Unit 3: Latin America Physical Geography

Landforms and Resources

The Area Latin America is made up of: Part of North America (Mexico) Central America South America Caribbean

Mountains and Highlands Andes Mountains-South America Run through western portion of North, Central, South America Rockies, Sierra Madra, Andes Many active volcanoes in the region Due to the Andes, most settlement on the Western side of South America has occurred along eastern/northern coasts

Plains Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela Plains of Amazon River Basin Grassy, treeless areas Used for livestock Plains of Amazon River Basin Cerrado-savannas with flat terrain and moderate rainfall Good for farming Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay Grasslands with rich soil Cattle and wheat

Rivers Amazon River Orinoco River Parana River Mainly Brazil Mainly Venezuela Parana River Mainly southern Brazil

Islands of the Caribbean Greater Antilles: Cuba Jamaica Hispaniola: Haiti, Dominican Republic Puerto Rico (US territory)

Islands of the Caribbean Lesser Antilles: Windward Islands Leeward Islands

Resources of Latin America Mineral Resources Gold Silver Titanium Tungsten Energy Resources Oil Coal Natural gas Uranium Hydroelectric power

Climate and Vegetation

Diverse Climate and Vegetation Because Latin America covers are large land area, stretching between the northern and southern hemispheres, climate and vegetation varies greatly.

Tropical Climate Zones Tropical Wet Rain forests Hot and rainy year round Amazon covers over 2 million square miles Exotic plants and animals

Tropical Climate Zones Tropical Wet and Dry South America Savannas Hot climates Seasonal rain

Dry Climate Zones Semiarid Dry, some rain Grass-covered plains Deserts-shrubs

Dry Climate Zones Desert Atacama Patagonia Shrubs growing in gravel/sand

Mid-Latitude Climate Zones Humid Subtropical Rainy winters; hot, humid summers Mediterranean Hot, dry summers; cool, moist winters Marine West Coast Cool, rainy winters; mild, rainy summers Highlands Moderate to cold

Human-Environment Interaction

Agriculture Slash-and-burn Terraced farming

Urbanization Push and Pull Factors More and more people leaving farms and moving to cities Issues with urbanization: Sewers, transportation, electricity, housing, clean water

Tourism Positives Negatives Lots of money added to economy Job creation New businesses created Negatives Congestion and pollution Sewage issues Strain on local economy: poverty gap widens

Poverty

Poverty