Longest mountain chain in the world  4,500 miles in length  Runs north to south along the west coast of South America Found in Venezuela, Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina Mount Aconcagua is the highest peak at 22,835 feet

Mount Aconcagua Highest peak in the Western Hemisphere

Located on the border of Peru and Bolivia Highest navigable lake in the world (12,500 ft. above sea level) Sacred to the Incas Floating islands made of totora reeds

A Uros man on a floating island of totora reeds

600 mile strip of land on the Pacific coast of South America and west of the Andes Mountains The driest place in the world besides Antarctica Places in the Atacama Desert have never recorded rainfall Contains huge deposits of copper and sodium nitrate

A salt lake in the Atacama Desert

Highest waterfall in the world (3,212 feet) No major water source; mainly rainfall An American pilot named Jimmy Angel found it has a clear drop of 2,647 feet which is so far that the water vaporizes with the wind and becomes mist well before reaching the ground

Also known as Amazonia The world’s largest rainforest Receives 9 feet of rainfall per year Over 20% of the earth’s oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest Scientists believe half of the world’s species are found here Over 20% of the Amazon Rainforest has been destroyed – Land has been cleared for cattle ranches, mining, logging, and subsistence farming

Second longest river in the world Life force of the rainforest Begins in the Peruvian Andes and flows east – 4,080 miles in length 1,100 tributaries feed into the Amazon River Some areas of the river are mile wide while others are 35 miles wide Drainage basin covers 2, 722,000 square miles – Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Columbia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, and Brazil 28,000,000,000 gallons of water flow into the Atlantic every minute

Flat, fertile plains that cover 300,000 square miles  Extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Andes  Located in Argentina and Uruguay Means plains without trees Ideal for growing wheat and cattle ranching

A modern gaucho, similar to North America’s cowboy, drives cattle across the Pampas.

Mountain system of Mexico that ranges in elevation (6, ,000 feet) Split into three mountain ranges  ( Sierra Madre Occidental (to the west) Sierra Madre Occidental  Sierra Madre Oriental (to the east) Sierra Madre Oriental  Sierra Madre del Sur to the south) Sierra Madre del Sur Rich in mineral resources, especially silver

Barranca del Cobre, or Copper Canyon, in the western Sierra Madre is 299 feet deeper than the Grand Canyon in the United States.

Pico de Orizaba- is a dormant volcano and Mexico’s highest peak at 18, 898 feet.