1. Unit 3: Latin America
Physical Geography

2. Landforms and Resources

3. The Area Latin America is made up of: Part of North America (Mexico)
Central America
South America
Caribbean

4. Mountains and Highlands
Andes Mountains-South America
Run through western portion of North, Central, South America
Rockies, Sierra Madra, Andes
Many active volcanoes in the region
Due to the Andes, most settlement on the Western side of South America has occurred along eastern/northern coasts

6. Plains Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela Plains of Amazon River Basin
Grassy, treeless areas
Used for livestock
Plains of Amazon River Basin
Cerrado-savannas with flat terrain and moderate rainfall
Good for farming
Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay
Grasslands with rich soil
Cattle and wheat

8. Rivers Amazon River Orinoco River Parana River Mainly Brazil
Mainly Venezuela
Parana River
Mainly southern Brazil

9. Islands of the Caribbean
Greater Antilles:
Cuba
Jamaica
Hispaniola: Haiti, Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico (US territory)

10. Islands of the Caribbean
Lesser Antilles:
Windward Islands
Leeward Islands

11. Resources of Latin America
Mineral Resources
Gold
Silver
Titanium
Tungsten
Energy Resources
Oil
Coal
Natural gas
Uranium
Hydroelectric power

12. Climate and Vegetation

13. Diverse Climate and Vegetation
Because Latin America covers are large land area, stretching between the northern and southern hemispheres, climate and vegetation varies greatly.

14. Tropical Climate Zones
Tropical Wet
Rain forests
Hot and rainy year round
Amazon covers over 2 million square miles
Exotic plants and animals

15. Tropical Climate Zones
Tropical Wet and Dry
South America
Savannas
Hot climates
Seasonal rain

16. Dry Climate Zones Semiarid Dry, some rain Grass-covered plains
Deserts-shrubs

17. Dry Climate Zones Desert Atacama Patagonia
Shrubs growing in gravel/sand

18. Mid-Latitude Climate Zones
Humid Subtropical
Rainy winters; hot, humid summers
Mediterranean
Hot, dry summers; cool, moist winters
Marine West Coast
Cool, rainy winters; mild, rainy summers
Highlands
Moderate to cold

19. Human-Environment Interaction

20. Agriculture
Slash-and-burn
Terraced farming

21. Urbanization Push and Pull Factors
More and more people leaving farms and moving to cities
Issues with urbanization:
Sewers, transportation, electricity, housing, clean water

22. Tourism Positives Negatives Lots of money added to economy
Job creation
New businesses created
Negatives
Congestion and pollution
Sewage issues
Strain on local economy: poverty gap widens

23. Poverty

24. Poverty