Transcript The Geography of Latin America

Regions
of
“Latin
America”
The Caribbean
Central
(Middle)
America
South
America
Countries of the
Caribbean Sea
Countries of Central
America
Countries of South
America
Cities
Havanna
Port-auMexico City
Prince
Caracas
Panama City
Bogota
Lima
Brasilia
Sao Paulo
Santiago
Rio De
Janiero
Buenos
Aires
Satellite Image of Latin America
Land
forms of
Latin
America
Panama Canal
Llanos
Falkland Islands
Cape Horn
Important Vocabulary
• Escarpment-steep cliff or slope
between higher land lower land
surfaces
Important Vocabulary
• Cordilleras-parallel mountain
ranges like the Sierra Madre
Occidentals and Orientals.
Important Vocabulary
• Altiplano-”high plain” in Peru &
Bolivia that is encircled by the
Andes mountain peaks
Bodies
of
Water
Rio Grande
Gulf of Mexico
Caribbean Sea
Lake
Nicaragua
Lake
Maracaibo
Amazon R.
Pacific
Ocean
Lake
Titicaca
Rio de La
Plata
Atlantic
Ocean
Important Vocabulary
• Estuary-area where the tide
meets a river current
• Rio de la Plata is a large
estuary where 3 rivers meet at
the Atlantic Ocean
Important Vocabulary
• Hydroelectric Power -electricity
generated from the energy of
water.
Amazon River
• Western Hemisphere’s longest
river
• Amazon Basin contains the
world largest rain forest
Lake Titicaca
• 12,500 feet above sea level
• World’s highest, navigable lake
Lake Maracaibo
• Area surrounding lake contains
large oil deposits
Rio Grande
• River that separates the U.S.
from Mexico
Mountains
and
Peaks
Sierra Madre
Mts.
Mexican
Plateau
Andes Mts.
Mato
Grasso
Plateau
Brazilian
Highlands
Patagonian
Plateau
Andes Mountains (Peru)
Llamas in the Andes
The Sierra Madres, Mexico
Guianan Highlands, Venezuela
Brazilian Highlands
Patagonian Region (Chile)
Area that lies in the southern part of South
America that has high mountains with glaciers
down to swampy lowlands.
Valleys
Plains
and
Basins
Amazon
Basin
Mato
Grosso
Amazon Rain Forest
Canopy-continuous high layer of leaves covering
the rain forest
Mato Grosso Plateau
South American highlands in the central part of the
continent.
Orinoco Lowlands, the Llanos
Llanos- grasslands in Colombia & Venezuela
Cattle Ranching on the Pampas
Pampas- Grasslands of Argentina & Uruguay
Guachos- Cowhands that work in Argentina
Deserts
Atacama Desert
One of the
driest places
in the world.
Others
Falkland
Islands
Cape Horn
The Falkland Islands
or Islas Malvinas
Cape Horn
The Panama Canal
Going Through the Panama Canal
Earthquake Zones
Active Volcanoes
The Tropical Hemisphere
Latin
American
Climatic
Zones
Different Climate Zones
Elevation
Vertical Climate Zones
Climate in Latin America is more affected by elevation than by
distance from the equator.
Important Vocabulary
• Vertical Climate Zones:
• Tierra Caliente-”hot land”; lowest zone.
Goes from sea level to 3000 feet.
• Tierra Templada- “temperate land”; mid
zone. Stretches from 3000 to 6500 feet.
• Tierra Fria- “cold land”; highest zone.
Reaches from 6500 to 10000 feet.
Amazon Rain Forest
On the Ground Floor
of the Rain Forest
Three-Tiered Vegetation
Sunlight does not reach the forest floor.
Farming is almost impossible. This is why
rain forests are cut down.
Agriculture
Banana Plantation
Harvesting Sugar Cane
Growing Coffee
Rubber Industry
Minerals of the Amazon Region
Amethyst
Quartz
Diamonds
Bauxite
Oil Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico
Eco-Tourism
Latin
America’s
Population
Distribution
Most population
is clustered near
the coast because
much of the
interior lands
highlands or
tropical rain
forest.
Sao Paolo, Brazil
Overcrowding in
Sao Paolo, Brazil
Squatter Settlements
in Major Latin American Cities