Latin America and the Caribbean Region is grouped together because of its common culture and history Due to size of region, many physical features are going to be unique to specific nations, instead of having uniting features

Latin America and the Caribbean Region is grouped together because of its common culture, religion, and history Consists of Mexico (in North America) Central America South America The islands in the Caribbean Sea

Mountains and Coastline Map of Latin America Surrounded by Atlantic Ocean on east, Pacific Ocean on west, and Caribbean Sea to the north Mountains Mountains span from north to south across the whole region 7,000 miles total of mountain ranges From southern border of the US to Tierra del Fuego

Important Mountain Ranges Andes Mountains Chain of mountain ranges that run through the western portion of North, Central, and South America Many active volcanoes Mountain ranges provide protection to the people settled in the area Incas in Peru were first settlers in South America

Important Mountain Ranges Highland Area Highlands: made up of the hilly or mountainous sections of a country Highlands in Latin America include: Parts of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil Used for terrace farming

Plains Regions Llanos and Pampas Vast plains in Colombia and Venezuela Llanos: grassy, treeless areas used for livestock grazing and farming Vast plains in Argentina called Pampas: areas with rich soil Used to graze cattle and harvest wheat

Plains Regions Amazon River Basin Extensive plains in the interior of Brazil Cerrado: savannas with flat terrain and moderate rainfall that make them suitable for farming Much of the land is undeveloped

River Systems Amazon Orinoco Parana Central America and the Caribbean lack the river systems that are found in South America South America has three great river systems Amazon Orinoco Parana

Amazon River Flows about 4,000 miles from west to east into the Atlantic Ocean Starts in the Andes Mountains Fed by over 1,000 tributaries Carries more water to the ocean than any other river in the world

Orinoco River Winds through the northern part of South America, mainly Venezuela Flows more than 1,500 miles, partly along the Colombia-Venezuela border into the Atlantic Ocean Drains the interior lands of Venezuela and Colombia

Parana River Originates in the highlands of Brazil Travels south and west through Paraguay and Argentina Estuary of the Parana and Uruguay rivers between Argentina and Uruguay and is called the Rio de la Plata Estuary is the wide lower course of a river where its current is met by the tides

Other Major Waterways Panama Canal Canal that connects the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean Easier trade routes, don’t have to work all the way around the southern most point of S.A. 40 miles long, cuts 3,000 miles off trip from NYC to Japan