Latin america: Physical Features Chapt 9, Sect 1

1. 
   What are some major landforms and regions in Latin America?
   

• 
  Mexico: mountains (Sierra Madres), Central Plateau, deserts, coastal plains
  
• 
  Central America: isthmus, coastal plains
  
• 
  Caribbean Islands: coral islands, tops of underwater mountains
  
• 
  South America: Andes Mountains, Amazon River Basin, Pampas (large, grassy, plains)
  

2. 
   What are some major rivers in Latin America, and how do they affect the lives of the people living in the region?
   

• 
  Major Rivers: Amazon River; the Parana, Paraguay, and Uruguay Rivers form the Rio de la Plata (separates Uruguay from Argentina)
  
• 
  Uses/effects of rivers: transportation, food (fish), hydroelectricity, personal use
  

• 
  Latin America is located in the Western Hemisphere and includes all of the land south of the U.S.
  
• 
  Four Regions within Latin America: Mexico; Central America; Caribbean Islands; and South America.
  
• 
  About 500 years ago Europeans sailed to the “New World” to claim lands for their kings. British and French sailors went north, while Spanish and Portuguese sailors went south.
  
• 
  Since Spanish and Portuguese are both Latin-based languages, the area is known as Latin America. (Other Latin-based languages include English, French, German, Dutch, and Italian.)
  
• 
  Mexico and Central America stretch 2500 miles, from border of U.S. to South America.
  
• 
  Mountains dominate Mexico and Central America; part of a huge mountain system that extends from Canada through the tip of South America.
  
• 
  Between the mountains of Mexico is the Central Plateau, where the majority of the Mexican population lives.
  
• 
  Andes Mountains run 4500 miles along western side of South America.
  
• 
  Pampas are a large plains area that stretches through Argentina; moderate climate, flat grasslands.
  
• 
  Amazon River Basin contains the largest tropical rain forest in the world, covering more than 1/3 of the continent.
  
• 
  Latin America’s rivers are some of the longest in the world.
  
• 
  Uses of rivers: fish (food), power (hydroelectricity), transportation, personal use.
  
• 
  Amazon is second longest river in the world, but carries more water than any river in the world.
  
• 
  The Amazon River flows more than 4000 miles, from Peru, through Brazil, to Atlantic Ocean.
  
• 
  There are more than 1,000 tributaries to the Amazon River.
  
• 
  Other major rivers include the Parana, Paraguay, and Uruguay Rivers; all three form the Rid de la Plata system, which separates Argentina from Uruguay.
  
• 
  Lake Titicaca is the highest lake in the world with ship travel. It is also the only lake in the world that has naval ships, since the border of Peru and Bolivia goes through the middle of the lake. (Even the Great Lakes between the U.S. and Canada do not have naval ships.)
  

___________________________________________________________________________________

3. 
   What is the climate of Latin America like?
   

• 
  Mexico: Dry in the North; moderate in the Central Plateau; tropical wet and dry in the South
  
• 
  Central America: Tropical wet and dry
  
• 
  Caribbean Islands: Tropical wet and dry
  
• 
  South America: Tropical wet and dry in north; moderate in Highlands, Pampas; continental in Patagonia; dry in rain shadow of Andes (Atacama Desert)
  

4. 
   What is the natural vegetation of Latin America, and how is it affected by climate?
   

• 
  Vegetation: Tropical, wet climates have tropical rain forest vegetation (ferns, vines, palm trees), while arid climates tend to have cacti or desert scrub vegetation.
  
• 
  Climate effects: People living in cool, mountain areas adapt to their physical environment by creating warm clothes and shelter; climate and vegetation help determine whether an area is suitable for farming or ranching. Climate helps determine what types of crops can be raised.
  

• 
  Hurricane season is June to November.
  

• 
  Hurricanes in the Caribbean can blow as much as 180 miles per hour.
  
• 
  Temperature can vary by elevation.
  
• 
  Wind can affect the climate.
  
  • 
    Cool, dry winds from the Polar regions blow toward the Equator.
    
  • 
    Warm, wet winds from the Equator blow toward Polar regions.
    
• 
  Amazon rain forest is so dense with vegetation, that almost no sunlight reaches the ground.
  
• 
  There are thousands of species of trees, plants, and insects in the Amazon Rain Forest.
  
• 
  On the coast of Chile the Andes Mountains shield this area from rain – the Atacoma Desert. (Winds in the Southern Hemisphere blow from the East to the West; in the Northern Hemisphere, winds blow from the West to the East.)
  
• 
  Elevation not only affects temperature (and therefore climate), but it also affects the type of vegetation that will grow – depending on the elevation of the land.
  

___________________________________________________________________________________

5. 
   What are Latin America’s important natural resources?
   

• 
  Mexico: minerals (silver, gold, copper, coal); oil and natural gas; trees (lumber)
  
• 
  Central America: soil and climate make excellent farming (coffee, cotton, sugar cane, cacao beans); fishing; hydroelectricity
  
• 
  Caribbean Islands: rich soil, good climate for farming (coffee, cotton, sugar cane, cacao beans, bananas, citrus fruits); bauxite (used to make aluminum) comes from Jamaica; Cuba and Dominican Republic have nickel; and Trinidad has oil.
  
• 
  South America: minerals; oil (Venezuela); forests; fish; coffee is a key crop in Brazil and Columbia; farming (sugar cane, cotton, rice)
  

6. 
   Why is it important for Latin American nations not to rely too much on one resource?
   

• 
  Not every country shares in the wealth of Latin America’s natural resources. Some countries have many natural resources, and some countries have few natural resources.
  
• 
  Half of Columbia’s exports are coffee.
  
• 
  Hydroelectric power plant at Itaipu Dam (Parana River) is the largest in the world!
  
• 
  Oil is one of Latin America’s most valuable resources (Mexico, Venezuela).
  
• 
  One-third of Honduras’ exports are bananas.
  
• 
  Risky to depend on only one crop or mineral for money. What if something happens and it no longer brings in the money? Much better to diversify – add variety. That way if something happens to one crop, the other crops or natural resources will still make money.
  
• 
  More factories are being built – no longer need foreign investors (who take the money out of the country), puts people to work, diversifies the economy of the country.
  

___________________________________________________________________________________