Landforms and Resources of Latin America

Regions of Latin America Mexico Central America Caribbean South America Brazil

Mountains and Highlands The Andes Mountains- The Andes are a part of the mountain range that runs through a portion of North, Central and South America. United States- The Rocky Mountains Central America- The Sierra Madres South America- the Andes There are many volcanic peaks throughout the Andes.

Andes Characteristics Many volcanoes The longest mountain range in the world, nearly 5,000 mile long. Creates a barrier between the coastal cities on the west coast and the interior of the continent.

Highlands The other mountainous regions in Latin America include the following: The Guiana Highlands The Brazilian Highlands

The Plains of Latin America There are vast plains regions in Latin America well suited for agriculture Llanos: Colombia and Venezuela Pampas: Argentina and Uruguay Amazon River Basin: Brazil

The Pampas: Argentina

The Amazon River and Other Major River Systems South America has three major River Systems: Amazon River: Brazil Orinoco River: Venezuela and Colombia Paraná River: Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina

The Mighty Amazon Amazon : Flows 4,000 from west to east and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Source is the Andes Mountains close to the Pacific Ocean.

The Orinoco River The Orinoco River flows mainly through Venezuela and Colombia. It creates part of the border between the two countries.

The Paraná River The Paraná river begins in the Brazilian Highlands and flows southward through Paraguay and Argentina. It meets with several other rivers to create the Rio de la Plata a very important estuary in South America.

Islands of the Caribbean Three Main Island Groups make up the West Indies: The Bahamas The Greater Antilles The Lesser Antilles

The Bahamas The Bahamas are made up of hundreds of islands off of the southern tip of Florida. Nassau is the capital and largest city in the Bahamas.

The Greater Antilles The Greater Antilles is made up of the largest islands in the Caribbean including Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico.

The Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles includes the smaller islands in the region southeast of Puerto Rico. They are divided into two groups- the Leeward island and the Windward islands.

Agricultural Products Resources Gold Silver Oil Natural gas Hydroelectric power Copper Timber Agricultural Products

Climate and Vegetation Tropical Wet Rain forest (Brazil) Tropical Wet and Dry Llanos and Pampas (Venezuela and Argentina) Semiarid Patagonia- Argentina Desert Atacama Desert-Chile

Mid-Latitude Climates Humid Subtropical Paraguay, Uruguay, southern Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina Mediterranean West coast of Chile Marine West Coast Southern Chile, eastern Argentina Highlands

Vertical Climate Zones About 15,000 ft Terra Helada (Mountain Tundra) Tree Line 10,000-12,000 ft Tierra Fria (Cloud Forest) 6,000 -6,500 ft Tierra Templada (Wet forest) 2,500- 3,000 ft Tierra Caliente (Dry Forest and swamp)

Human-Environment Interaction Agriculture: Slash-and-burn technique used to clear the land for farmland in the Amazon River basin.

Human-Environment Interaction Agriculture: Terraced Farming is an ancient technique introduced by the Inca for growing crops on the side of a mountain. This reduces soil erosion.

Urbanization Push and Pull factors: People in Latin America are moving from rural areas into urban areas in search of better opportunities. This has created many problems such as the development of slums in the big cities.

Push Factors Push factors: reasons why people feel forced to move away from rural areas examples: Poverty, poor medical care, poor educational opportunities, low-paying jobs

Pull Factors Pull factors: reasons why people are drawn to live in the cities. Examples: Possibilities for work, education, medical care.

Rapidly Growing Cities City Population (2000) Mexico City, Mexico 99,639,000 Buenos Aires, Argentina 37,048,000 Lima, Peru 27,136,000 Sao Paulo, Brazil 16,800,000 Santiago, Chile 15,211,000 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 11,029,300

Urban Sprawl Unemployment Crime Illegal Drug trafficking Slums Pollution Sanitation Shortages of clean drinking water and housing

Tourism Advantages: Creation of new jobs Reduction of the income gap between rich and poor

Tourism Disadvantages: Congestion Pollution Strain on local resources Resentment and hostility Large public debt due to building tourist facilities

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