Latin America
Why is it called Latin America? The languages of early explorers (Spain & Portugal) have Latin origins as well as the language used by the Catholic Church was Latin. Includes: Central America, Caribbean, & South America Mexico to southern Argentina (tip is Tierra del Fuego-”land of Fire”)
37 countries make-up Latin America 3 largest: Mexico, Brazil, & Argentina Latin America is twice the size of the United States 2/3 of Latin America lies within the tropics
Landscape Sierra Madres- Mother Ranges runs down middle (1)Mexico & Central America Sierra Madres- Mother Ranges runs down middle Many volcanoes- 40+ eruptions in the past 20 years, along the western side of Central America Plains are along both coasts. Lake Nicaragua- largest in Middle America Rivers- none of the rivers are navigable for ships *Panama Canal
(2)Caribbean Islands Islands are the result of a mountain chain and volcanic activity along the boundary of the Caribbean Plate and the North American Plate. Divided into 3 main groups Bahamas- 2000 pieces of land, 700 big enough to be called islands, only 20 inhabited Lesser Antilles- arc towards South America, contain volcanoes Greater Antilles (4 big islands)- mountains in center, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola (Haiti & DR), Jamaica
(3)South America Andes Mountains- 4,000 miles long- longest mt. chain Plains- Llanos, Pampas, Cerrado- excellent areas for farming Major River Systems- Amazon, Orinoco, Parana
Resources Numerous natural resources- oil, natural gas, gold, silver, aluminum ore, hydroelectric power, rain forest products avocado banana grapefruit lemon lime mango orange papaya pineapple plantain sweet potato black pepper cayenne chili pepper chocolate / cocoa (products) cinnamon cloves ginger vanilla cashew nuts coconut coffee rubber chicle (chewing gum) ipecac quinine
Climate & Vegetation Ranges from hot and humid in Amazon River basin to desert Vegetation-ranges from rain forest to grasslands to desert scrub Tropical Climates-both rainforest and grasslands. Mostly in Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. Dry Climates-found in Mexico and some parts of S. America Mid-Latitude Climates-located south of equator. Rio de Janerio southward
Human Environment Interaction Farming Slash and Burn- today the method is still used and the rain forest is being destroyed Terraced farming- growing crops on mountain sides, look like steps
Urbanization/Urban Sprawl People moving into cities faster than the cities can handle and therefore slums and shanty towns are created on the outskirts of the city
Tourism pros- brings in money, provides jobs cons- resort owners live elsewhere & profits are taken, large gap between rich tourist and poor residents
Exit Ticket?? With a Partner, answer 2 out of the 3 questions on your own piece of paper. Include the # of the question and answer in complete sentences. You do NOT need to write the question. How are the landforms of the region both an advantage and disadvantage? What are two reasons for the variety of climates and vegetation found in Latin America? What factors have drawn people from the countryside into the cities of the region?