Transcript Physical Geography of Latin America

Physical Geography of Latin
America
Latin America is
made up of 3 Parts:
1. Central America
(Mexico & 7
countries of Central
America
2. Caribbean
(Bahamas, Greater
Antilles & Lesser
Antilles)
3. South America
(13 countries)
Latin America Facts
• The Region of Latin America is twice the
size of the United States
• Comprised of 37 Countries
• The Region of Latin America stretches
6000 miles from Northern Mexico to Tierra
del Fuego (“Land of Fire”) which is cold
and rocky (southern most point of South
America)
What is the southern most
point of South America?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Tierra del Fuego
Andes
Patagonia
Pampas
• Located near the
Equator in both
Central and South
America
• Over 3,000 + plant
species per sq. mile
What vegetation is located
along the equator (tropical wet
climate)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Desert
Llanos
Tropical Rainforest
Glaciers
Slash and Burn Agriculture
• Constant rainfall washes
away nutrients in soil
unless held in place by
tree roots.
• When land is cleared,
soil turns hard and little
grows
This NASA satellite image shows
hundreds of fires (indicated by red
dots) burning near the Yucatan
peninsula on April 20, 2003. Credit:
MODIS.
This photo was taken in
Petén, Guatemala.
Mountains
• Mexico – Sierra Madre Occidental (west)
and Oriental (east)
Canon de Basaseachic in the
Sierra Madre Occidental
Mountains
• Andes
– West Coast of South America
– World’s longest mountain chain
– 2nd highest mountains in the
World- use terrace farming
– Home of the Inca in Peru
– Barrier to movement into the interior,
thus most settlement has occurred
along the eastern and northern coasts.
• Andes Mountains – mountain range that runs
through the western part of North, Central and
South America. It is called the Rockies in
North America, Sierra Madre in Mexico and
the Andes in South America.
What type of farming takes
along the Andes Mountains?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Rotation farming
Terrace Farming
Deforestation
Irrigation
Mountains
• Guiana and Brazilian Highlands
Angel Falls are located at
Akuyantepui, the largest mountain
plateau in the Guiana Highlands.
• Many people live in the
valleys, but mountains block
communication, isolating
regions and people
Brazilian Southern
Highlands and Canyons
Plateaus & Hills
• Patagonia - Argentina
Bariloche:
NW Patagonia
Steppe
El Chaltén
Períto Moreno glacier
Plains
• LLANOS – Colombia and Venezuela
– Plains area used for grazing and farming
Upland llanos, Bolivar, Venezuela
• In Brazil known as CERRADO
PAMPAS
• Farming and grazing area of Argentina and Uruguay
What are the three plain regions?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Patagonia, Andes, Brazilian Highlands
Atacama Desert, Amazon, Patagonia
Llanos, Cerrado, Pampas
Yucatan Peninsula, Pampas, Guiana Highlands
• Amazon River Basin
– The CERRADO is a savanna with moderate rain that is
suitable for farming
– Currently underdeveloped
– Brazilian government is encouraging settlers to move into
the interior and develop the land
Rivers
• Central America and the Caribbean do not
have the extensive river systems that are
found in South America.
• Orinoco River
– Northern South America: Venezuela and
Colombia
Amazon River
• Runs from the Andes through Brazil to the Atlantic
Ocean for some 4,000 miles.
• Carries more water than any other river in the
world
• Fed by over 1,000 tributaries- hydro electric power
This image map made by the ASAR (radar)
on Envisat shows the Amazon drainage
basin to be generally low in elevation and
flat.
Parana River
• Starts in the Brazilian Highlands
• Turns into the Rio de la Plata
• Commercial “Highway”
What feature allows Brazil to
have a large amount of hydro
electric power?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Mountains
Plateaus
Deltas
Rivers
Orinoco River
1,500 miles
Why would Rainforest, mountains, and rivers
hinder movement and communication?
Caribbean Islands (West Indies)
• Greater Antilles – Larger islands of the
Caribbean.
Lesser Antilles- smaller islands
Soufriere Hills,
Montserrat
Antigua
St. Lucia
Bahamas
• Hundreds of islands off the coast of Florida
Energy Sources:
• Oil & Natural Gas~ Mexico
is the world’s 5th largest
producer; Venezuela
member of OPEC (Organization
of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
• Hydroelectric Power (rivers
& waterfalls)~S.A. has
abundance of rivers
• Coal
What two countries have a large
amount of oil reserves?
1. Argentina and Peru
2. Chile and Paraguay
3. Venezuela and Mexico
4. Columbia and Ecuador
Mineral Resources:
• Abundant mineral supply throughout
region
• Latin America among the world’s
leaders in mining of raw materials
• Mines: gold, silver, iron, copper,
bauxite (aluminum ore), tin, lead &
nickel
Urbanization
People are steadily moving towards the cities to improve their lives.
Push factors – poor medical care, poor education, low-paying jobs,
ownership of land by a few rich people
Pull factors – higher-paying jobs, better schools, better medical care
Several cities in South America rank among the world’s largest in
population, and they are rapidly growing.
(2) Mexico City – 18,131,000
(4) São Paulo - 17,711,000
(10) Buenos Aires – 12,431,000
(19) Rio de Janeiro – 10,556,000
(26) Lima – 7,443,000
(30) Bogotá - 6,834,000
(42) Santiago – 5,261,000
What is urbanization?
What causes urbanization?
1. Push factors
2. Pull factors
3. both
Negative effects of Urban Sprawl?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Plenty of space
Big Houses
Water Shortage
Private schools
LATIN AMERICA CITY
GROWTH
Tourism- growing
industry
Millions of people each year visit Latin American
resorts.
Luxurious cruise ships anchor in the Caribbean.
Resorts offer many activities for locals to have
job opportunities.
Gaps in rich tourists and local poor
Countries incur debt by building resorts/airports/harbors