Physical Features Chapter 7 Section 1

Latin America Divided into subregions: smaller areas. Middle America, the Caribbean, and South America.

Middle America Made up of Central America Central America is an isthmus: a narrow piece of land that links two larger areas of land. Links North America and South America.

Middle America Lies where 4 tectonic plates meet. Has active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. Ash and lava make the soil fertile.

The Caribbean Divided into 3 groups: the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas.

The Greater Antilles Include the largest islands: Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Jamaica.

The Lesser Antilles Archipelago: a group of islands. Curves from the Virgin Islands to Trinidad.

The Bahamas Another archipelago. Big vacation destination.

The Caribbean Farmers use the fertile volcanic soil to grow crops such as sugarcane and tobacco.

South America The Andes mountain ranges and the Amazon Basin are the major landforms. The Andes are the world’s longest mountain system. Stretch along the Pacific coast and are 5,500 miles long. Have many peaks over 20,000 feet.

Amazon Basin Contains the Amazon River and covers 2.7 million square miles.

Brazilian Highlands End in an escarpment: a series of steep cliffs that drop down to the Atlantic coastal plain. South America also has tropical lowlands called llanos that stretch through Colombia and Venezuela. Another plain the pampas covers much of Argentina and Uruguay.

Rivers The longest river in SA is the Amazon which starts in the Andes and flows east for 4,000 miles into tributaries. Tributary: A small river that flows into a larger river.

Rivers 3 rivers- the Parana, Paraguay, and Uruguay form Latin America’s 2 nd largest river system. They drain the eastern half of SA. Estuary: An area where river currents and ocean tides meet. The Rio de la Plata (River of silver) meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Other Waterways Lake Maracaibo, in Venezuela, is SA’s largest lake. Lake Titicaca is 12,500 feet above sea level.

The Panama Canal A man made waterway that shortens travel time between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Brazil’s Resources The largest country in Latin America. More than 55% is covered in forests. Which provide timber and many other products. Also has bauxite, gold, tin, and iron. Brazil uses alcohol from sugarcane to produce a fuel for cars called gasohol.

Energy Venezuela has Latin America’s largest oil and natural gas reserves. Mexico, Bolivia, and Ecuador also has large amounts of oil and natural gas.

Other Resources Silver is mined in Mexico and Peru. Colombian mines produce the world’s finest emeralds. Nicaragua and Guatemala have rich gold deposits.