1. Chapter 9:The Physical Geography
of Latin America
In this unit we will be studying both the physical and cultural/ political geography of Latin America. These slides deal specifically with the physical geography of the region.

2. Where does the name Latin America come from?
The two most widely spoken languages in the region (Spanish and Portuguese) come from Latin.
There is diversity in languages spoken in the region, but the two most widely spoken are Spanish and Portuguese. English is spoken in some areas, and there are languages which are mixtures of Spanish or Dutch, etc… with some native words.

3. Latin America includes…
Mexico
The islands of
the Caribbean
The countries
of Central/
Middle America
…and ALL of
South America
Make sure you know these areas for your test. Notice that sometimes Central America is referred to as Middle America. You need to remember that.
Tierra del Fuego
is the southernmost tip
of Latin America

4. 66.5 N Latin America’s BROAD range of latitude means that there is
MUCH diversity in landforms,
vegetation, and climate types.
As you can see,
much of Latin America
lies within the TROPICS
Tropics…area between the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. That band of latitude includes areas whose climates are MOSTLY affected by being so close to the equator…many parts having hot, humid, rainy weather all year long. There are some exceptions to that rule…in the mountainous areas…elevation is what affects climate.
…and the stretch of latitude
extends almost all the way to the Antarctic Circle

5. The longest mountain system in the world is found in Latin America.
This is a pic of the Andes in Chile.
The Andes Mountains stretch about 5,000 miles along the west coast of South America.

6. The Andes are a part of a HUGE mountain system
stretching for about 7,000 miles down the west coasts
of North America and South America.
The Rockies
Sierra Madre
Pacific
Ocean
The Andes

7. **Remember that tectonic movement is what creates mountains.
Plates of the Earth’s Crust
Himalayas
This is
part of
the Pacific
RING OF
FIRE
Andes
**Remember that tectonic movement is what creates mountains.
Two examples are…

8. Tectonic Activity which formed the Andes Mountains
When an ocean plate collides with a continental plate,
the heavier ocean plate dives beneath the lighter
continental plate…SUBDUCTION.

9. The Andes Mountains have…
1. …affected
settlement patterns
in South America-
heaviest populations
in coastal areas

10. Human-Environment Interaction
#2. … caused humans to find farming
methods that ADAPT to the mountain
slopes. TERRACED FARMING.
Human-Environment Interaction

11. 3. …blocked travel into the interior of South America from the
Pacific Coast
Mountains
provide a natural
barrier along the
Pacific Coast
Pacific
Ocean

12. Vertical Climate Zones of the Andes
Tierra Helada- “frozen earth”- only
some grazing in this zone for short periods of time in a year
Tierra Fria- “cold earth”- crops like potatoes and apples
Tierra Templada- “temperate earth”-most people live in this zone. Cotton, corn, coffee grown.
Tierra Caliente-”hot earth” (rice, bananas,cacao)
Vertical Climate Zones of the Andes

13. This is the highest peak in the
entire Western Hemisphere

14. Important Rivers of Latin America Since the countries of
Rio Grande
Important Rivers
of Latin America
Since the countries of
Central America and the Caribbean
are in close proximity to water/ coastal areas, those countries
are less dependent on rivers than
the countries of
South America are.
Orinoco River
**The Amazon
River System
Parana’ and
other rivers
of southern
South America

15. The Amazon source: The Andes carries more water to the ocean
than the next 7 rivers COMBINED
flows west to east for about 4,000 miles
The Amazon
flows through the
world’s largest
rain forest
mouth: Atlantic Ocean
discharges more
than 7 million
cubic feet of water
per SECOND
fed by over 1,000 TRIBUTARIES

16. This is all of the land that is drained
by the Amazon River System…it is close to the same size as the continental United States

17. The Amazon

18. DENSE rain forest vegetation supported by the tropical climate in the Amazon region

19. Layers of the Rain Forest

20. Rain forests such as the Amazon Rain Forest are the
MOST complex ecosystems on Earth.
Scientists have counted more than 2,500 varieties of trees
in the Amazon Rain Forest.
The Amazon Rain Forest covers over 2 million square miles.

21. Examples of diversity of wildlife in the rain forest…
anaconda

23. jaguar

24. ocelot catches a small anaconda

25. piranha

26. Here is a method of
getting scientists and/
or tourists into the
depths of the rain forest

27. The World’s Rain Forests

28. Notice the VARIETY of climates
throughout Latin America because of the BROAD WIDTH of latitude that is covered.

29. that climates are not only affected by latitude
that climates are not only affected by latitude. They may also be affected by…
elevation/ altitude (such as the Andes region and Mexico City).The higher the elevation, the cooler the temperatures.
proximity (closeness) to coastal areas that are affected by ocean currents.

30. MEXICO and VENEZUELA are the top oil producers in Latin America
The following slides will show A FEW of
the KEY resources found in Latin America:
MEXICO and VENEZUELA are the top
oil producers in Latin America
Oil and natural gas

31. Precious Gemstones
90% of the world’s emeralds
come from COLOMBIA

32. COPPER strip mined in the
Atacama Desert in Chile.

33. COAL
TIMBER from the exotic trees of the rain forest

34. Water which produces electricity- HYDROELECTRICITY
Itaipu Dam in Brazil

35. More KEY landforms you need to know…
Some other KEY landforms
you need to know…

36. CERRADO- plains of Brazil

37. GAUCHOS are the cowboys of Argentina is known for its beef exporting
the Pampas
Pampas
Argentina is known for its beef exporting
and leather goods
Pampas of Argentina

38. Llanos mostly treeless, grassy plains
found in parts of Colombia and Venezuela
**these plains are most like the Great Plains
region of the United States

39. More key vocabulary/ concepts you
need to know…

40. slash- and- burn agriculture
trees are cut and burned to clear land for farming
one of the reasons for the steady shrinking of
the rain forests worldwide

41. The World’s Shrinking Rain Forests
Middle/Central
America
An issue facing our current region of study…mostly in
Central and South America

42. Although agriculture is a main way
**REMEMBER: push and pull factors
Although agriculture is a main way
of life throughout much of Latin America, the modern trend is for the
people in this DEVELOPING part of the world to move from RURAL to URBAN areas in search of jobs.

43. Tourism is a GROWTH INDUSTRY in
Latin America
A growth industry is one that is growing rapidly and providing significant income to a region.
Tourism can have both positive and negative effects on the region…

44. Positive impact of tourism
1. tourists spend $ in the region
2. hotels, restaurants, etc… provide jobs for locals

45. negative impact of tourism
1. pollution
income gap between wealthy tourists and less well- off locals can cause hostility/ resentment
Local gov’ts can accumulate big debts by borrowing $ to
build tourist facilities

46. Hurricanes often disrupt tourism in the region
and it can take months for resorts to get
back in business following the severe storms.
Storms can have an economic impact on the region: cost to
rebuild INFRASTRUCTURE; lack of income when tourism is disrupted.