1. Physical Geography of Latin America

2. Latin America is made up of 3 Parts: 1
Latin America is made up of 3 Parts: 1. Central America (Mexico & 7 countries of Central America 2. Caribbean (Bahamas, Greater Antilles & Lesser Antilles) 3. South America (13 countries)

3. Latin America Facts
The Region of Latin America is twice the size of the United States
Comprised of 37 Countries
The Region of Latin America stretches 6000 miles from Northern Mexico to Tierra del Fuego (“Land of Fire”) which is cold and rocky (southern most point of South America)

4. What is the southern most point of South America?
Tierra del Fuego
Andes
Patagonia
Pampas

5. Located near the Equator in both Central and South America
Over 3,000 + plant species per sq. mile

7. What vegetation is located along the equator (tropical wet climate)?
Desert
Llanos
Tropical Rainforest
Glaciers

8. Slash and Burn Agriculture
Constant rainfall washes away nutrients in soil unless held in place by tree roots.
When land is cleared, soil turns hard and little grows
This NASA satellite image shows hundreds of fires (indicated by red dots) burning near the Yucatan peninsula on April 20, Credit: MODIS.
This photo was taken in Petén, Guatemala.

9. Mountains Mexico – Sierra Madre Occidental (west) and Oriental (east)
Canon de Basaseachic in the Sierra Madre Occidental

10. Mountains Andes West Coast of South America
World’s longest mountain chain
2nd highest mountains in the
World- use terrace farming
Home of the Inca in Peru
Barrier to movement into the interior, thus most settlement has occurred along the eastern and northern coasts.

11. Andes Mountains – mountain range that runs through the western part of North, Central and South America. It is called the Rockies in North America, Sierra Madre in Mexico and the Andes in South America.

12. What type of farming takes along the Andes Mountains?
Rotation farming
Terrace Farming
Deforestation
Irrigation

13. Mountains Guiana and Brazilian Highlands
Angel Falls are located at Akuyantepui, the largest mountain plateau in the Guiana Highlands.
Brazilian Southern Highlands and Canyons
Many people live in the valleys, but mountains block communication, isolating regions and people

14. Plateaus & Hills Patagonia - Argentina Bariloche: NW Patagonia Steppe
El Chaltén
Períto Moreno glacier

15. Plains LLANOS – Colombia and Venezuela In Brazil known as CERRADO
Plains area used for grazing and farming
Upland llanos, Bolivar, Venezuela
In Brazil known as CERRADO

16. PAMPAS
Farming and grazing area of Argentina and Uruguay

17. What are the three plain regions?
Patagonia, Andes, Brazilian Highlands
Atacama Desert, Amazon, Patagonia
Llanos, Cerrado, Pampas
Yucatan Peninsula, Pampas, Guiana Highlands

18. Amazon River Basin
The CERRADO is a savanna with moderate rain that is suitable for farming
Currently underdeveloped
Brazilian government is encouraging settlers to move into the interior and develop the land

19. Rivers
Central America and the Caribbean do not have the extensive river systems that are found in South America.
Orinoco River
Northern South America: Venezuela and Colombia

20. Carries more water than any other river in the world
Amazon River
Runs from the Andes through Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean for some 4,000 miles.
Carries more water than any other river in the world
Fed by over 1,000 tributaries- hydro electric power
This image map made by the ASAR (radar) on Envisat shows the Amazon drainage basin to be generally low in elevation and flat.

21. Parana River Starts in the Brazilian Highlands
Turns into the Rio de la Plata
Commercial “Highway”

22. Mountains Plateaus Deltas Rivers
What feature allows Brazil to have a large amount of hydro electric power?
Mountains
Plateaus
Deltas
Rivers

23. Orinoco River
1,500 miles
Parana River 3,000 miles

24. Why would Rainforest, mountains, and rivers
hinder movement and communication?

25. Caribbean Islands (West Indies)
Greater Antilles – Larger islands of the Caribbean.

26. Lesser Antilles- smaller islands
Soufriere Hills, Montserrat
Antigua
St. Lucia

27. Bahamas
Hundreds of islands off the coast of Florida

28. Energy Sources:
Oil & Natural Gas~ Mexico is the world’s 5th largest producer; Venezuela member of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
Hydroelectric Power (rivers & waterfalls)~S.A. has abundance of rivers
Coal

29. What two countries have a large amount of oil reserves?
1. Argentina and Peru 2. Chile and Paraguay 3. Venezuela and Mexico 4. Columbia and Ecuador

30. Mineral Resources: Abundant mineral supply throughout region
Latin America among the world’s leaders in mining of raw materials
Mines: gold, silver, iron, copper, bauxite (aluminum ore), tin, lead & nickel

31. Urbanization
People are steadily moving towards the cities to improve their lives.
Push factors – poor medical care, poor education, low-paying jobs, ownership of land by a few rich people
Pull factors – higher-paying jobs, better schools, better medical care
Several cities in South America rank among the world’s largest in population, and they are rapidly growing.
(2) Mexico City – 18,131,000
(4) São Paulo - 17,711,000
(10) Buenos Aires – 12,431,000
(19) Rio de Janeiro – 10,556,000
(26) Lima – 7,443,000
(30) Bogotá - 6,834,000
(42) Santiago – 5,261,000

32. What is urbanization? What causes urbanization?
Push factors
Pull factors
both
Negative effects of Urban Sprawl?
Plenty of space
Big Houses
Water Shortage
Private schools

33. LATIN AMERICA CITY GROWTH

35. Tourism- growing industry
Millions of people each year visit Latin American resorts. Luxurious cruise ships anchor in the Caribbean. Resorts offer many activities for locals to have job opportunities. Gaps in rich tourists and local poor Countries incur debt by building resorts/airports/harbors