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Chapter Intro 1

Chapter Objectives Describe the dominant landforms and natural resources of Latin America.  Discuss Latin America’s climate and vegetation. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Chapter Intro 2

The Land Objectives Explain how geographers divide the large region known as Latin America.  Identify the factors that have shaped the formation of Latin America’s landforms.  Discuss how the Latin American landscape has influenced patterns of human settlement.  List the natural resources that make Latin America an economically important region. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 1-1

The Land Terms to Know cordillera  gaucho  hydroelectric power  estuary altiplano  escarpment  llano  pampa  Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 1-2

The Land Places to Locate Amazon River  Mexican Plateau  Patagonia  Mato Grosso Plateau  Rio Grande  Río de la Plata Middle America  Central America  West Indies  South America  Sierra Madre  Andes  Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 1-3

Click the Speaker button to listen to the audio again. Section 1-4

The Dominican Republic, a small Caribbean country with a population only slightly greater than that of New York City, publishes ten daily newspapers. El Listín Diario, read by 50,000 people every day, is the oldest Spanish-language newspaper in the Caribbean. Section 1-5

A Vast Region Latin America covers 8 million square miles of land, from the United States-Mexico border to the southern tip of Argentina in South America.  The name “Latin America” refers to the languages (Spanish and Portuguese, derived from Latin) spoken in this geographic region.  Geographers divide Latin America into three regions: Middle America, the Caribbean, and South America. (pages 193–194) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 1-6

Mountains and Plateaus Latin America’s rugged landscape is the result of its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where plates of the earth’s crust have collided for millions of years, causing earthquakes and creating mountains and volcanoes. (pages 194–196) Section 1-8

Mountains and Plateaus (cont.) Mountains of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean Mexico’s Sierra Madre and the Central Highlands in Central America rise above the landscape of Middle America.  Many Caribbean islands are part of the Central Highlands mountain range. (pages 194–196) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 1-9

Mountains and Plateaus (cont.) Andes of South America The Andes mountain ranges run along the western edge of South America and are the world’s longest mountain range (4,500 miles).  Their parallel ranges, called cordilleras, are arranged in deep folds.  In southern Argentina, hills and lower flatlands form a plateau known as Patagonia. (pages 194–196) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 1-10

Mountains and Plateaus (cont.) Highlands of Brazil Much of Brazil consists of broad plateaus, such as the Mata Grosso Plateau and the Brazilian Highlands. (pages 194–196) Section 1-11

Lowlands and Plains Narrow coastal lowlands hem the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of South America. (pages 196–197) Section 1-13

Click the Speaker button to listen to the audio again. Lowlands and Plains (cont.) (pages 196–197) Click the Speaker button to listen to the audio again. Section 1-14

Lowlands and Plains (cont.) Inland areas of South America hold vast grasslands that provide wide grazing for beef cattle. (pages 196–197) Section 1-15

Click the Speaker button to listen to the audio again. Lowlands and Plains (cont.) (pages 196–197) Click the Speaker button to listen to the audio again. Section 1-16

Water Systems Rivers of South America Navigable rivers, such as the Amazon, serve as transportation routes and provide hydroelectric power.  Lakes Latin America has few large lakes.  Lake Titicaca in the Andes of Bolivia and Peru is the world’s highest navigable lake. (pages 197–198) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 1-18

Natural Resources Latin America’s significant natural resources include minerals, forests, farmlands, and water.  Major deposits of oil and natural gas occur along the Gulf of Mexico and southern Caribbean Sea.  Mexico and Venezuela are leading petroleum producers. (page 198) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 1-20

Natural Resources (cont.) Venezuela’s Orinoco River area contains 11 percent of the world’s gold.  Brazil is also rich in gold, and Peru and Mexico are known for their silver deposits.  Chile is the world’s leading exporter of copper.  Geographic inaccessibility, lack of capital, and social and political divisions hinder fuller development and distribution of natural resources in Latin America. (page 198) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 1-21

Climate and Vegetation Objectives List the climate regions that are represented in Latin America.  Describe how Latin America’s location and landforms affect climates even within particular regions.  Discuss how the natural vegetation and agriculture of Latin America are influenced by climatic factors. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 2-1

