1. Opener: 4/13 - #1
COPY and answer the following questions using TB page 193.
What capital cities are located on the coast in South America?
Why do you think there are so many on the coast?
What capitals are located near the center of the country?
What would be the advantage of having a centrally located capital?
Which South American country has two capitals?

2. Write a response in 3-5 complete sentences!
Opener: 4/14 - #4
COPY and answer the following:
Many Latin American countries are suffering from problems associated with deforestation. Do you think the government should create laws to protect the environment? For example, should recycling be mandatory?
Write a response in 3-5 complete sentences!

3. Physical Geography of Latin America
From the Andes to the Amazon

4. Why is this region called “Latin America”?
Spanish and Portuguese are the official languages of most countries
Spanish and Portuguese are based on Latin.

5. How do Geographers divide Latin America?
North America
Mexico
Central America (an Isthmus)
7 countries: Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama
Land link between North and South America
The Caribbean
Islands-West Indies; divided into the Greater and Lesser Antilles
Greater Antilles = Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti)
Lesser Antilles = all other Caribbean islands
Most are exposed peaks of under-water mountain ranges
South America
Largest land area, 13 countries total
Brazil is largest

6. Regions of “Latin America”
The Caribbean
Central America
Regions of “Latin America”
South America

7. Mountains Mexico: Peru/Chile: Sierra Madre Oriental to the East
Sierra Madre Occidental to the West
Both meet near Mexico City to form the Sierra Madre del Sur.
Peru/Chile:
The world’s longest mountain chain
ANDES MOUNTAINS (4500 miles)
Runs the entire length of South America
Home to the Inca Civilization in Peru

8. Andes

9. Waterfalls & Lakes Lake Titicaca Lake Maracaibo Angel Falls
Shared between Peru and Bolivia
Highest navigable lake
Lake Maracaibo
Largest in South America
Contains oil fields
Angel Falls
Worlds tallest waterfall
3212 feet down and 500 feet across
Located in Venezuela

10. Rivers Parana Amazon Second longest river system in South America
Join near Buenos Aires to form the Rio de la Plata meaning “river of silver”
Amazon
Longest river in the Western Hemisphere (4000 miles long)
More than half of the length is navigable
Second only to the Nile River in length
Carries more water to the ocean than any other river

11. Strait of Magellan
A winding waterway between South America and the islands of Tierra del Fuego
Discovered by Ferdinand Magellan as a short-cut to avoid sailing around Cape Horn

12. Panama Canal Built by the U.S. in the early 1900s
Allows ships to move from the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean.

13. Atacama Desert Atacama Desert: One of the world’s driest deserts
Completely barren of plant life
The town of Calama, which is located in the Atacama, has NEVER received rain.

14. Amazon Rainforest World’s largest rainforest
Receives over 80 inches of rain per year
Home to 90% of the Earth’s animal and plant species
Produces half of the world’s oxygen
Provides rubber and timber for export
Many of the nuts and plants from the rainforest provide essential medicine

15. Deforestation in the Amazon

16. Original Forest Cover
Current Forest Cover
Future Forest Cover

17. Natural Resources Hydro-Electric Power Oil & Natural Gas Copper
Readily available because of numerous river systems and waterfalls
Oil & Natural Gas
Among the worlds leaders in production
Mexico is 5th largest producer in the world (most of Mexico’s oil is exported to the U.S.)
Venezuela is the only South American member of OPEC {largest known oil reserves in the world}
Copper
Chile is the world’s leading copper producer
Produces 20% of the world’s copper
Emeralds
Colombia is famous for producing quality emeralds

18. Do-Now: Thursday, 3/21 Match the description (left column) to the country it is found in (right column).
World’s 2nd longest river
World’s tallest waterfall
World’s highest navigable lake
World’s driest desert
Latin America’s leader in tourism
Venezuela
Chile
Brazil
Dominican Republic
Peru and Bolivia