2. Chapter 6 Lesson 1 - Vocabulary

3. MIDDLE AMERICA  Middle America is a region of America made up of three regions:  Mexico  Central America  The Caribbean

4. CENTRAL AMERICA  Central America is made up of 7 countries:  Belize  Costa Rica  El Salvador  Guatemala  Honduras  Nicaragua  Panama  Central America is smaller than the state of Texas.  The main geographic features of Central America are two areas of lowlands with rugged mountains in between.

5. archipelago  A chain of islands.

6. Ring of Fire  The circle of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean.

8. coniferous  A kind of cone-bearing tree

9. THE GREATER ANTILLES  There are 4 islands that make up the Greater Antilles:  Cuba  Hispaniola  Jamaica  Puerto Rico

10. THE LESSER ANTILLES  These islands are divided into two groups:  The Leeward Islands  The Windward Islands  The trade winds put these islands in the path of hurricanes in the summer months.

11. Trade wind  Wind blowing almost constantly from the northeast toward the equator

12. THE BAHAMAS  The Bahamas are made up of about 700 islands and 2,400 cays.  People live on only about 20 of these islands.

13. cay  A tiny, low-lying island or coral reef

14. coral  A hard, stony substance that is made up of skeletal remains of tiny sea animals