Climate and Vegetation Terms to Know canopy  tierra templada  tierra fría  tierra caliente  Places to Locate Amazon Basin  Argentina  Uruguay  Atacama Desert Colombia  Venezuela  Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 2-2

Click the Speaker button to listen to the audio again. Section 2-3

The rain forests of Latin America are the source of many medicines The rain forests of Latin America are the source of many medicines. For example, the poisonous bark of certain curare plants is used to treat such diseases as multiple sclerosis and other muscular disorders, and as a surgical anesthetic. Scientists use the chemical structures of rain forest plants as models from which they can synthesize drug compounds. Rain forest plants also aid in research. Some plant compounds show scientists how cancer cells grow, for example. Section 2-4

Climate and Vegetation Regions Most of Latin America lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn; thus, much of its area has a tropical climate. However, there is a great variety of climates in the region.  Tropical Regions Mexico, eastern central America, some Caribbean islands, and such parts of South America as the Amazon Basin have a tropical rain forest climate and vegetation, with hot temperatures and abundant rainfall occurring year-round. (pages 199–202) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 2-5

Climate and Vegetation Regions (cont.) The Rain Forest The Amazon Basin, with the earth’s largest rain forest, covers one-third of South America and has trees that form a dense canopy that soars as high as 130 feet over the forest floor.  Tropical Savanna In the tropical savanna climate typical of the coast of southwestern Mexico, most Caribbean islands, and north-central South America, the grasslands have hot temperatures, abundant rainfall, and a dry season lasting several months. (pages 199–202) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 2-6

Climate and Vegetation Regions (cont.) The Humid Subtropics In the humid subtropical climate of southeastern South America, the winters are short and mild, and the summers are long, hot, and humid. (pages 199–202) Section 2-7

Climate and Vegetation Regions (cont.) Desert and Steppe Areas Parts of northern Mexico and the southwestern region of South America have desert climates and vegetation; in Chile the rain shadow effect of the Andes has produced the dry, arid Atacama Desert, whereas other areas have a steppe climate, with hot summers, cool winters, and light rainfall. (pages 199–202) Section 2-8

Click the Speaker button to listen to the audio again. Climate and Vegetation Regions (cont.) (pages 199–202) Click the Speaker button to listen to the audio again. Section 2-9

Elevation and Climate The climates of Latin America depend more on elevation than on distance from the Equator.  The tierra caliente lies between sea level and 2,500 feet and has average annual temperatures from 68F to 91F. The main crops include bananas, sugar, rice, and cacao. (pages 202–203) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 2-11

Elevation and Climate (cont.) The tierra templada lies between 2,500 and 6,500 feet and has average daily temperatures between 60F and 72F. Coffee and corn are the main crops.  In the tierra fría, frosts are common in the winter months. Potatoes and barley grow at these elevations. (pages 202–203) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Section 2-12

Summary and Study Guide 1 Section 1: The Land (pages 193–198) Key Points Latin America includes Middle America, the Caribbean, and South America.  Latin America’s physical features include high mountain ranges, less rugged highlands, vast central plains, and volcanic islands.  The water systems of Latin America, especially the mighty rivers of South America, are key to human activity in the region.  Although the region is rich in natural resources, geographic, political, and economic obstacles have kept resources from being developed fully or shared equally. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Summary and Study Guide 1

Summary and Study Guide 2 Section 2: Climate and Vegetation (pages 199–203) Key Points Much of Latin America lies in the Tropics; however, landforms and wind patterns give the region great climatic diversity.  Tropical climates such as tropical forest and tropical savanna are the most common climates in Latin America.  The natural vegetation of Latin America consists mainly of rain forests and grasslands.  The tropical highlands in Latin America include three vertical climate zones that are based on latitude and elevation. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Summary and Study Guide 2

Chapter Maps and Charts: Physical-Political

Chapter Maps and Charts: Climate Regions

Chapter Maps and Charts: Natural Vegetation

Chapter Maps and Charts: Comparing Climates

Chapter Maps and Charts: Mexico

Political Map Transparency 3

Daily Focus Skills Transparency 8-2 Quito; temperatures get colder with increased altitude Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the answers. Daily Focus Skills Transparency 8-2

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