Transcript South America`s Place in the World

South America’s Place
in the World
North Carolina
Geographic Alliance
PowerPoint
Presentations
2007
1
Location
South America
lies in the Western
Hemisphere
Divided by the Equator
– A small portion lies
north of the Equator,
while most of the
continent lies south of
the Equator.
Much of South
America lies in
the Tropics
2
Land Area
South America: 6,900,000 square miles
(fourth among the continents)
United States: 3,787,485 square miles
3
Countries
South America has 12 countries and 1
colony
Largest country: Brazil – 3,286,500
square miles
Largest U.S. state: Alaska - 570,374 square
miles
North Carolina: 52,672 square miles
McDowell County: 42,151 square miles
4
Population
South America: 313,900,000 – more than
90% of the population lies within 150
miles of the coast
Most populous country: Brazil –
159,690,000
United States: 280,000,000
North Carolina: 8,049,000
McDowell County: 42,151
5
Population
More than
90% of the
population lies
within 150
miles of the
coast
6
Landforms
Andes Mountains,
the longest
continental
mountain range,
they extend for
more than 5,000
miles along the
western edge of
South America.
7
Landforms
Andes Mountains
8
Landforms
Amazon Basin,
the largest
tropical
rainforest in the
world.
9
Bodies of Water
• Caribbean Sea to
the north
• Atlantic Ocean to
the east
• Pacific Ocean to
the west
10
Bodies of Water
Amazon River, the
second longest in
the world, has a
river basin of
2,700,000 square
miles. (Compare
with Mississippi
River basin of
1,150,000 square
miles.)
11
Climate
12
Climate
Much of the continent has a tropical
climate, especially the Amazon Basin.
Temperate climates are found farther
south
High Andes Mountains have a cold climate
Deserts along Pacific coast and southern
Argentina
13
Climate
14