Transcript Latin America Physical Features

Latin America and the Caribbean

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Region is grouped together
because of its common
culture and history
Due to size of region, many
physical features are going
to be unique to specific
nations, instead of having
uniting features
Map Monday
Start a new bell-ringer sheet!
• Write one paragraph
explaining how
climate/landforms/vegetatio
n and natural/economic
resources led to human
diversity in the region of
Latin America and the Caribbean


Region is grouped together
because of its common
culture, religion, and history
Consists of
 Mexico (in North
America)
 Central America
 South America
 The islands in the
Caribbean Sea
Why do we call this region “Latin”?

The languages spoken here all have roots in
the Latin language.
Mountains and Coastline
Coastline

Surrounded by Atlantic
Ocean on east, Pacific
Ocean on west, and
Caribbean Sea to the
north
Mountains

Mountains span from north
to south across the whole
region
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7,000 miles total of mountain
ranges
From southern border of the
US to Tierra del Fuego
Map of Latin America
Important Mountain Ranges
Andes Mountains
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Chain of mountain ranges that
run through the western portion
of North, Central, and South
America
 Many
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active volcanoes
Mountain ranges provide
protection to the people settled
in the area
 Incas
in Peru were first settlers in
South America
Important Mountain Ranges
Highland Area

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Highlands: made up of the hilly
or mountainous sections of a
country
Highlands in Latin America
include:
 Parts
of Venezuela, Guyana,
Suriname, French Guiana, and
Brazil

Used for terrace farming
Plains Regions
Llanos and Pampas

Vast plains in Colombia
and Venezuela
 Llanos:
grassy, treeless
areas used for livestock
grazing and farming

Vast plains in Argentina
 called
Pampas: areas with
rich soil
 Used to graze cattle and
harvest wheat
Plains Regions
Amazon River Basin

Extensive plains in the
interior of Brazil
 Cerrado:
savannas with flat
terrain and moderate
rainfall that make them
suitable for farming

Much of the land is
undeveloped
River Systems

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Central America and the Caribbean lack the river
systems that are found in South America
South America has three great river systems
Amazon
Orinoco
Parana
Amazon River

Flows about 4,000
miles from west to east
into the Atlantic Ocean
 Starts
in the Andes
Mountains
 Fed by over 1,000
tributaries
 Carries more water to
the ocean than any
other river in the world
Orinoco River

Winds through the
northern part of South
America, mainly
Venezuela
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Flows more than 1,500
miles, partly along the
Colombia-Venezuela
border into the Atlantic
Ocean
Drains the interior lands
of Venezuela and
Colombia
Parana River
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Originates in the
highlands of Brazil
Travels south and west
through Paraguay and
Argentina
Estuary of the Parana
and Uruguay rivers
between Argentina and
Uruguay and is called
the Rio de la Plata

Estuary is the wide lower
course of a river where
its current is met by the
tides
Other Major Waterways
Panama Canal
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Canal that connects the
Caribbean Sea to the
Pacific Ocean
Easier trade routes, don’t
have to work all the way
around the southern most
point of S.A.
40 miles long, cuts 3,000
miles off trip from NYC to
Japan