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

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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. . 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

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

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

10. 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

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

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

13. 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.