” continent. Most of the population lives along the coasts The center consists of rainforest and mountainous areas

Most of the region experiences tropical climates because of the location of the equator. The area directly on the equator has a tropical rainforest climate. The Amazon River Basin is a part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries.  Amazon River: second largest river in the world. Amazon Rain Forest: world’s largest tropical rainforest. Land & Climate

Land & Climate The outskirts of the rain forest has a tropical wet and dry (savanna) climate. The western coast of South America experiences a dry climate. Atacama Desert: Driest desert on Earth; some areas have not seen rain in 400 years! Found west of the Andes Mountains.

Land & Climate The southern parts of South America have a temperate climate – milder temps. & less rainfall. Two areas of grasslands in South America are the pampas and the llanos. Pampas: extensive, treeless grassland found in Argentina and extending into Uruguay. Llanos: vast tropical grassland with trees found east of the Andes in northwestern South America.

. The western side of Latin America is part of the Ring of Fire that encircles the Pacific Rim. This part of the region experiences earthquakes and volcanoes. The Andes Mountains: longest mountain chain in the world; experiences earthquakes and volcanoes. Land & Climate

Land & Climate There are numerous island chains in the Caribbean Sea. Archipelago: an island chain or group of islands.

Land & Climate The seasons south of the equator are opposite of the seasons north of the equator.

Vertical Zones of Latin America Tierra Caliente: “Hot Land”; lowest elevation zone of Latin America; hot climate Tierra Templada: “Temperate Land”; middle elevation zone; mild climate Tierra Fria: “Cold Climate”; highest elevation; cold climate

Vegetation & Wildlife Plants that originated in South America: Orchids, rubber tree, cacao tree, pineapple plant, carnauba palm

Vegetation & Wildlife Animals that are unique to South America: Capybara, sloth, anaconda, piranha, alpaca, llama

Vegetation & Wildlife Wildlife migration patterns are significant from North America to South America. Birds migrate from North America to South America. Monarch Butterflies are the only butterfly species known to make a two-way migration as birds do.