Transcript LATIN AMERICA

LATIN AMERICA
Introduction
Mexico
Caribbean Islands
Central America
South America
Where is Latin America?
• Find Mexico on a World Map...
…and move southeastward
Latin America
POLITICAL MAP
LATIN AMERICA
WHY is region called Latin America?
* Latin was the Language of Ancient Roman Conquerors
A. The Two Widely Spoken Languages are Latin-based
B. CLIMATE
1. In Middle America and
northern South America, climate is TROPICAL.
2. Northern Mexico and southern South
America, it is TEMPERATE
(there are SEASONS in areas north and
south of the Tropics)
NORTHERN / SUMMER HEMISPHERE
SEASONS ARE REVERSED
When it is winter in the USA...
it is summer in South America (&
southern Africa, Australia &
Antarctica)
Also: ALTITUDE (Elevation) is a major factor.
PHYSICAL FEATURES
C. Mountains in Latin America:
1. Sierra Madre Mt. Range in Mexico (split along
Mexico’s E & W coasts/ either side of the Mexican
Plateau)
a. Sierra Madre Oriental Mts: along the EAST Coast .
b. Sierra Madre Occidental Mts: along WEST coast
(these are the tallest Mts. In Mexico)
c. Sierra Madre del Sur: Mts. come together on the
southern PACIFIC COAST of Mexico
Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Oriental
Sierra Madre del Sur
2. ANDES Mountains of South America
a. extend for 3500 miles along entire west
coast of South America.
b. longest chain of mountains in the world
c. 2nd tallest mts. In the world/ formed by
tectonic plate movement; Nazca (ocean)
Plate colliding w South America (land) Plate
d. Like the western coast of North America:
Mexico, the west coast of South America &
Central American Highlands are a major
volcanic & earthquake zone due to the
collision and shifting of plates.
3. TERRACED FARMING:
Step-like horizontal fields are cut into steep
hillsides and mountains to prevent soil
erosion. Used by Incas in Peru and Aztecs
in Mexico.
4. VERTICAL ZONATION: Mountains in Latin
America are split into Agricultural Zones based on
elevation.
Another look at VERTICAL ZONATION in the Andes Mts..
D. MAJOR ISLAND GROUPS:
1. Caribbean Islands
(aka the “West Indies”)
a. The Greater Antilles (Volcanic)
b. Lesser Antilles (Volcanic)
c. Bahamas (Coral Cays…pronounced
d. All island groups well known for
agriculture and tourism
“Keys”)
Bahamas
Lesser Antilles
Greater Antilles
• The Galapagos Islands (off the
west coast of Ecuador) are known
for their Tortoises and other
scientific studies of plants and
animals.
Ga-LAP-ah-gos Islands
Does Charles Darwin ring a bell?
• The Falkland Islands are controlled
by the United Kingdom
• The British defeated the Argentines
“Falkland
Islands
in the Falkland
Island
War of 1982
(Isla Malvinas)
• These islands
have
a
HUGE
military
Administered by
advantage
of the location
thebecause
UK (claimed
to the Strait
of Magellan...
by Argentina)”
• ...esp. if the Panama Canal is
blocked during wartime
E. GRASSLANDS of SOUTH AMERICA
1. Huge, flat plains in Latin America - known for very
fertile soil.
2. The Llanos are in the far north of South America in the
countries of Colombia & Venezuela (know for farming &
grazing livestock)
3. The most famous grasslands in So. Amer. are the
Pampas in Northern Argentina; Major products of the
Pampas are wheat grains and cattle
We are usually found on
grassland ranches…like
the Llanos in Venezuela
or the Pampas of
Argentina….
where the best beef
cattle in the world
are raised!
Llanos
4. Latin American
Horsemen of the
Pampas are called
Gauchos
Pampas
F. Rainforests
1. Found along east coast of Central America
(especially Costa Rica) and in South America in the
region known as Amazonia
a. Costa Rica: Has become a major area
of Ecotourism
b. Amazon River Basin: the largest rainforest
in the world…
and the most
endangered!
2. Major Problem: Trees of the Amazon River are being
cut down and sold for lumber & construction and
bulldozed down and burned to make room for interior
farmlands and grazing lands, and to build new interior
cities ( “SLASH & BURN AGRICULTURE”)
http://www.ran.org/info_center/about_rainforests.html
G. Coastal Deserts
1. Located on the western coast of
South America.
2. ATACAMA DESERT in Chile: one of the
coldest (b/c of elevation) and driest (1/16 “
of precipitation/year) deserts in world
(orographic precipitation).
RAIN SHADOW EFFECT
Pacific Ocean
A
N
D
E
S
http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~amitp/simblob/rain-shadow.png
Andes Mts. create rain shadow on leeward
moisture blocked.
5. The RIO DE LA PLATA
3. Orinoco
River
- NotBravo
a river, but an
2. Rio
ESTUARY… a large, deep,
widened coastal harbor
where fresh water from a
river meets and mixes
with the salt water of the
sea.
1. The AMAZON River
System:
The largest river in the
world!!
4. Parana
River
Rivers in Latin America
Arial View:
The Rio de la Plata
I. IMPACT OF PHYSICAL FEATURES?
1. Location/Areas of urbanization: along rivers and
coastlines.
a. Many countries of Latin Amer. have high
population growth.
b. People moved to cities to improve their lives.
2. SOME PUSH FACTORS that cause people to move
from rural areas:
a. Tenant Farmers/ farming is labor intensive work/
farms often fail
b. Have low paying jobs
c. No medical care or education for the poor
3. Some pull factors that cause people to move to cities:
a. Employment/ higher paying jobs/ less strenuous work
b. Better schools & medical care for families
c. A better way of life for their family/ children
4. Many large MEGACITIES (20 + M people)
a. Sao Paulo & Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Buenos Aires,
Argentina; Lima, Peru; Santiago, Chile; Mexico City,
Mexico
b. Problem: unemployment, crime, poverty, pollution,
huge slum cities (favelas) & lack of adequate
infrastructure & services for so many people
J. Major Agricultural Crops exported from Latin America
1. Agricultural crops are grown in different climate regions
and zones:
a. Sugar Cane
b. Bananas
c. Cocoa
d. Coffee (world’s favorite beverage)
2nd most traded global commodity after oil. In 2009,
coffee exports worth US $15.4 billion; 93.4 M bags
were shipped across the globe.